Exploring Michigan's Upper Peninsula

When I tell people that I’m from Michigan, their first question is always about Detroit. I smile and get excited at the opportunity to explain to them that Michigan is so much more. Don’t get me wrong, the city is an amazing place in of itself, full of ingenuity, perseverance, and history but when you step foot outside of the Motor City you walk into pure magic. With 11,000 inland lakes, its very own Holland with a tulip festive rival to its European counterpart, sand dunes, and of course, the Upper Peninsula you just begin to touch the tip of what Michigan has to offer.

My first true experience with this was when I was eleven years old, my father took my sister and me up to St. Ignace, a city just over The Mighty Mac in the U.P.. We stayed in a pastel yellow hotel that backed up to Lake Huron. Its charm being that it was everything the hotel scene today isn’t. Its only form of food was from the vending machines outside, a pile of wood next to the building allowed you to make your own beach campfire, and there was no pool only the cool waters of Lake Huron. And if that doesn’t sound appealing to you, the night sky full of all the stars you could imagine just might help.

Present-day St. Ignace, though a tad more modern in the hotel scene, still maintains the small tourist town charm. It boasts a downtown with unique restaurants serving up Michigan delicacies such as pasties as well as fudge and ice cream shops. A must is to try my personal favorite, Superman Ice Cream, a red, blue, and yellow combination believed to have originated in Michigan.

My most recent visit this past summer had me walking down the city's main street with my sister and her family. We stopped at Mac’s for some ice cream, eating our cones on the picnic tables provided outside. I watched with fondness as the ice cream dripped down my laughing nieces’ faces. Not that it was particularly hot outside but rather the cones were too large for them to keep up with. When we were finished, we decided to walk off the sweet treats by traveling down St. Ignace’s boardwalk to Wawatam Lighthouse.

The lighthouse at first glance doesn’t seem anything too spectacular, especially when compared to some of the other lighthouses that guard Michigan’s coasts. However, this skinny red and white lighthouse holds an important job, lighting up St. Ignace’s harbor in the Straits of Mackinac, protecting the shoreline. Once at the end of the boardwalk, you are met with a sweeping view of the lake and a watching tower granting you views of Mackinac Island.

After our stroll the nieces demanded swimming, so it’s back to the hotel and out to Lake Huron. Though it was August when we visited, the weather was chilly and the lake even colder. If you plan to travel to Northern Michigan, be prepared to swim in cold waters, no matter the time of year, but don’t let that cause you to pass up the opportunity to swim in the Great Lakes, a must-have experience. About 50 yards out and the water is still knee-deep. Proceed cautiously though, the Great Lakes are powerful bodies of water akin to the Oceans; be aware of sudden drop-offs, currents, and high waves.

Mackinac Island

From St. Ignace, you have your choice of a few ferry companies to transport you over to Mackinac Island. If you choose to go with Starline you can opt for a longer route to the island as the ferry will drive you under the Mackinac Bridge. However, always check beforehand to see if there are any events taking place that could prevent the rides.

When we visited, the Mackinac Bridge Swim, an annual charity swim, was taking place prohibiting the ferries from driving too close. Even without this extended trip though, we enjoyed a beautiful and sunny albeit windy sixteen-minute ride over to Mackinac Island.

The Ferries docks just behind a group of stores and a short walk through an alleyway leads you out into another world. Just kidding, it's Main Street but it certainly feels like you’ve stepped into another time. Not counting a couple of emergency vehicles, there are three modes of transportation on the island: horse and carriage, bicycles, and your own two feet. Mackinac Island has had a motorized vehicle ban for over one hundred years, bringing a peaceful energy with it.

During our visit last summer, we opted for a carriage tour around the island. Having only one day to explore this was a great opportunity for us to see all the main attractions of the island while learning about its history. We passed up The Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, Surrey Hills Museum, and Arch Rock.

Perhaps the most special part of this tour, however, is the stop at the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory. A beautifully landscaped greenhouse full of hundreds of butterflies that you can walk through, and if you’re lucky one or two of them will land on you. It’s important to note that the walk- through of the Butterfly Conservatory is an addition to the tour, but seeing the pure joy on my nieces' faces as the butterflies landed on them made the additional cost more than worth it.

The Tour loops you back around to Main Street where you can then browse through souvenir shops, eat at one of the many restaurants, and last but nowhere near least buy your fudge. Perhaps the reason for so many repeat visitors to Mackinac Island is to get fresh fudge. It’s a whole experience in itself.

When you walk into one of the shops you are treated to a show of master fudge makers working in a cordoned-off section of the store. Walking down the counter you get to see all the flavors offered and if you are unsure if you will like one, they offer free samples. The only regret you’ll have is not buying more fudge because chances are you’ll have already eaten a whole block before you even leave the island.

Whether you stay in a hotel on Mackinac or in one of the cities across the lake is usuallydetermined by how many days you plan to spend there. We chose to only spend one day on Mackinac and use our other two days to explore other must-sees in the Upper Peninsula.

Sault Ste. Marie

The Soo Locks are a standard part of the Michigan education system. I’ve known how they work since elementary school so finally being able to see them in action in my thirties was an absolute treat. A short hour drive North from St. Ignace brings you to the city of Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced Soo Saint Marie).

Down W. Portage Ave, among the shops and cafes, is the Soo Locks Visitor Center. Inside the building is a small exhibit showing the history and models of the Soo Locks. Behind the information desk hangs a board keeping track of the schedule of when the ships will pass through. This is convenient for visitors who wish to walk outside to the viewing tower and watch as a ship is either lowered down from Lake Superior so it can travel to the rest of the lakes or be raised from the lower lakes into Lake Superior.

We landed at the watch tower just in time to watch the Manitoulin come in from Lake Superior and be lowered down. It’s a slow process that isn’t obvious but that doesn’t take away from how impressive it is to watch these massive freighters being expertly controlled by water.

Mackinaw City

Want to know if someone is from Michigan? Just pronounce Mackinac wrong in front of them and they will surely correct you. Most people who are unfamiliar with the island will look at the spelling and pronounce it Mack-i-nack. Strangely enough, the city of Mackinaw in the Lower Peninsula right before the Mackinac Bridge is spelled exactly how you pronounce it.

Why is this? Two words, The British. They made the change to the city in the mid-1800s to reflect the pronunciation of the name. Mackinaw City is a picturesque shopping city. The main street leads you down to “The Gates of Mackinac” where you can catch the ferries from the lower peninsula.

Surrounding you are a combination of shops, restaurants, and attractions. One of our favorite stores is “Del Sol”, everything in the store from shirts, to shoes, to stickers changes color in the sunlight. This store was in the city when our father brought us when we were kids and is still thriving over 20 years later.

Another favorite was the maze of mirrors that we took my nieces through. One or two of us may or may not have run into a mirror, but it was all laughs as we attempted to navigate our way out. We finished the morning with an early lunch before starting our trip back home.

With only two and a half days to explore we had to be selective in what we did, and even though we were able to see many beautiful places in Northern Michigan there are still many more to be seen. If you are planning for a trip to Michigan, you should also consider places such as Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point off of Lake Superior. Tahquamenon Falls is a natural wonder consisting of an upper falls and a lower falls. While Whitefish Point is the home of a marvelous lighthouse and A Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. No matter what you decide to do though, you surely won’t regret a trip to Michigan.