This
life-size bronze sculpture is located in Clinch Park. The park is the
area’s most popular beach, and features over 1500 feet of sand along West
Grand Traverse Bay in downtown Traverse City. Photo courtesy of the Traverse
City Convention and Visitors Bureau
With sandy beaches, blue waters, stunning sunsets and natural woodlands, northwest Michigan is a vacation paradise. From harbor towns to downtown districts, charm flows freely in chic shops, art-filled galleries and historic museums. Whether it’s a scenic drive, an outdoor hike or relaxing river paddle, this region provides adventure and enjoyment for all. Exploration and Family Fun
The unique geography, sheltered bays and shipwrecks make the Grand Traverse Bay
an exciting snorkeling and diving destination.
Photo courtesy of the Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau
Kids can see fish weaving in and out of underwater grasses while snorkeling in
the crystal waters of the Traverse City area. With more than a dozen inland
lakes and 132 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Grand Traverse Bay,
it’s easy to explore the aquatic wonders. Bring your own gear or rent
equipment at any of the area’s dive shops.
Visit the Great Lakes Children’s museum in Greilickville for water-themed
interactive exhibits that let children discover and experiment. Learn how to
create waves or change the flow of water, pilot a Great Lakes freighter, or
explore the lighthouse keeper’s quarters (www.greatlakeskids.org).
Sports enthusiasts can involve the whole family in a game of disc golf, where
players toss a disc down a course into raised “holes.” This
fast-growing sport provides hours of family enjoyment in beautiful outdoor
settings. If you’ve got a couple hours, head out to one of
Ludington’s five disc golf courses and give it your best shot!
Climb on … at the Vertical Edge 32-ft Climbing Wall, located in The Park
at the Water’s Edge in Thompsonville. Certified instructors are on site
to equip climbers for beginner, intermediate, or advanced climbing routes. Photo
courtesy of Crystal Mountain
Have a splashing good time at Crystal Mountain’s outdoor water
playground, The Park at the Water’s Edge, in Thompsonville. The
pool’s zero-depth entry provides a beach like entrance that lets even the
tiniest of tots wade in. Basketball hoops and volleyball nets offer cool water
sports fun, and the 23-foot lily pad walk allows kids to test their balancing
skills on floating lily pads (www.crystalmountain.com).
Outdoor Activities and Relaxation
Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the Betsie Valley Trailway, a scenic 22-mile
long trail that extends from Frankfort to Thompsonville. Parts of the trail
provide excellent views as it travels along the Betsie River and Crystal Lake,
perfect for hiking or biking.
Together with a growing variety of shops, art galleries and restaurants,
Frankfort boasts some of the best beaches in Northwest Michigan. Photo courtesy
of Travel Michigan
The city of Manistee is known as “Lake Michigan’s Victorian Port
City.” Walkways follow the riverbanks down to the lakeshore where the
1927 north pierhead light and elevated walkway still stand guard over the
harbor entrance. Photo courtesy of Carl Ter Haar
Head north to Charlevoix County and relax on the sugar sands of Lake Michigan
and Lake Charlevoix, or head south to Ludington for white sand beaches and the
more than 60 inland lakes of Mason County. With 7,300 feet of undeveloped
shoreline and sand dunes reaching up to 140 feet in this region, you might just
find yourselves the only ones on the beach.
Canoeing and kayaking are plentiful in this region. Looking for something
different? Jordan Valley Outfitters offers full-moon paddle trips for
stargazing while canoeing the scenic Jordan River (www.jvoutfitters.com).
The Jordan River Pathway offers an 18-mile hiking trail that winds through
beautiful Mackinaw State Forest to Deadman’s Hill, which has breathtaking
views overlooking the Jordan River Valley. Be sure to look out for beavers,
which are especially active building dams with the lush vegetation.
Beaver Island Boat Company offers daily ferry service departing from Charlevoix
to Beaver Island, where unspoiled nature surrounds you. For ferry schedules,
visit www.bibco.com. Here, biologist led “ecotours” include stops
at sandy beaches, inland lakes and hardwood forests to view and learn about the
island’s native plants, animals and landscape (www.beaverislandecotours.com).
