<p>Agree with post #19. You won’t have that far to drive- we’ve done those trips at least twice each when it meant going around Lake Michigan north or south. You must climb the Sleeping Bear Dunes and visit Mackinac Island as a day trip (stay off the island to save money)!</p>
<p>Oh, I so love my home state! The Huron side is nice, but quieter - less to “do.” Tawas and Oscoda are my favorites on that side of the state.</p>
<p>My heart belongs to the Lake Michigan side, though. From the south to the north … it’s all great. St. Joseph, Grand Haven, Manistee, Empire … all different, all wonderful. Some of my favorites are dune rides at Silver Lake - especially late afternoon; walking out to the Little Sable lighthouse (and climbing to the top) north of Ludington; the Sleeping Bear dunes; Traverse City; the wineries north of Traverse City (stay at Chateau Chantel!). But my favorite MI place by far is the beach at Platte River Point - where the Platte River meets Lake Michigan. It is incredible!!</p>
<p>It’s been a very busy workday for me, so this is the first chance I’ve had to read through everyone’s suggestions. Wow! Who knew Michigan had so many great places to visit. I was looking at Port Austin on the web because it is close to our starting point and seems to have some very beautiful scenery for a canoeing/kayaking adventure on Lake Huron. </p>
<p>A visit to Tahquamenon Falls sounds wonderful, but I suspect it’s a long drive from our starting point?</p>
<p>I should have known there was a Henry Ford Museum somewhere in the area. We’ve been to his home in Ft. Myers - near the Edison home there. Could be fun to visit the Museum.</p>
<p>Hmmm . . . so many choices. </p>
<p>Anybody have any thoughts about places to stay if we go to Port Austin? Western Michigan beaches?</p>
<p>If you go to the west side, the beaches are nice all the way up & down. Nice beach towns are St. Joe’s, Saugatuck, Grand Haven - those are all popular with the Chicago crowd. Farther north, the towns are smaller but the beaches are great: Ludington, Manistee, Empire.</p>
<p>I don’t know Port Austin at all, unfortunately.</p>
<p>Any specific hotels/B&B’s, etc.? Restaurants? Canoe liveries? Hiking Trails?</p>
<p>As you go across the state there is some great antiquing if you are in to that kind of thing, in just about every small town inland – particularly around Kalamazoo. You might also pick up the newest issue of Midwest Living, it has a nice article about Harbour Springs, Petoeksy, Travese City, Charlivoux.</p>
<p>Just a plug for the Henry Ford musuem if you stay on the east side of the state… I live near there and love the Henry Ford. They have a really cool Titanic exhibit going on until September… but the beaches on the west side are undeniably better. :P</p>
<p>If you stay on the Lake Huron side, Lexington is a nice, small beach town with a pretty beach and harbor and some interesting shops. I have stayed at a lovely B&B called Inn the Garden (google it) in a beautiful old house in Lexington. That might be nice for one night’s stay.</p>
<p>Thanks, bookiemom.</p>
<p>If you want to stay in the Petoskey area they have an inn called the Bay View Inn. It’s in Bay View which is a Chautauqua community. Beautiful Victorian community which is only open in the summer. Also in Petoskey is the Inn at Bay Harbor. Newer community and the inn is beautiful.</p>
<p>I prefer Glen Arbor to Empire but that is just personal preference. The Homestead in Glen Arbor is very nice and they have a B&B in town called the Glen Arbor Inn. If you want to go to Sleeping Bear Dunes, they have tons of trails in the national park. I like Empire Bluffs but any are great. There is canoeing right in town, places to eat and little shops. If you go, they have a ranger station in Empire. Go visit. They have lots of Ranger led activities. Last year by chance we went on one at Empire Bluffs. It was very informative. There is a new biking hiking trail which opens this year from Glen Arbor to the Dune Climb. Very excited for this to open.</p>
<p>If you want to stay on the east side of the state, there is lots of canoeing on the Au Sable River. Nice easy river to canoe on. </p>
<p>Kelsmom, we just went through Silver Lake last week. It was so fun to go through in the off season. The town was just about shut down. Nothing was open. Went down to the dunes. There is a house right next to the state park which had a front loader in the yard. I suspect that they have to dig out the yard every year or it will bury the house.</p>
<p>I always tell people this because as kids my parents were not aware of this. If you come to Northern Michigan or to the beaches just be warned. It gets cool in the evenings. (sometimes the days too but don’t think about that). Because of the water, bring a sweater and pants. You will need them. As I like to say, it’s not a weather forecast, it’s a suggestion. They weather can change and the nights are cool. Do not trust the weather report. It’s a suggestion. Mackinac Island has it’s own little weather system all it’s own. But it’s so different and pretty. Lovely.</p>
