such a beautiful drive. I actually live in California so seeing the trees beginning to change…read morecolors was really awesome for me. I was there at the very end of September and they had just started to turn. Peak was going to be in about two weeks however people told me had we waited until peak it would've been bumper-to-bumper. Traffic flowed nicely and it was just a beautiful. Highlights were Legs Inn, a few coffee shops that had some random farmers markets and just the beauty of the trees! I would definitely do this again it didn't matter what time of the year it is!

If you're into scenic drives and you sometimes ignore your GPS and go off-route in order to get to…read morecool spots along the way, Tunnel of Trees is a detour that you should definitely take. It's part of a route that runs along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan around Harbor Springs and it's super calm, has a rural/rustic vibe, and is just generally a really nice drive. It's also in the vicinity of the Good Hart General Store, so if you head this way you'll get a chance to stop there and check out their goods as well. Check it out if you're in the area or passing through. It's worth it!

Cool little site. No cost, donations only…read more Unfortunately, the guy who made it passed away, and it doesn't look like it is maintained much anymore. It looks like it was pretty fun back in the day.

I read some reviews on Trip Advisor about a small western village in Lewiston Michigan and while…read morepassing through decided to stop and see what it was all about. There are no people around - it's all free and self guided. Someone put a lot of time into setting it up for entertainment. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen! Just a mix of historical artifacts and funny signs for your viewing pleasure.

The Mercato is a collection of shops in the now repurposed Traverse City State Hospital. I wouldn't…read morereally call it a mall, but I guess by definition it fits? Anyway, the shops are teeny tiny but pack a wallop by being beautifully curated and uniquely configured. I think I purchased more here than I have at any other shopping excursion I've had all year. They've got a shop dedicated to alpaca wool goods, a more gentleman focused shop called the Haberdashery, a pet boutique, a used bookstore, a toy store, and many others including my favorite of them all, Moonstruck Gardens, which is packed full of delightful art, stickers, home decor, and more. They also have dining options and a coffee shop if you're thirsty or a little peckish. The layout can be a little confusing but there's plenty of signage to help you along the way. But the beauty of it is just exploring and finding the fun around every corner.

What a fascinating place. The building and grounds are lovely. First of all the building is a…read morerefurbishment asylum. Some say haunted. They did a lovely job restoring this property. There are lovely specialty shops and a few restaurants. One of the restaurants is one of the most highly rated in town. The shops have some interesting handy craft work .. wood, pottery. Jewelry. Decorative glass. .

Two close friends were married here, what a great little place…read more If there is not a service going on take a look inside this 100+ year old church on your way around the Island. Certainly worth the few minutes to poke your head in.

gorgeous old church very close to the Grand hotel. We were there on a Sunday afternoon and the…read morechurch was open so we stopped by and took a quick peak. It was such a cute church.

Arch Rock Lots of…read morepeople here. All waiting for a photo. There is a restroom nearby also. You can walk/ride bike to this location or you can ride by horse carriage. Horse carriage is the easiest because you don't need to climb the 207 steps. Highly Recommended

Whatta sight! On an island full of beautiful geological formations, Arch Rock stands out from the…read moreothers because it overlooks the water and spans at least 50 feet. It's a beautiful rock! You'll want to make the effort to get up the hill to see it. You can walk up to Arch Rock, but keep in mind that it's all uphill! Or you can bike (again, uphill) or do what I did and take a horse-drawn carriage. Arch Rock, and the adjacent Milliken Nature Center are one of the stops on the horse carriage tours. You only get about 15 minutes to check it out, but how much time do you need to look at a rock formation, no matter how pretty it is? There's a deck that takes you out a little closer to Arch Rock, and from here, you can take lots of beautiful photos of the water peeking through Arch Rock.

I was on my way up Michigans west side coast on my way to Petosky and came accross this Big Rock…read morePoint scenic park. As I pulled in I realized just how picturesque all the views of Lake Michigans shoreline is ( Breathtaking ). They're is parking spots for 8 cars and then extra parking along the rocks down by the picnic tables and benches. I loved the old style functioning water pump. The water from the well was Ice cold and tasted so good. I noticed 5 charcoal grills as well. nice touch I thought. The bathrooms were kept clean as well. The park has lots of trash cans and the area is well kept. Fresh are from the trees and the breeze from Lake Michigan makes this place something special and I look forward to coming back. Give Big Rock Point a look and you'll be glad you did.

