Despite growing up in Wisconsin, our neighbor to the East is a state I was not too familiar with. Every year for the past six or so, my extended family on my mother’s side takes a long weekend on the lake together. Our destination until now has been Door County for this annual family vacation, but a wedding in Michigan that my mom and her sisters were invited to allowed an opportunity to change it up. Needless to say, I am not a fan of repeating travel destinations unless there is a very compelling reason to do so, so a trip to Northern Michigan was a much welcomed change for me.

EXPERIENCE

We started our weekend in Traverse City on Lake Michigan. From here we used the lake and explored the wonderful sand dunes at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Traverse City is a much larger town than I expected full of great local breweries, charming shops and a nice historic district. We enjoyed walking around in the evenings and even participating in the Traverse City Film Festival by catching an outdoor showing of Star Wars on the big screen near the lakefront.

The lake was cold but fun! Kayakers, stand up paddle boarders, and canoers were out in abundance. We had a great day at nearby Sleeping Bear having a family picnic and climbing the dunes. This was a very fun day for the adults and kids, with breathtaking landscapes to enjoy as well as lots of fun to be had hiking, jumping and running down the dunes. The scenic drive north of the park is worth the while, as it ends with stunning views of the Caribbean blue water below the highest sand drop offs.

The second half of our trip took us further north, through the charming town of Petosky. This is a wonderful harbor town stop, full of antique shops and cute restaurants. My sister and I spent a lovely afternoon here before continuing on to the less impressive town of Mackinaw City. This city is not my cup of tea. Full of chain hotels run by one slum lord who rules the contrived vacation destination, spend as little time here as possible. We left from here on the ferry to the motorless Mackinac Island however, which was a lot of fun! While here be sure to rent bikes (my sister and I shared a tandem which was fun) and do the loop around the island. This was actually much more beautiful than I expected. Arch Rock is a quick walk up from the bike path and quite stunning with the translucent water behind it. The entire island is easy to explore via foot since no motorized vehicles are allowed on the entire island. We had luck evading the fee and sneaking into the Grand Hotel, while I would not pay to stay at this cruise ship of a palace, it was nice to get a quick peak inside and admire the gorgeous flowers in its gardens.

STAY

While in Traverse City we stayed lakeside at a midsize hotel called the North Inn. It was quite nice with a great shoreline and pool. We did not use either much since the weather was chilly, but for a warmer day it would be perfect. In Mackinaw City we were less impressed and stayed at one of the many properties owned by some Michigan tycoon who seems to own the entire block. None of the properties are remotely impressive and he likes to give the look of his places all competing with each other, as previously mentioned, avoid spending more time here than needed.

EAT

Cherry season was on! Traverse City regards itself as the cherry capital of the world (though I believe Door County may also) so take advantage! We also enjoyed lots of creations made from the cherries, like pie and cherry ale! Mackinaw City has little to offer in the way of anything, but we managed to have a fun evening at the Dixie Saloon sipping local wines and dancing with the locals. Mackinac Island is known for fudge, so be sure to indulge in that while on the island. Aside from this we ate mostly picnics and enjoyed plenty of local beers in Traverse City which is home to some fun spots like Jolly Pumpkin and Terra Firma. One of our favorites was a local brew pub called Rare Bird with a hip feel and great beer selection. While the food was so-so the roof deck at the Franklin was fine to dine on. I have a long list of places I’d look forward to trying on a future visit!