Known as Michigan’s Golf Coast, the Traverse City area is home to 19
championship courses. The Petoskey-Harbor Springs-Boyne Country area boasts 20
courses for golfers of all abilities. Golf magazine recently rated Bay Harbor
Golf Club, with its three distinct courses, eighth in the United States (www.BoyneCountry.com).
Arcadia Bluffs, with its rolling terrain and windswept natural features, is
rated the third top Michigan golf course in Golf Digest. Overlooking Lake
Michigan, the course is built on the bluffs and drops 225 feet from its highest
point down to the bluff, providing spectacular views of the lake (www.arcadiabluffs.com).
Unique Galleries and Shops
The downtown districts of Ludington and Pentwater are brimming with
old-fashioned flair, charming shops, art galleries and restaurants. Take a
horse drawn carriage ride through Ludington or rent bicycles-built-for-two in
Pentwater for a complete tour through town. Stroll along Ludington’s
Waterfront Sculpture Park, featuring art you can touch along the harbor walk,
as well as a band shell with free music concerts (www.ludington.org).
Pentwater features six art galleries and is home to the Artisans Center, a
state-of-the-art center that offers mentoring in everything from glass blowing
to jewelry design to woodworking (www.pentwater.org).
Go back in time in Historic White Pine Village, where life in the 1800s comes
alive with nostalgic feel and flair. Visit the old-fashioned ice cream parlor,
watch the Mariners play old-time baseball with 1860 rules or tour more than 25
historic buildings and museums (www.historicwhitepinevillage.org).
Feeling lucky? Be sure to stop in at the new Turtle Creek casino in
Williamsburg. The new complex includes 2 restaurants, 6 lounges, a nightclub
and a 54,000 square-foot gaming floor with over 1,300 slots machines and 40
game tables (www.turtlecreekcasino.com).
Fresh Fare and Fine Dining
Earning its title as the north section of Michigan’s “Fruit
Belt,” fruit farms and orchards are plentiful throughout the
region’s fertile hills and valleys, producing a variety of fruits. Drive
down almost any road and you will find bountiful roadside markets, u-pick farms
and fruit stands filled with seemingly unlimited fresh fruit including
blueberries, strawberries, apples and grapes. Celebrate the infamous Michigan
sweet cherry each year at Traverse City’s National Cherry Festival (www.cherryfestival.org).
Fresh vegetables are abundant in the region also; look for sweet corn, tender
asparagus and crisp cucumbers. The delicate and exotic morel mushroom grows
wild in this region and is celebrated yearly at Boyne City’s mushroom
festival that is highlighted by the National Morel Mushroom Hunt (www.morelfest.com).
For fresh tastes without the wait, fine dining restaurants like Tapawingo in
Ellsworth use local and regional ingredients for outstanding cuisine selections
such as Michigan green and white asparagus salad and roasted venison loin (www.tapawingo.net).
The Pier Restaurant in Harbor Springs boasts a spectacular view of the historic
yacht basin and offers delectable dishes including morel bisque soup and Lake
Superior whitefish (www.staffords.com).
Winter Fun for Everyone
Winter enthusiasts can enjoy a variety of snow-filled family fun throughout the
region including snowmobiling, cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding,
sledding or snow tubing. The Charlevoix Snowmobile Trail runs 19 miles from
Charlevoix to East Jordan where it connects with the Jordan River State Forest
Trail, part of the scenic Northern Michigan Snowmobile trail network that runs
throughout the state (www.charlevoixlodging.com).
Snow tubing is one of the fastest growing winter recreational activities in
America, and Traverse City’s Timberlee Hill is Michigan’s largest
snow tubing hill. Featuring a state-of-the-art handle tow system, you can enjoy
a relaxing ride back to the top with breathtaking views of Grand Traverse Bay
an Lake Leelanau (www.timberleehills.com).
Snowmobiling is fast becoming a popular winter activity for the whole family.
Groomed and marked trails are abundant in this region. Photo courtesy of Go
Snowmobiling (www.gosnowmobiling.org
)
Select from the various articles below to learn more about the camping and
recreation vehicle lifestyle.
