West Michigan Meandering A Great Day in Grand Rapids, “Cool Brews. Hot Eats.” K E S U L A P E R C Visit the community of Frankfort on Lake I O A R Betsie Bay. N Michigan’s Known for its world-class Grand Rapids has developed a reputation for A D A salmon fishing, pristine dunes, beaches and culture and cuisine. “Beer City USA”—a title Point Betsie Marquette spectacular sunsets. Tour the 1858 Grand Rapids won in national polls—is home Pictured Rocks Sault Ste. Marie Lighthouse. Continue your drive along Lake to more than 40 breweries along the Ale Trail. Mackinaw City L A K Manistee. E Michigan to the Victorian port city of Petoskey H Other noteworthy stops around town include U R Charlevoix O Here, you’ll find numerous year-round resorts Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Alpena N the N for golf and winter sports. Its elegant mansions, A Frankfort Traverse City which honors the city’s native son and 38th G I Grand Rapids WISCONSIN H Manistee opera house and other ornate structures recall president of the United States, the C I Port Austin Art Museum DeVos Performance Hall. M Bay the 1800s lumber boom. and Midland E City K Frankenmuth Continue south and take a dune buggy ride, Downtown, you’ll find entertainment venues, A L Flint Port stroll soft sand beaches and explore the “art multiple restaurants, microbreweries, a wine Grand Rapids Huron Lansing Kalamazoo Detroit coast “as you make your way through Michigan’s cellar, a cigar lounge and live jazz. Ann picturesque Beachtowns. Enjoy sailing, boating, Arbor From downtown, it’s worth making the E L A K E E R I fishing, water sports, scuba diving—as well as 10-minute drive to the 158-acre Frederik Meijer Native American and Dutch culture. Gardens & Sculpture Park to walk paths lined ILLINOIS INDIANA OHIO In Kalamazoo, enjoy great restaurants, with more than 200 works by masters such as nightlife, shopping—and take time for a history Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas and Anish Kapoor, lesson at the Gilmore Car Museum or the Air Zoo garden-lined paths, several indoor/outdoor Whether you’re looking for (Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum). gardens and “American Horse,” the 24-foot-tall sculpture based on Leonardo da Vinci’s original an adventure or a memory-filled 1482 drawings. vacation, it’s time you visit Michigan—a place we love sharing! Your trip begins at www.michigan.org. VISITOR INFORMATION Manistee manistee-cvb.com Beachtowns beachtowns.org Benzie County visitbenzie.com VISITOR INFORMATION Kalamazoo discoverkalamazoo.com Grand Rapids experiencegr.com 3828-170203 City vibes, entertainment, culture and factory tours Venture out into Detroit—the automotive capital of the world—where you’ll find a whole world of Michigan has been shaped by discovery. Explore world-class museums, shop freshwater seas—four of the five at the state’s largest malls, share local customs and sample rare delicacies. Enjoy casinos, Great Lakes—and carved by glaciers championship sports and all kinds of ethnic eats. more than 12,000 years ago. The Check out the Motown Museum, where two peninsulas are visible from the you’ll stand in Studio A—the very place where legendary artists recorded much-loved music moon and instantly recognizable on known as “The Motown Sound.” Greektown, photo credit: Brian Walters any globe or atlas. Enjoy dinner in known for its ethnic restaurants and thriving nightlife. View the impressive collection of galleries at the Detroit Head north to Mackinac Island— Hear the roar and whisper of more Head to Hemmingway Country Sleeping Bear Dunes Institute of Arts. Charles H. Wright With 11,000 inland lakes that offer Stroll to the voted one of the “Top 10 Islands in than 300 majestic waterfalls Return to the Lower Peninsula across the You’ll find one of the most impressive dune Museum of African American History. the U.S.” by Trip Advisor Mackinac Bridge some of the best freshwater beaches, The Upper Peninsula—home to more than 300 and travel the winding areas anywhere just west of Traverse City at Spend a day at The Henry Ford, a collection of “Tunnel of Trees” Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Mackinac Island is a nostalgic place where waterfalls—is surrounded by the waters of three scenic drive along Lake Miles boating and fishing found anywhere museums that celebrate innovation and invention. Great Lakes (Huron, Michigan and Superior). Michigan. Shop and lunch in the Victorian-era of sugar-sand beach, bluffs that tower 450 feet Stroll through Greenfield Village, a massive transportation is by foot, bicycle, horseback —Michigan is a four-season paradise. It is connected with the Lower Peninsula by resort towns of Harbor Springs, Petoskey and above Lake Michigan, lush forests, clear inland indoor/outdoor history museum complex. Tour or carriage—no cars are allowed. Explore the Charlevoix, which enjoy “million-dollar sunsets.” lakes and unique flora and fauna make up this Laced with 36,000 miles of rivers