<p>On the Lake Huron side, the area around Tawas City and Oscoda is pretty nice. That’s about a 3 hour drive from Detroit. But I agree with those who say the Lake Michigan side is the way to go. There are some nice towns in southwestern Michigan–Saugatuck, South Haven–that are also about a 3 hour drive from Detroit. But to my mind it’s worth it to do a little extra driving–4.5 hours or so–to get to the northwestern or north central parts of the Lower Peninsula. Three areas stand out: Traverse City-Leelanau-Sleeping Bear, Charlevoix-Petoskey-Harbor Spring, and the Mackinac area (both sides of the Mackinac Bridge, and Mackinac Island). All are about the same driving distance from Detroit. I wouldn’t try to combine them all. There’s plenty to do in the Traverse City area alone: a day or two wandering the Leelanau Peninsula and a full day in and around Sleeping Bear (which Good Morning America recently named the “most beautiful place in America,” perhaps a stretch, but the view from atop those massive sand dunes is breathtaking). On your way there you can stop and stretch your legs with a short walk through Hartwick Pines State Park, near Grayling, and see some of the last surviving specimens of the magnificent old-growth white pines that once blanketed the state, giving you a taste of the real Michigan and a sense of its lumbering past.</p>
<p>Does any one know anything about the Sister Lakes area (Dowagiac, Magician Lake, etc.)?</p>
<p>Mackinac Island is awesome–no cars, just horse-drawn carriages and bikes. Victorian houses, fresh saltwater taffy and fudge. Idyllic. But then, I’m not much of a beach person.</p>
<p>I know all about the Sister Lakes area … our family cottage is on Diamond Island, which is in Cassopolis. The area is basically corn fields with some beautiful lakes thrown in. South Bend is within easy driving distance, and the Lake Michigan shoreline is also an easy drive. I like the area a lot, but for “visiting,” I prefer to be closer to Lake Michigan.</p>
<p>As for Silver Lake dunes, we talked my in laws into going on the dune buggy trip. They went with another couple, and my FIL got a bit confused about where he was supposed to go for the trip. Instead of driving to the headquarters, he drove through the entrance for the dune buggies … and got stuck in the sand!! While it was far from funny to him at the time, we all laughed when he told the story. :)</p>
<p>Grew up in MI, but haven’t lived there in years. I have great memories of going to Mackinac Island and walking across the bridge on Labor Day. My folks had a small cabin outside of Mackinaw City–place called Trail’s End. I would second the recommendations to visit that area. Also, the last time I visited, I was in the Petoskey area and it was beautiful. Read an article where Mario Batali, who has a second home in Traverse City, sang the praises of the area. Certainly made me want to visit.
[How</a> Mario Batali Escapes New York Summers: BA Daily: bonappetit.com](<a href=“Bon Appétit: Recipes, Cooking, Entertaining, Restaurants | Bon Appétit”>How Mario Batali Escapes New York Summers | Bon Appétit)</p>
<p>So many good suggestions! </p>
<p>Bromfield - thanks for the link!</p>
<p>I think for the early June mini-vacation we will end up seeing the Henry Ford Museum then head up to Port Austin for some canoeing. Will definitely put the Lake Michigan side of the state on the agenda for the next mini-vacation - possibly in late August. I think the Leelanau Peninsula looks promising. </p>
<p>I’m always open to suggestions for restaurants and hotels . . .</p>
<p>Can I put in my two cents for an additional stop when visiting the museum? I love Greenfield Village, which is part of The Henry Ford complex. The Henry, the Dearborn Inn, or the Hyatt Regency-Dearborn are all good bets for places to stay.</p>
<p>When you visit again, consider the Old Mission Peninsula north of Traverse City for a day or two … Chateau Chantel is such a wonderful place to stay: [Chateau</a> Chantal - Traverse City, Michigan winery inn bed & breakfast](<a href=“http://www.chateauchantal.com/b-b]Chateau”>http://www.chateauchantal.com/b-b).</p>
<p>I also love Greenfield Village; first went there on an 8th grade field trip. Too bad the Steamboat Suwanee no longer exists - it was one of my favorite parts of the museum.</p>
<p>Re the future trip - think about tubing down the Platte River - it ends at the great beach that kelsmom mentions. There’s a sand bar separating the mouth of the river (which is quite narrow and shallow at that point) from the lake - the warm river water meets the cold lake water - so much fun to move from one to the other. If you google map “Loon Lake Michigan”, you can follow the path of the river and see the beach at the end.</p>
<p>We did the tubing trip 2 summers ago … what fun!!</p>
<p>Are there any must-do activities or restaurants in the Grand Rapids area? Many thanks for your tips.</p>