Take Peninsula Drive. Imagine the lake shoreline meandering…read morealongside you as you drive. Imagine the reds, yellows, greens, and browns of the tree leaves cradling the sky. Imagine deserted sand and the setting sun. Imagine just the right amount of chill in the air. Imagine the radio crooning Adele and Keith Urban. Imagine the window half down. Imagine stopping and sitting on the beaches, watching the water. Imagine the wind blowing in your hair. Imagine the cyclists rocketing past you. Imagine doing 90 up the empty roads, chasing remaining sunlight. Imagine dusk creeping up on you as you arrive at the lighthouse. Imagine the peninsula, and blue water all around the rocky beach. Imagine your shoes sinking in the damp sand. Imagine the wind, again. Imagine the quiet, the kind of quiet that makes you remember who you are. Imagine the quiet, the kind of quiet that makes you realize the beauty of silence. Imagine the ending scene of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Think about the time that he drove you to the beach in the dead of winter. Imagine apple orchards and vineyards guarding the gathering dark on the drive back. Imagine the Michigan stars. When they tell you that the drive to Mission Point is worth it, believe them.

This is the Mission Point Lighthouse and also part of the state park district. This is a quaint…read morelittle lighthouse, situated at the end of the Old Mission Peninsula. The drive up here is absolutely beautiful and well worth the trip. The lighthouse is on a little hill that overlooks the lake with a couple nice places to sit and enjoy the scenery. The charge is $4 to go up the top, which we declined to do, as the place is tiny and super cramped inside. We did though, walk all the way out to the end of the peninsula. It is a bit of a hike, so wear some good shoes. The walk is worth it though, and there are some cool things to see along the way. It takes about an hour there and back, and make sure to stop and throw a rock on the pile!

These good people moved a few feet north into a nicely renovated building. They had outgrown the…read moreprevious one which they shared with a fire station. Most township offices are also election precincts, Acme isn't having an election this November. But, if you want to come vote, plan to come in August. When I visited the open house last week, I was told that the next election is in August for our township. There's probably some boards to join or meetings you could attend if you want to learn more about what our township does. It's interesting to learn about the potential plans for the future of our area.

The volunteer that greeted us at the building interest was full of information. We learned quite a…read morebit about how the rescue boats worked with the staff members did each day how little they were paid and how victims of shipwrecks were rescued. She also shared photos of some birds that were nesting behind the building, which we later got to see Live. The house on the same property had exhibits full of memorabilia and facts about how this building operated. We especially appreciated the volunteers, knowledge and enthusiasm. As we're leaving the property walking back to our car a porcupine waddled across the path, causing us to pause. Nature at its finest.

This was so fun!! The worker who was so kind and gave us really good information! I loved visiting…read morewith my family!

Great staff - great community involvement. Impressive resources for its size! If you're going to…read morebe in the area for a few days or longer, this stop is a must!

My family loves visiting the Bellaire library during our trips to the cabin. We love the selection…read moreof magazines and books for children & young adults. The library has a summer reading program to encourage young readers & the selection of puppets in the children's area is sure to engage any young child.

We enjoyed stopping here. Pretty beach area to see especially during fall time. We also liked the…read moreplayground that was available mu daughter has fun playing here and it's not too far from the chocolate store.

A man who loved…read morelighthouses Robert Manning was a man who loved the sea and sailing and often remarked to his friends that he wished a lighthouse was in the Empire area to aid small boats in navigating the tricky and sometimes treacherous waters around the town. So after Mr Manning passed away his friends and family got together and collected enough funds to construct this 38 foot lighthouse. The lighthouse was lit in 1990 and stands in Lake Michigan State Park and is an active aid to navigation. You can go right up to the lighthouse but visitors are not allowed inside. The lighthouse is constructed of some kind of plaster and looks very attractive. The Robert H. Memorial Lighthouse is a wonderful tribute to a man that loved the sea. And it continues to help mariners navigator the waters just like lighthouses have done for centuries.

I came here for a little help from the SCORE folks - they give advice for small businesses. I…read morecannot say enough nice things about them: they were professional, helpful, friendly, supportive. Amazing. Just amazing. Many thanks to the SCORE program itself, and many thanks to the locals that make it what it is here in Traverse City. If you're a small business owner and need any help, they are there for you.

Ok, so, on 31 between Traverse City and Charlevoix there is Elk Rapids which is very cute and worth…read morea visit. In Elk Rapids you can take a side road called the Cairn Highway that travels through Elk Rapids and up alongside of Torch Lake, it's a scenic drive and won't take a bunch of time off of your route as it will pop you right back on to 31 again. While on there you will pass the 45th parallel (exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator) and at that spot there is a special marker where a rock from each of the counties in Michigan have been stacked into a small monument aka a cairn (which is what the highway is named after). By no means is this a destination location, the Eiffel Tower it is not, but if you are in the area and want a more scenic drive for 20 minutes and like obscure America then this is for you!

The post office is so small it should be in the Guinness Book of World Records. I am fairly sure…read moreit has not changed much from when my grandparents went there. You can rent a P.O. box which comes in handy if you only live here part of the year.