Family Vacation Fun

by Kathy Lyles, guest writer

Members of our family are scattered around the U.S. Throughout the years, we've spent many vacations with each other. Last summer, my husband’s sister and brother-in-law, who reside in Colorado, made a visit to their home state of Michigan. Even though these two were born and raised in Michigan, they moved out of state right after they were married. Neither of them had ever visited a few of our most popular destinations. Due to time limitations, we took them on a quick four-day journey to visit some of our favorite vacation spots.

We began our trip early one morning with a trip to Mackinac City.  After checking into our motel, we boarded Sheppler’s Hydro-Jet Ferry for a quick 20-minute ride to Mackinac Island. The ride is fun with fantastic views of the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge on our left, the Upper Peninsula in one direction and Lower Michigan behind us with the Island Harbor straight ahead. The Governor’s mansion sits high on a hill overlooking the island.. Visiting the island is a step back in time. Transportation on the island is provided by powerful horse-drawn wagons and carriages as well as bicycles.

There is plenty to see and do on the island. After visiting a few of the many gift shops, we enjoyed a break for lunch. An eight-mile hike or bike ride around the island is a pleasant way to enjoy the sights. It was very hot the June day we visited and we opted for a guided tour carriage ride. Our guide was a lifetime resident who shared a lot of island history.

Fort Mackinac is free and open to the public. We visited St. Ann’s Church and walked to the Arch Rock. The Butterfly Garden is also a great place to visit. It’s hard to resist the delicious aroma coming from the fudge shops. Of course, we bought a little fudge and relaxed in a park with a Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream cone before heading back to the mainland later in the day.

The next day, we had a leisurely drive along the coast heading downstate towards Traverse City.  Along the way, we drove through the Tunnel of Trees. Huge hardwoods and evergreens hug the edge of the road running from Cross Village to Harbor Springs. Spectacular views of Lake Michigan can be seen as you drive along the bluffs overlooking the lake. In Harbor Springs, we had a bite to eat at Turkey’s Grill and Pizzeria. 

At Traverse City we took a drive along M-37 to the end of Old Mission Point.  Both sides of the road leading to the lighthouse are dotted with cherry trees on the hillsides and magnificent views of both East and West Grand Traverse Bay.  We enjoyed dinner in the quaint village of Bowers Harbor at the Boathouse Restaurant.  After dinner, we strolled through the downtown area of Traverse City and ended the evening with, what else, ice cream! 

We started our next day with a drive up the Leelanau Peninsula, which is a popular spot for wineries. We stopped at Black Star Farms, a distillery, inn, farm market and equestrian facility.  Here we sampled a little wine and cheese and purchased a couple of bottles of wine. We ventured on to Leland, better known as Fishtown. It sounds smelly, right?  Not so. Fishtown is a beautiful, laid back village full of fishing history. You can stroll along the docks, visit the many gift shops, charter a fishing trip or take a ferry to the Manitou Islands. We had a fantastic sandwich at the Village Cheese Sandwich Shop.  The portion was large enough to share and the price was minimal.

Next, we drove along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline features immense sand dunes, sculpted entirely by the winds and waters.  Viewers of Good Morning America voted the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore the most beautiful place in America in 2011. We drove through the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive within the National Seashore.  The drive starts at an entrance off M-109 south of Glen Lake. You can park and hike or bike the 7.4 mile loop or stop at any of the 12 numbered locations along the road that are listed in the interpretive brochure you receive at the entrance. At the Dune Overlook and Picnic area you can view the North and South Manitou Islands, as well as Pyramid Point and Sleeping Bear Bay. From there we continued down along the coastline stopping at a couple of small towns for a little shopping and more sightseeing. 

We spent that night in Ludington following a fantastic meal at Bortell’s, a great place for fresh fish, about 10 miles south of the city. It is located at 5528 Lakeshore Drive. Meals are take-out only, with picnic tables and shade umbrellas provided; or, you can make a short drive across the street to a beautiful county park with picnic tables overlooking Lake Michigan. We chose to eat at the park with a beautiful view of the sparkling waters of the lake. After dinner, we returned to Ludington and walked to the end of the breakwater to see the Lighthouse and view the historic Badger car-ferry as it left the docks for the nightly four-hour evening trip to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The next morning we started to head back home across the state but not before a stop at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. This was a first even for my husband and me, a couple of well-traveled Michigan natives. Our good friends from Missouri informed us of this wonderful tourist attraction only a couple of hours from our home. We spent a wonderful day viewing the botanical gardens, as well as taking a tour of the sculptures.  Internationally renowned, the Sculpture program features more than 160 works in the permanent collection as well as a children's play area.

It was a fantastic four-days with lots of family fun.  I recommend a similar trip to any family. And, we can't hardly wait for our next adventure, whatever it might take us. For more detailed information on any of the above mentioned sites visit: http://www.michigan.org/. 

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-- Kathy Lyles, a lifelong resident of Michigan, enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.