The Siberian American: Michigan
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Best Weekend Trips from Chicago

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Chicago travel post, and I still have so much to share about our year in the Windy City. Last year I shared my three favorite day trips from Chicago, so today I wanted to share my favorite weekend trips! Chris didn’t have many weekends off last year, so we saw most of these places on our week-long road trip around Lake Michigan, but they are completely possible to do in a weekend!


Grand Haven, Michigan
Time from Chicago: 172.5 miles, about three hours
What to do: Walk around the boardwalk, see the Grand Haven Lighthouse, and eat all kinds of yummy food.
More information: Grand Haven Lighthouse and Boardwalk and Grand Haven, Michigan Food Adventures 

If you followed our Lake Michigan Circle Tour, you heard me mention Grand Haven a lot. Chris and I were totally surprised by this gorgeous little town by the lake. If we had been in Chicago for more than a year, I know we would have visited multiple times. Not only is it beautiful, it had some great eats!

Traverse City, Michigan
Time from Chicago: 319 miles, about five hours
What to do: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the wineries at Old Mission Peninsula, Leland, pick cherries or eat cherry product, enjoy many amazing restaurants
More information: Pyramid Point Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Traverse City is slightly pushing it for a weekend trip, and I think this city deserves more than two days, but if a weekend is all you have, it’s still worth going! One of these days (soon), I will write posts on all we did in this amazing city, but for now I will say it had some of my favorite views and eats of our entire trip. The wineries were wonderful, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is stunning. It’s definitely a place I would love to visit again in the future.

Door County, Wisconsin
Time from Chicago: 244 miles, about 4.5 hours
What to do: Tour all the towns, shop, go to a fish boil, visit Cave Point County Park, eat all the cherry products


If you are looking for a relaxing weekend trip from Chicago, Door County is the perfect spot. It’s full of beautiful views and lots of great shops and restaurants. I even enjoyed the local tradition of a fish boil, even though it sounded a bit gross to me before we went!

Bonus: Galena, Illinois
Time from Chicago: 163 miles, about three hours

Galena was the trip that didn’t happen. We had plans to go in June before we moved back to Texas, but then I got sick, and it wasn’t possible. I wanted to included as part of this list because Galena is constantly voted as one of the best small towns in America, and about a million people told us to go while we lived in Chicago. We definitely hope to make it there someday!


Where do you like to go on weekend trips from your city?
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Monday, January 30, 2017

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: Pyramid Point Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

After spending the morning hiking to Big Sable Point Lighthouse and enjoying the views at Arcadia Inspiration Point, Chris and I were excited to get to Traverse City and spend the afternoon at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We knew we wanted to hike a trail, but we didn’t want to pick something too intense since we had Skyler with us, and she had already been on a long hike with us that day.


The Pyramid Point Trail is listed at a 2.7-mile hike roundtrip, though my FitBit showed it as a little over three miles. The hike is through a maple-beech forest and ends at a gorgeous bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. We really enjoyed the walk, and the view was even better.


We decided to do only one hike since we also wanted to do Glen Haven and the Pierce Stocking Drive, but I would love to spend more time near Traverse City and go back to Sleeping Bear Dunes!



Catch Up on Our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:
Have you ever been to Michigan?
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Monday, September 19, 2016

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: One of the Most Photographed Lighthouses in the United States?

On our way from Arcadia Inspiration Point to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, we saw a sign for the Point Betsie Light, and Chris decided to take a detour. In all the research I did before the trip, Point Betsie never came up as a suggestion, so we were surprised when we saw a sign for the lighthouse.


I was even more surprised to see the sign that called Point Betsie Lighthouse “one of the most photographed lighthouses in America,” mainly because of the location. I would have thought the lighthouses on the East Coast would be more photographed because they are easier to access (The Portland Head Light, which we saw on our fall foliage cruise, is thought to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world).


I could see why people would come to Northern Michigan to photograph the Point Betsie Lighthouse. It’s truly stunning. Right next to it is a small beach, which provides the best angles for photos.


Point Betsie Light began service in 1859, and a light saving station was built in 1875. It was the last manned lighthouse on Lake Michigan, becoming automated in 1983. The lighthouse is private property, but it is available for tours on certain days from May to October. You can even stay at the Keeper’s Quarters for a unique experience with a gorgeous view.


I could have spent hours watching the waves crash with the lighthouse in the background. Even on a trip where we saw so many amazing sights, the small detours are sometimes just as fun.


Catch up on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:
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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: Arcadia Inspiration Point Scenic Overlook

One of my favorite things about road trips is all the little stops you can make on the way to your destination. Inspiration Point was one of the shortest stops we made as we drove from Grand Haven to Traverse City, but it’s memorable because of the stunning views of Lake Michigan.


Inspiration Point is the highest point on the west shore of Lake Michigan, so you can really see the beauty of the lake and the surrounding scenery. I loved that the overlook had a deck with a staircase, so I could get the best view possible.


Isn’t the color of the water just amazing? Even though we spent a full year in Chicago, I never got over how gorgeous the lake is.


I could have stood at Inspiration Point and admired it all day, but Chris was quick to remind me there was so much more left on our itinerary. Still, I’m so glad we were able to enjoy this gorgeous overlook!


Catch up on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:
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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan

I don’t usually like to pick favorites, but if I had to choose, I would pick the Big Sable Point Light as my favorite lighthouse on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour. I just love the red roof of the house combined with the black and white light. It also probably had to do with the perfect weather we had that day, compared to the rainy and windy weather we experienced when we visited South Haven, Holland, and Grand Haven.


Built in 1867, the Big Sable Point Lighthouse stands at 112 feet tall and is one of the tallest lighthouses in Michigan. In 1949, it became the last lighthouse on the Great Lakes to get electricity. The easiest way to get to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse is with an easy two-mile hike on mostly paved roads.


The Big Sable Point Light was also Christopher’s favorite lighthouse because he got to go to the top. Since we had Skyler with us, one of us had to stay with her, and I knew he wanted to go to the top more than I did. It costs $5 and you have to go up 130 winding steps, but the view of Lake Michigan from the top are worth it! Of course, I had Chris take several photos so we could share with y’all. I had fun walking by the lake with Skyler and taking photos of Chris on top of the lighthouse.


Catch up on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:
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Monday, April 18, 2016

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: Hiking to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan

After one of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had, Chris and I drove from Grand Haven to Ludington to see another lighthouse, the Big Sable Point Lighthouse. (Side note: I promise we saw more than lighthouses on our road trip. I will be posting about our other adventures soon!)

Before heading to Ludington State Park, we stopped to see Ludington’s North Breakwater Light. Apparently, it’s considered to be one of the most popular lighthouses in West Michigan, though it’s not technically a lighthouse (there is no house attached to it). Honestly, I liked some of the other lighthouses we saw in West Michigan better (like the Holland Harbor Lighthouse and the Grand Haven Lighthouse), but it was still neat to see.


The Big Sable Point Lighthouse is located in Ludington State Park. As we were paying to get in, the park ranger told us the Ludington Beach House had recently gone through a several million-dollar renovation. The minute I heard it had gorgeous views of Lake Michigan, I was in. The weather was absolutely perfect, so Chris and I spent a few minutes relaxing in the beach house before our hike.


The hike itself was easy. It was about two miles each way, but the trail was mostly a paved road covered with sand. It wasn’t a super interesting hike, but we brought Skyler with us, and she made it fun. The best part was when we finally saw the lighthouse in the distance. Set against the backdrop of Lake Michigan, it was stunning to see. Stay tuned for a post all about our time exploring Big Sable Point Lighthouse.


Catch up on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:

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