http://www.greatlakesrelay.com/
Get a team together, you won't regret it.
Or you could watch us finish that weekend.
Get a team together, you won't regret it.
Or you could watch us finish that weekend.
Also, check out Pierce Stocking Scenic Dr. Art's Tavern in Glen Arbor.
I'd like to third the GLR comment, and second the Crystal lake team marathon. I would look into Toarch lake as well. It is on some list for the world's most beautiful lakes. Good golf course at the north of the lake to. One word of caution, two miles down the shore from the empire city beach is a nudist colony populated exclusivly by fat old men, those who have done the glory leg know what I’m talking about.
Dunes are cool, and some nice trails to run. Pierce Stocking Scenic drive is pretty (doing that as a run is pretty crazy but happens occasionally). Spend a day at the beach in Empire. If it happens to be the day the GLR finishes, all the better. If not, it's still lovely. Many of the other ideas sound great too.
There's one canoe trip that ends up at Lake Michigan. Can't remember which river so you might have to ask around. Our kids thought it was pretty cool to finish at The Lake. You park your car at the end, so when you get there they take the canoe and you can just hang out at the beach.
If you drive the circle road through the park there is a place where you can park and then hike to a big dune area. Our kids loved it there. We must have been there 3-4 hours.
You might want to ask about the mosquito situation before heading out to S. Manatou. We were there many years ago and you couldn't go anywhere except right next to the water without coating yourself in DEET.
There's the Platte River and the Betsie River, both great for canoeing/tubing/kayaking.
The Dune Climb is a must.
Lots of great running trails, the Old Indian Trail is short (about 5K) but you can make it longer as there are 2 loops.
dukerdog wrote:
There's one canoe trip that ends up at Lake Michigan. Can't remember which river so you might have to ask around. Our kids thought it was pretty cool to finish at The Lake. You park your car at the end, so when you get there they take the canoe and you can just hang out at the beach.
If you drive the circle road through the park there is a place where you can park and then hike to a big dune area. Our kids loved it there. We must have been there 3-4 hours.
You might want to ask about the mosquito situation before heading out to S. Manatou. We were there many years ago and you couldn't go anywhere except right next to the water without coating yourself in DEET.
Could be the Manistee river?
Mackinac Island is a very cool place. Your kids will like it. If you're looking to spend some coin, stay in a bed and breakfast on the island, or break the bank and stay in the Grand Hotel for a night. If you're not likely to get in this area again, it would be a definite miss to not go to see the Mackinac bridge and Mackinac Island (Remember money for fudge!)
Thanks for all the tips everyone...all very useful information. I really appreciate them all. I knew I could count on you Letrsunners for this info.
There's some great running/hiking at Alligator Hill, just outside of Empire.
Some good advice already.
South of Empire is the Pt. Betsie Lighthouse. They are restoring it, and it is open to the public. You can go up into the light tower also. And, it is a great setting and cool building. While you are in that area you can take a drive around Crystal Lake, very nice area.
Like others have said, just enjoy exploring, take the seasonal roads, you will either find trails or lakes. Some have mentioned driving to Mackinaw or Petoskey, great places but in my opinion to much of a drive from where you are at for the driving you are already doing to get there.
I second Art's Tavern, bar food, but it is good local flavor. Do the Dune Climb but don't stop just at top, keep going and explore a bit. Going all the way to Lake Michigan is a hike, but it is cool as you get away from the initial climb. Also, if your kids are ambitious do the bluff climb at the main lookout at Pierce Stocking Drive, steep!
Empire has a great public beach on Lake Michigan, and South and North Bar lakes are in that area. Another cool place south of Empire is taking Lake Michigan Rd off of M-22 towards Lake Michigan. The Platte River runs along the road and dumps into Lake Michigan, I believe there are parts that have tubing and canoeing.
Drive into Glen Haven, some cool old buildings, and north of Glen Arbor is the Port Oneida area that has a bunch of old farms and farm houses being restored. Keep going up to Leland and check out Fishtown, a bit touristy but good for a few hours of entertainment.
Mostly relax and enjoy, and that time of year the weather should be great.
Lots of good advice but I'll add my 2 cents..
For 10 years we rented a lake cottage at Fountain Point on Lake Leelanau. If you google it you can find it. A very special place, it is an old fashioned family place.
A little ways from Empire, but in Suttons Bay there is an old fashioned one screen movie theater and a awesome science store called Eynerdyne. I have 3 sons and they loved that store. It has been a couple of years so make sure it is still in business. That might make a good afternoon/evening if it is rainy or too hot or something
I second the "dune climb" right off M22. There are some cool low key museums with old fashioned boots etc near Glen Arbor/Glen Haven.
