The ancient sport of curling traces its roots to 16th-century Scotland, where locals invented a winter game that involved sliding and tossing granite stones across frozen ponds and lochs. Some 500 years later “the roaring game,” as curling is often called by the sport’s enthusiasts, utilizes 44-pound polished stones that are carved from granite taken from only two quarries in the world. Curious curlers can play the Scottish pastime in arenas across Michigan with little more than a pair of rubber-soled shoes. Here are a few places to pick up the ancient sport, whether you’re a wannabe curler or a veteran.

Copper Country Curling Club, Calumet

The Copper Country Curling Club began in 1993 and is located inside the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company’s Drill Shop, an 1885 building that once housed the copper mining company’s drill bit manufacturer. Join a team, take lessons or organize a group outing at the curling club, but dress warmly. There is no artificial refrigeration in this 19th-century building. Instead, the club relies on natural subfreezing temperatures to keep its ice frozen—and that means no indoor heating.

Marquette Michigan Curling Club

Founded in 2018 with a gift from nearby Northern Michigan University of 16 curling stones, this curling club plays at the Lakeview Arena just north of town. Throughout the winter, regular league members throw and sweep stones in competitive matches. But Sunday evening drop-in curling is a good time for newcomers who want to learn the sport or to improve their skills. The Marquette Michigan Curling Club also offers six-week Learn to Curl sessions.

Kalamazoo Curling Club

No matter your age, if you’re strong enough to throw (slide) a granite rock the length of a regulation 150-foot sheet of ice and able to sweep it home, the Kalamazoo Curling Club wants to teach you the sport they’re passionate about. Weeks-long curling academies, two-hour classes, drop-in curling events, corporate learn-to-curl team-building events and regular league competition all take place at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center, which is also home to the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings hockey team.