This is our first vacation that doesn't include going to relatives homes. I know it will be a blast, as we are staying 5 days in the Mackinac Area. My concern is what we should include as we go around Lake Michigan. Anyone done this, with kids?
We just got back from Eastern Michigan and we took the Lake Ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon and back. It was a great way to break up the long drive and the kids thought it was neat that the car was able to get on the boat. It's not cheap but not terribly expensive. The name of it is LakeExpress.
Last year my husband and I took our 17 year old daughter for a ride. We ended up in New Buffalo, Michigan. We were very surprised how beautiful Michigan really is having lived in Chicago all our lives. We ended up driving up to St. Joseph. There is a beach every five miles or so along the way our daughter is into baking in the sun. This year we are going to Silver Springs state park in Hart, Mears and Pentwater Michigan its rated one of the best beach towns in aol travel.
Fort Michilamackinaw in Mackinaw City; Fort Mackinac on the island. Grayling has a wonderful state/national? forest, Hastings, I believe. Has the only virgin pines left in the state. Great logging exhibits. Gaylord has a great animal museum, Call of the Wild, I think it's called. Mackinaw City has a bridge museum on the upper floor of a pizza parlor right downtown. Just east is Cheboygan where there is Sawmill Creek, I believe that's the name. Nice place for seeing what life was like. On the way up the lake beaches and beaches and beaches! Shops of all kinds in the towns along the way. Pick cherries, blueberries, peaches, apples. Michigan is a grand place for family vacations. And I don't work for Michigan tourism! ;- )
J.
Love that area - we are also taking a vacation up there in August. There are tons of beaches and little shops in every small town. It's like being in a different climate completely - hills and sand and orchards.
I have heard that mackinaw city has some must-see stuff for kids (haven't made it that far north ourselves yet.) The colonial fort is supposed to be great. There's also a water park (Thunder Falls). But this will be our third vacation in the traverse-city/torch lake/charlevoix sort of areas and our kids mostly just like playing on playgrounds and going to the beach!