If you are have time you might want to drive to Northport at the very tip of the penisula, there is a cool lighthouse, state park, museum.
TC is okay but there is so much to do in Leelanau County we usually just stayed there.
Here is something my wife and I did that was not a good experience. We had a "date night" and went to that casino north of Sutton's Bay. It was horrible, full of smokers and bus loads of old people, run down condition...just gross so I dont recommend that.
We went there form 1997 to 2007, one week every summer. I was saddened to see in the past couple of years a lot of my favorite restaurants and retail places go out of business. I own a small business so I like to chat about the economy and the area has been hammered hard along with all of Michigan. Good news for you is that the prices might be cheaper.
Wow, my post has brought back a lot of good memories. Good luck and have fun, Flagpole.
Flagpole, you're one of my favorite letsrun posters, so it's my privilege to welcome you to northwest Michigan. All the posters here have been spot on with their suggestions.
I live up here. When you arrive, post it on this message board, and maybe a few of us can meet at a pre-arranged spot. Wouldn't that be a hoot.
the blue line wrote:
Flagpole, you're one of my favorite letsrun posters, so it's my privilege to welcome you to northwest Michigan. All the posters here have been spot on with their suggestions.
I live up here. When you arrive, post it on this message board, and maybe a few of us can meet at a pre-arranged spot. Wouldn't that be a hoot.
Meeting up with strangers from a message board is an odd experience. I've actually done it once as a local musician showed up at one of my gigs based on stuff I posted on a musician's message board. Turned out to be pretty cool though. I bought the guy a beer, we talked for a bit during our break, and he stayed for the next set. I still owe him a return appearance at one of his gigs -- perhaps some day.
Looking forward to visiting your part of Michigan. It's a very pretty state, but I can't handle the winters. I barely tolerate them down here in Columbus, and we probably have two more weeks of spring-like weather in the spring than you do and two more weeks of fall-like weather before winter sets in, and then of course the winters up there are colder and snowier.
Gwen Frostic's printing is in Empire too I think. She does wildlife prints. Factory and store are kind of cool for the wife and kids.
esch road beach a few miles south of empire is a must-possibly the best beach in the area, canoe the Platte River (this ends in Lake Michigan), hike to the top of Pyramid Point (just north of Glen Arbor), and go to CHerry Republic in Glen Arbor-a few more suggestions for you.
Just don't plan on finish up 1st at the beach because that is already spoken for.
GLR wrote:
http://www.greatlakesrelay.com/Get a team together, you won't regret it.
Or you could watch us finish that weekend.
Gwen Frostic is in Benzonia. Worth a stop in, though - very cool block printing, papermaking, nature place.
You can have lunch at the Cherry Hut in Buelah on your way to/from Empire. The Cherry Bowl is a drive-in movie theater with family-friendly features, but be aware that dark doesn't happen up there until nearly 10 PM. It's vacation and it's summer and where else can you take your kids to a drive-in?
We visited up there four summers or so ago and went for a week with no itinerary. It ended up being one of our more memorable vacations, canoeing on a whim, visiting the dunes on a gray, misty day and ending up staying until dinner time.
Enjoy!
Not a single person has given flagpole a hard time yet on this thread??? I have to fix that:
Flagpole wrote:
I've been to just about every cool area in Ohio...
Geez, that must have taken a whole afternoon, huh?
Flagpole wrote: It's a lot cheaper than my vacation last summer to Sanibel Island, FL. Just trying to be prudent this year.
So let's see you, your typical big vacation for the year is a SUMMER trip to FL ?? Uh, if you hate the winter in Ohio so much, go in the winter for crissakes. Oh wait, you are too much of a cheapskate to go then. And now your big trip is traveling to some sleepy town in Michigan. Wow flagpole, you are certainly living large. Just think LetsRun crowd, if you follow flagpole's financial advice, some day you too can live in a miserable part of Ohio, never spend any money, suffer through the bitter winters, and then take summer trips to Fl (when you can afford it) ! Sounds like quite a life, huh?
mommy mommy wrote:
You can have lunch at the Cherry Hut in Buelah on your way to/from Empire. The Cherry Bowl is a drive-in movie theater with family-friendly features, but be aware that dark doesn't happen up there until nearly 10 PM.
The Cherry Bowl is great, I took my cross country team there two years ago during cross camp. I love living in West Michigan -- it's great here and one of the best vacation destinations in the country (the NW corner of the state being discussed in this thread) is only 2-3 hours away!
And those who mentioned the Great Lakes Relay and Crystal Lake Team Marathon, spot on. Probably my two favorite races ever.