Michigan

Funny, you ask. At this time last year, we planned our trip to Michigan this year. We came through Canada to Port Huron and went up to Frankenmuth for a day. Great little Bavarian town with nice restaurants with German food and Bronner's the world's largest Christmas store - not to be missed.

Then we traveled up to Manistee on the western shore of MI. We stayed at Little River Rv resort - great place!!!! It helps I won 400 in the casino. That was our home base and we saw the many sights and little towns all around - Did the Silver Lake Mac's Dune Buggy ride high on the sand dunes, shopped along the way and went north to Great Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park. Great places in between. After four days, we left and stayed in St. Ignace on the Straights of Mackinac at Lake Shore RV Park - another gem. From there we took day trips all over the UP - Soo Locks, Whitefish Point, Mackinac Island (loved that place), Mackinac City and the jack Pine Lumberjack Show. On our travels we stopped at many points in between. It was a beautiful trip with lots of sand dunes, water everywhere, quaint towns, fudge, whitefish in every restaurant.

Contact me for more information. We would have loved to have done more but we had an unexpected trip to the hospital while there.

Up North MI is big,, but I will throw out some restaurants worth checking out. Will start from the south and head north..

Big Rapids MI - Schuberg's Bar (rated one of the top ten burgers in MI this year)

Cadillac MI - Hermann's European Cafe (esp the escargot and Jager Schnitzel "Hunter's Style")

Gaylord MI - Gobbler's (save room for pie, or do like my wife and I do and have it first.. The Applejack Turkey sandwich is my favorite)

Indian River MI - Wilson's River Edge Restaurant ( only been there once, was really good, hear they have amazing breakfast)

Millersburg MI - Three Cedar's (used to be the Millersburg Inn and was closed more than it was open, but some new blood bought it and are doing a great job with it..)

St Ignace MI - Clyde's Drive In.. (Also rated one of MI top 10 burgers this year)

Brevort MI - White Tail resort I think it's called. (Little greasy spoon on the east side of Brevort on the north side of Rt 2. Really good food and amazing bread pudding)

Munising MI - Navigator (have only had breakfast there, but also really good food)

Houghton MI - Victoria's Kitchen (only open for breakfast and lunch, I have only eaten breakfast there, but eat there every opportunity I get. Vicky makes really great food!)

As for what else to do besides eat, especially if going to the UP grab these two books, they will keep you busy

199 MI Waterfalls

Traveler's Guide to MI lighthouses

Upper Peninsula:
Don't miss Pictured Rocks. The best way to see it is from the boat tour, it's a 3 hour trip but totally worth it. Or you could use your own kayaks if you have them.

Also a good spot to check out is Tahquamenanon Falls. The upper falls are larger and more grand than the lower falls. There is also a campground there but I have never stayed at it. It is nothing nearly as spectacular as Niagara, but it is 100% NOT commercialized. There are no shops or go-carts, etc. It's all forest and natural. Close to the Falls is White Fish point with an amazing lighthouse and keepers house (my favorite part), and a maritime museum.

If you head over to the Soo Locks there's a restaurant in Sault St. Marie called antlers.....amazing!

Any trip to Michigan makes a trip to Mackinac Island necessary. No vehicles are allowed but you can take or rent bikes. The area is VERY hilly so if you're not in the best of shape, older, or have small children your best bet is to take a horse drawn wagon ride. We got a package deal that included the ferry trip to/from the island, wagon ride, tour of Fort Mackinac, and visit to the blacksmith shop. The island is known for their fudge. In fact on our last trip, we had fudge for lunch.

We used Brimley State Park as our home base for all of these places. We were 1-2 hours from all of the sights we wanted to see. The best part of this park is that you can get sites that back up to Lake Superior. There is a tree line but you can take a path right to the beach.

Lower Peninsula:
Really you can't go wrong with anything on Lake Michigan. Lake Huron is also nice but not as spectacular as Lake Michigan.

Sleeping Bear Dunes is fantastic. It is close to Traverse City, which is very touristy. This area is known for cherries and has a festival every year. You can find cherry everything, salsa, jams, etc.

We go to Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Mears every year. We have a dune buggie we drive or you can rent buggies, quads, etc. We've done this for 16 years, PM me if you want more info.
Ludington is the most sought after state park in Michigan and basically impossible to get into. We did go and it was very nice, but a day trip would be fine as the sites themselves were terrible, (all dirt and super small). The beach was amazing but it's the same beach we visit in Silver Lake.

All nice suggestions. In the upper we like Indian Lake State CG near Manistique. There are lots of activities at the park and other nearby. It is a beautiful lake and the other mearby state parks are unique. Check them out.....

I can't add much to what the others have said, but the one thing I do know is if your are a fan of biscuits and gravy don't bother ordering it. Haven't found any place in MI that decent biscuits and gravy. Lake Michigan is beautiful, with lots of history and beautiful lighthouses. Enjoy your trip.

dancoppins wrote:
All nice suggestions. In the upper we like Indian Lake State CG near Manistique. There are lots of activities at the park and other nearby. It is a beautiful lake and the other mearby state parks are unique. Check them out.....

I had never been there till this last weekend and we visited Kitch-iti-Kipi, truly something I have never seen before and worth going to if you are around there...

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=425

double post

don't forget to ask for "Blue Moon" ice cream. It's famous in the UP!

When considering the time of the year to go I would suggest that you go after July 4th. I used to live in Marquette and the early part of the summer has problems with swarms of black flies and no-seeums. Mosquitos are always there so you can't avoid them until there is a good frost.

That being said, I suggest a day visit to Mackinac Island. Camping can be a bit difficult around the 4th of July in that area, but there are several good CGs above and below the bridge. The Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie is a good visit too. The Munising area has the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore & be sure to take the cruise. There are also several nice waterfalls in the Munising area. If you continue west along M-28 you'll go through Marquette. There isn't much to see in Marquette, although the upper harbor area where they load the large ore boats is interesting and Presque Isle Park is right next to the dock.

The Keweenaw Peninsula (that jut of land that goes up into Lake Superior) is an old mining area where you can visit a mine. Going all the way to the top, Copper Harbor, is a long drive, but there are some nice campgrounds in the area as well as Fort Wilkins State Park. In the Ontonagon area, at the west end of the U.P., is the Porcupine Mountains State Park. If you like hiking this park has some excellent trails. I prefer hiking both sides of the Presque Isle River at the south end of the park. For camping in this area we like Ontonagon Township Park on the north side of Ontonagon. The state park is ok, but not preferred CG.

Below is a nice FHU campground west of Marquette about 40 miles. It's on a very large lake in a very rural area.

http://www.michigammeshores.com/

For groceries be sure to stock up when and where possible. Marquette has good shopping as does Sault Ste Marie, Escanaba, the Houghton/Hancock area, and Iron Mountain. The same goes for fuel, although they do have diesel available, but the prices can be high, especially in the northern half of the U.P. Usually found good prices in Manistique and Escanaba.

Have a nice trip!

CortezCapt wrote:
I can't add much to what the others have said, but the one thing I do know is if your are a fan of biscuits and gravy don't bother ordering it. Haven't found any place in MI that decent biscuits and gravy. Lake Michigan is beautiful, with lots of history and beautiful lighthouses. Enjoy your trip.

Skip the biscuits and gravy. Enjoy some Pasties in the UP instead.