This little cove is at Presque Isle Park in Marquette.Every time I take a trip to Michigan’s upper peninsula, I’m mesmerized by its beauty and unique atmosphere. I know, “unique atmosphere” is an odd descriptor of one of my favorite places on earth, but it’s true. It’s a place of extremes. Extreme snow, extreme sky, extreme weather changes, extreme water, extreme terrain variations, and, it’s a place where time stands still. Here are some of the things that make the Marquette area a formidable vacation choice that’s hard to beat:
Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world.
Long summer days, just 5 hours of total darkness near the summer solstice.
A good chance of seeing the Northern Lights if you stay up there long enough.
The Milky Way, on a clear night, it’s visible and unforgettable… if you’re willing to stay up late for it.
The old mines in the Keeweenaw peninsula.
The Pictured Rocks.
Waterfalls, abundant waterfalls.
Constantly changing weather, if it’s rainy when you wake up, who cares, it will probably be sunny later in the day.
Limitless sights to see, places to go and things to do that are unique and unusual.
Wonderful places to camp and hike.
Crossing the mighty Mackinac bridge to get to the Upper Peninsula.
Walking along the paths along the shoreline.
The iron ore shipping docks.
Presque Isle park.
The sky is constantly changing in Michigan’s upper peninsula, I saw this on the way to Marquette.I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Marquette, so of course, I took photos to share with you all. Here are some of my favorites and I’ll be adding to them this summer. My vacation, was courtesy of the kind and wonderful owners, Pat and Wendy Dudley, of the Funky Beach House, which is literally on Lake Superior with a fantastic, private beach. They let me stay there for a few days while I was doing my blogging vacation thing. If you’re looking for a place to stay near Marquette, I highly recommend the Funky Beach House, it’s available for rent most of the year and a delightful gem in the woods. If you’re the artsy type, like me, you will especially love it. Here’s a link to the Funky Beach House reservations if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get some time up there. This is the Funk Beach house “backyard.”
This is the awesome Lake Superior beach at the Funky Beach House, the sunset lasts forever.I’ll be adding more posts about the Marquette, MI area over the summer with some of my favorite places and finds so you’ll have an easier time discovering local favorites. Here’s more information about Marquette from my visit in the fall.
I love going to Pentwater because in about 80 – 90 minutes (from Grand Rapids), I can escape to a place that feels like I’m way up north in a little seaside village with lots of cute little shops. Today, I’m even going to help you go shopping and explore the town. Here’s some of of my favorite places in Pentwater, they are all located downtown on Hancock Street:
Air Fun Kites: Lots and lots of unique kites and flying things for the air!
Then after a fun day in Pentwater, take a scenic drive back to Grand Rapids on B-15 and go through Hart. Of course, that means dinner at the Mexican restaurant locals flock to from miles around, La Fiesta (located at State and Main in Hart.)
Okay, so there you have it a fun day trip from Grand Rapids. Here’s a google map link to Pentwater… maybe I’ll see you there!
The entry to the beach next to Point Betsie Lighthouse leads to aqua waters and a sugar sand beach shared by a rocky shore. Although the site is a popular tourist spot, it is still easily accessible and serene.
Wildflowers in Glen Arbor is a must if you love gardening and are in the area.
Up until this summer, I had never checked out Wildflowers, but had driven by the shop on my way to Syncronicity in Glen Arbor. My friend Lisa had told me this was one of her favorite places to go when she was up north with her mother-in-law.
Now I can see why. Inside, the shop is filled to the brim with unique specialty items, from home accessories to personal gifts. Outside, the garden area showcases lush shade gardening with plants, statuaries, fountains, birdbaths, furniture and more for sale. It’s located on M-22, here’s a google map link.
I was lost when I took this picture so I can’t give you a google map link to it. But, this was taken in the Kalkaska area, it might have been on M-72. One thing that surprised me was how absolutely beautiful this area is. I don’t know why that surprised me except that I’ve never heard Kalkaska mentioned as pretty.
That’s something Michigan has going for it. Even though a lot of places here don’t get much attention, it doesn’t mean they are lacking in the “spectacular” department. I’ll be heading for the Detroit area soon and would appreciate feedback from those of you who can give me suggestions for interesting places to show the world on the East side of the state. Just post it as a comment or send and email to me at ann@anntopia.com. Thanks!
Well folks, if you’re looking for fall color, this coming weekend is a great time to head to northern Michigan. This is another view of the picture I took inland last weekend in the Kalkaska area where color was starting to peak (see post from earlier this week). Closer to the Lake Michigan lake shore the color hadn’t come even close to peaking yet. I’ll bet anywhere from Frankfort north on M-22 or M31 between Traverse City and Charlevoix will be beautiful this weekend.
When I was on my fall color tour this weekend I almost got in a wreck when I saw this cute little iris farm. By the way, I noticed a lot of people finding my blog because they are looking for barn photos, please be sure to click the “Barns” link in the menu bar to right so you can easily find all of my barn pictures. And, thanks for visiting!
Want to guess where I went today? I took this inland right around the 45th parallel on private property. The next 2 weeks should be spectacular in Northern Michigan, the trees are just starting to turn along the coastline and are nearing peak colors inland. I took a ton of pictures so check back!
Today was the most spectacularly perfect fall day I’ve ever experienced. Fall in Michigan is always beautiful, but today was warm and sunny with beautiful clouds drifting by. I took this at the Leslie E. Tassell Park in Cascade. I’ve got more pictures for you coming up later this week. Here’s a google link to the park.
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