"Don't know much about history But I do know that I love you…read moreAnd I know that if you love me too What a wonderful world this would be" (Sam Cooke) If local history is your thing, you'll surely love the wonderful world that awaits you at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture. For example, you can stroll around in scenic Father Marquette Park with displays about his life. On the Museum grounds is the site where Marquette's French Jesuit Mission was located, where he lived, and where he was buried. Marquette established the French mission around 1671 as the area became a center of the flourishing fur trade. The old St. Ignace Mission is beautiful. Around the grounds, I saw plenty of displays of the area's Indian heritage, stylized statues of a Medicine Man, Indian Maiden, and several stuffed animal displays alongside plaques of the animal's Indian name. So if you're ever engaged in a bar bet about the Ojibwe name for a deer, you can confidently say "Wawashesh'she". There's also plenty of indoor and outdoor exhibits to grab a glimpse of Ojibwa culture and the lifestyles of the Huron Indians. Walking the Museum's beautiful grounds was relaxing, peaceful, and very educational.

One of the best museums I've ever been in! Don't be fooled by its size; the content is well…read moredisplayed with explanations that take time to read but make the exhibits much more meaningful. Gift shop is Native American based, not cheap knick knacks. Don't know how this museum is able to be open with no admission, so please be sure to donate generously.

This cute museum was very educational the person running the museum was very friendly and walked us…read morethrough the building telling us all the history behind it. On the same grounds there was an old school house which we also walked through it was the original school house. Lovells Historical Museums and the Lovells Township Historical Society The success of the August 1990 Heritage Days Celebration gave birth to the Lovells Township Historical Society. The community expressed a desire to preserve and promote the history of the area. That aspiration brought together people seeking a way to display and protect the artifacts, documents, photos and memories of Lovells. Lone Pine School House Rudolph Pallone's 1991 gift to the Society of the one room log Lone Pine Schoolhouse, constructed in 1906 by James Kellogg and Gustav Ernst. The historic building was moved to the township property and renovations began in the summer of 1991. The School House documents and exhibits the history of Lovells Township. If you love trout fishing this is a very interesting museum to go to... Good job Michigan good job Lovell Keeping history alive!!!

This is a small town museum on the Ausable River's North Branch in Lovells, Michigan. It displays…read morelocal history....fly fishing memorabilia and fly fishing history....the successes and failures of its pioneers....nature and the destruction of nature and the healing of nature....wealth and poverty...the education of children long since grown and gone....and the lives of everyday people of Northern Michigan in years gone by. It's small. It doesn't take all day to see. It may just be the best part of your trip to "The Great Up North" of Michigan. It's open Saturdays, late April through September, 11am to 3 pm or by appointment for groups. Go to LTHSmuseums.org, or visit us on Facebook under Lovells Township Historical Society. Hope to see you this summer!

A beautiful historic lighthouse with a hidden stunning beach off the beaten path! Learned a lot…read moreabout the lighthouse history and the importance of the area in guiding ships to land.

At the very tip of Leelanau Peninsula sits the Grand Traverse park/lighthouse/museum area! It's…read morequite small and a bit of a let down given the entire drive up and especially because I've been to the Old Mission lighthouse as well, but still has some nice surroundings. There were definitely a surprising amount of people here while we were here as well, which was interesting because we had seen no other cars on our drive all the way up the peninsula and hardly any people at Leelanau State Park either, so this must be the #1 tourist destination on this peninsula. Not much to do here, but there's a whole gift shop, you can walk around the lighthouse, the museum tours were closed because of COVID, which is understandable, and probably the best part was going to the shore, which is actually a small walk from the lighthouse building. It's a rocky shore, so you can walk around on top of the rocks and just enjoy this uninterrupted view of Lake Michigan. :)

Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.