the famous Ford Rouge Plant and watch workers natural wonders, historic sites, monuments a suspension bridge that spans the five-mile Great Lakes national treasure. assemble the F-150 pick-up truck. and trails of the Mackinac Island State Park. wide Straits of Mackinac. At the and streams, Michigan offers the Shipwreck Museum, These towering dunes afford spectacular Fine dining and unmatched cultural offerings are Step back in history at the 1780 Fort Mackinac, located in Whitefish Point Continue to Traverse City— views across the lake. An 1871 lighthouse, perfect warm-weather escape. The staples of Ann Arbor. This vibrant, cosmopolitan bicycle the island’s eight-mile perimeter, stroll on Lake Superior, you’ll learn about the majesty Cherry Capital of the World three former U.S. Life-saving Service stations, city—home to the acclaimed University of past Victorian-era cottages, enjoy a leisurely and danger of the Great Lakes and the many state is home to some of the highest Few places combine scenery, food and arts like Michigan—is known for “Big Ten” sports and carriage ride, explore the Butterfly House and shipwrecks that saw their fate here. Nearby is coastal villages and picturesque farmsteads Traverse City on Grand Traverse Bay. The region freshwater sand dunes in the world, summertime celebrations featuring live music, other island museums. Visit Grand Hotel with Sault Ste. Marie—the first European settlement reflect the park’s rich maritime, agricultural and is known for cherry production, recreational dance, theater and outdoor interactive events. the largest porch in the world (660 feet) and in Michigan and the third oldest in the nation. recreational history. Take a hike for spectacular numerous maritime museums, 14 fishing, boating, biking, trails and many four- Pierce In Lansing, Michigan’s Capital City, you’ll tour its impressive 220-foot serpentine swimming Here, at the rapids where Lake Superior and shoreline views, motor along the Soo Locks season sports as well. Check out festivals, Stocking Scenic Drive, underwater diving preserves and the Michigan Historical Museum and R.E. Olds pool. The island’s Mission Point Resort offers Lake Huron meet, the were built to or tackle a strenuous Transportation Center. browse downtown shops, dine at a variety of The city is home to trendy guests a number of lakeside amenities including navigate ships through the 21-foot difference dune to Lake Michigan. over 100 lighthouses. restaurants, golf a championship course and microbreweries, distilleries and Michigan State a full-service spa and fitness center and is a between the waters. Take a boat tour through visit one of the area’s many wineries. Grand Traverse Bay Winery Tour University in neighboring East Lansing. popular spot for yoga on the lawn. Experience the locks, and you may be fortunate to pull up And with more than 40 ski areas, Head north to Flint and embark on a journey the island’s exquisite cuisine and thriving alongside a 1,000-foot freighter. Northwest Michigan’s temperate weather and Flint Cultural Porcupine Mountains 3,000 miles of cross-country ski trails of discovery and imagination at the nightlife—and be sure to stop by one of the Located between the and fertile soil create ideal conditions for wine Center, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which offers seven venues for exploration many fudge shops. Marquette production. Wind down your stay in the Grand Frankenmuth and 6,500 miles of snowmobile trails and learning. At nearby — sidles up to Lake Superior’s southern coast. Traverse area by touring the dozens of wineries Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail Old crisscrossing both peninsulas—our Michigan’s little Bavaria—you’ll experience a Trails and beaches link to Marquette Harbor on the or Mission Peninsula Wine Trail. taste of old Europe. Tour Midland’s 110-acre Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. Outfitters The wines from winters offer a variety of outdoor Dow Gardens Saginaw Valley Naval Ship and the give guided kayak tours and direct adventurers both have been recognized by international wine Museum activities. —home of the USS Edson—in Bay City. to top spots for hiking, paddling, climbing and enthusiasts as superb award-winning wines. Enjoy waterfront restaurants, trendy boutiques, biking. Unwind at a local craft brewery. golfing, fishing and boating along Michigan’s Art, culture, tantalizing cuisine, eastern shoreline, known as the Blue Water Area. Huron Lightship Museum fascinating tours and nightlife— Explore the in Port Huron and the Huron County Nature Center & Michigan cities have it all. From Wilderness Arboretum in Port Austin. upscale streetscapes to lakefront Michigan’s northeast Lower Peninsula, known the “Sunrise Coast,” offers great charter fishing, towns, from trendy eateries to hiking trails, the 145-mile Sunrise Coast Birding state-of-the-art sports arenas and Trail, and excellent rivers for canoeing and rafting enthusiasts.