After leaving the Upper Peninsula after our 36 day stay, we headed back across the Mighty Mac to enjoy 8-nights in Mackinaw City and then 7-nights in Silver Lake Sand Dunes area.

We would finish up our Michigan tour with a 7-night stay in Frankenmuth, Michigan’s Little Bavaria.

Mackinaw City

This is an astounding area you won’t do not want to miss. From the historic Fort Michilimackinac, Headlands Dark Sky Park, ferry over to Mackinac Island, view of the incomparable Mackinac Bridge and views of the Northern Lights.

Fort Michilimackinac

Fort Michilimackinac (WOW! Is that a mouthful) Treasures from the past come to life at this 18^th-century fort and fur trading village, reconstructed based on historic maps and more than 60 years of archaeological excavations. Historical interpreters representing voyageurs, British soldiers, and French-Canadian merchant families are stationed throughout the fort to answer your questions and perform demonstrations. Really is a MUST SEE when in the area.

Headlands Dark Sky Park

Headlands Dark Sky Park. An elaborate and impressive facility located on the Straits of Mackinac. The Headlands became one of the first 10 International Dark Sky Parks in the world in 2011, a prestigious designation bestowed by the International Dark Sky Association. What it means in a nutshell? The Headlands will stay dark and protected, forever, thanks to a commitment by the Emmet County Board of Commissioners. What this means for you as a visitor? Uncomparable views of the night sky!

Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. It spans the Straits of Mackinac, a body of water connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, two of the Great Lakes.

At approximately 5-miles in length it is the seventh-longest suspension bridge in the world by total suspended length, and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.

No matter, the view from McGulpin Point is spectacular any time of day or night.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights. We spent the entire trip in the northern and upper peninsula area trying to catch the Northern Lights. Having downloaded special apps to track, one fateful night just as we were to leave Northern Michigan, we received an alert. This is just one the shots were were able to get waiting until past midnight.

Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island. How can you even say you’ve visited Michigan without a trip to the famous Mackinac Island? Long a fan of the movie, Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour and dreamy Christopher Reeve, this was a MUST on my list.

We researched spending a night on the Island but it was out of our budget so we opted for an entire day visit. We took the first Ferry over to the island at 7 AM and stayed until the last Ferry back to the mainland. Approximately 12 hours on the island and we felt we fully experienced it; We were there as the sleepy island awoke, booked a Carriage Ride, rented bikes to ride the perimeter of Island, toured the Fort, toured the Grand Hotel, walked the Main Street purchasing the famous Fudge and (of course) memorabilia, lunch at the famed Pink Pony and a beer to toast a day well spent. One day, we’ll make the leap and stay in the Grand Hotel!

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

Our next to the last stop in our Michigan adventures was in late September. Staying at Sun Retreats Silver Lake for 7-nights. We were definitely past their season as most of the restaurants and stores were either closed or had very limited hours. Nonetheless, these are the adventures we’d recommend.

Paddling

The Pere Marquette National Scenic River  is a sixty-six mile stretch within the Huron-Manistee National Forest that is a designated National Wild and Scenic River. It is a beautiful peaceful river with world class fishing covering four counties. The river drains into Pere Marquette Lake and eventually Lake Michigan. The PM River is not deep, averaging two to four feet deep and about 30-40 feet wide.

Unknown to us, we were there in the middle of salmon spawning season and boy were we in for a treat! As we were launching our boat, we saw 4 salmon. A guide that happened to be at the launch said that there was a female identified by the white spot on her tail with 2 males waiting to fertilize her eggs but there was also a salmon interloper wanting to eat the fertilized eggs. It was interesting and very difficult to get a picture.

Such began our paddle filled with beauty, hundreds of salmon (unusual for this late in the season, we were told) as well as hundreds of fisherman. We wondered, with all of the odds against the salmon, how in the world are they able to reproduce at all? There are strict guidelines for not catching the females, it is all catch and release. We witnessed the very good and gentle fishermen who released gently and not pulling them from the water. Sadly, we witnessed the other kind that jerked them from the water, held them up for pictures and you just knew they were going to put them in a cooler.

Regardless, it was a magnificent day and we highly recommend that you paddle the river anytime of year.

Lighthouses

Little Sable Point Lighthouse. This is a historic lighthouse located on the area’s most spectacular expansive beach along Lake Michigan — perfect for watching a sunset! 

To get to the beach and up to the lighthouse, it is a simple walk from a large parking lot on a concrete walkway up to Little Sable Point Lighthouse, a beautiful red brick lighthouse built in the late 1870s. Tours of this lighthouse are available daily.

Big Sable Lighthouse at Ludington State Park. This was a full day of hikes and walks along the beach. The park offers numerous trails that wind their way through the Ludington State Park and are as varied as they are beautiful.

The Lighthouse Trail is a 3-mile walk that winds over and through open and wooded sand dunes. At one end is the Beechwood Campground and at the other end is the Big Sable Point Lighthouse

I paid the $8 fee to tour the lighthouse. Mike being a bit height shy, stayed on stable ground.

Silver Lake Park

Silver Lake Sand Dunes at Silver Lake Park. This is the main attraction that brings thousands of visitors to the area each year. The park covers nearly 3,000 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline. While most of that parkland is covered in sugar-sand dunes, the park also includes a four-mile Lake Michigan beach, inland Silver Lake, wooded hiking trails, a campground with boat launches and a towering lighthouse. Adjacent to the state park is the town of Mears with a host of additional lodging options and visitor attractions. The Silver Lake area is tailor-made for summertime family getaways in Pure Michigan.

We were at first interested in driving the dunes however, the cost, even late in the season was too much for our budget so we opted to walk the dunes. We really enjoyed our full day of walking the dunes, watching sand boarders slide down the gigantic slopes, watching the dune buggies, jeeps and other motorized vehicles racing around, and dipping our toes in the cool waters of Lake Michigan.

Middle or “the Thumb” Michigan

Frankenmuth

On our way back out of Michigan, in late September, we visited Frankenmuth, our very last stop for our Michigan 2024 tour.

I’m not entirely certain if Frankenmuth is considered to be in Middle Michigan or “The Thumb” so I’ll leave that for discussion.

Regardless, we HIGHLY recommend visiting Michigan’s Little Bavaria. It may only be two-square-miles in size, but is packed full of fun things to do.

We visited the world famous Bronner’s Christmas World for an unbelievable amount of Christmas merchandise and one-of-a-kind options as well as admire the decorations over the huge campus.

We enjoyed walking the wonderfully decorated town both during the day and a night to see the lights.

After talking the advise of a native Frankenmuth resident at a hair salon, we dined at the famous Bavarian Inn for an authentic German meal. The second favorite restaurant was Zehnder’s for their famous fried chicken dinner. Lastly, we couldn’t leave without trying the oldest brewery in Michigan, Frankenmuth Brewery for a delicious cold brew and some tasty morsels.

In Closing

This last 22 days brought our Michigan adventures to an end. It was a fantastic summer and we definitely look forward to returning for more of the Great Lake State.

If you’ve enjoyed these adventures, please tune in for more as our 2024 season will encompass Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Missouri and more!

Dream Big….Travel Far….Live Well

Photography

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