1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (61 page)

All ferries arrive downtown, where you’ll be greeted by a bustling Main Street filled with shops selling ultra-rich. ultra-delicious fudge, the island’s specialty (and hence the reason locals refer to tourists as “fudgies”). There are dozens of flavors to choose from—try the turtle, cranberry, or maple syrup. Walk off those calories on a hike up to Fort Mackinac, a military outpost built by the British in 1780 to ward off upstart American colonists. It’s a fun place to wander around, with restored quarters, costumed guides, cannon salutes, and glorious views of downtown, the marina, and a broad sweep of Lake Huron. Seventy-eight percent of the 2,200-acre island is protected as state park, much of it woodlands sprinkled with wildflowers and limestone outcroppings. A flat 8-mile bicycle path encircles the island, hugging the shoreline and leading to interesting natural and historical sites at a pace those Victorian visitors would appreciate.

On Mackinac Island, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves is a familiar sound.

But Mackinac’s most famous landmark is inarguably the opulent Grand Hotel with its much-photographed 660-foot-long front porch, impeccable grounds covered with blooming flowers, and a time-weathered ambience marked by afternoon activities like bocce ball and high tea. Built in 1887 (when rates were $3 a night for Midwestern tycoons) on its hilltop perch and regally setting the island’s gracious turn-of-the-century tone ever since, the white Greek Revival palace is believed to be the largest summer resort hotel in the world. Movie fans will recognize it as the backdrop for the 1980 cult classic
Somewhere in Time.
The Chippewa Hotel has its own set of devotees. A lovely Victorian landmark overlooking the marina, its Pink Pony Bar & Grill is a favorite watering hole among sailors, made famous as the “finish line” of the annual 333-mile Chicago–Mackinac Yacht Race (“the Mac”) that turns the island on its ear every July.

W
HERE
: 280 miles north of Detroit in the Straits of Mackinac.
Visitor info:
Tel 800–454-5227 or 906–847-3783;
www.mackinacisland.org
.
HOW
: Several passenger ferries operate May–Oct from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City (
www.mackinacisland.org
).
G
RAND
H
OTEL
: Tel 800–33-GRAND or 906–847-3331;
www.grandhotel.com
.
Cost:
from $183 (off-peak), from $230 (peak), includes meals.
When:
May–Oct.
C
HIPPEWA
H
OTEL
: Tel 800–241-3341 or 906–847-3341;
www.chippewahotel.com
.
Cost:
from $95 (off-peak), from $180 (peak).
When:
May–Oct.
B
EST TIMES
: mid-May
for Grand Opening Weekend; mid-June for the 10-day Lilac Festival; mid-July for the Chicago–Mackinac Yacht Race (
www.chicagomackinac.com
); early Sept for the Bridge Walk; Oct for the Big Band Dance Extravaganza and
Somewhere in Time
weekends (at Grand Hotel).

Michigan’s Would-Be Capital

Michigan

When the Michigan legislature named Lansing its new state capital in 1847, no community was more surprised and disappointed than Marshall, which lost by one vote. Michigan’s original state constitution
called for the state capital to relocate from Detroit to this community in the south central part of the the state, an important stagecoach and then railroad stop. Marshall was so sure of its destiny, it even built a governor’s mansion and set aside an area known as Capitol Hill in anticipation.

Today, Marshall (population 7,500) is instead home to one of America’s largest historic districts. More than 850 buildings provide a picture book of mid-19th-century architecture, block after tree-lined block of 1840s and 1850s Greek and Gothic Revival homes. Marshall’s preservation ethic began in the 1920s, when savvy mayor Harold Brooks first recognized the town’s architectural treasure trove and led a crusade to maintain it. One of the highlights—open to the public—is the Honolulu House, built in 1860 by Judge Abner Pratt upon his return from a stint as consul to the Sandwich (now Hawaiian) Islands in the 1850s. He made every attempt to re-create his Polynesian paradise in his new home, with its pagoda-shaped tower, wide veranda, and decorative pineapple trim in teak and ebony. Pratt died of pneumonia shortly after its completion—an illness some attributed to his habit of wearing tropical clothing during Michigan winters.

One of the town’s two historic hostelries, the National House Inn is Michigan’s oldest continuously operating inn. Built in 1835 as a stagecoach stop, this B&B still exudes warmth with polished plank floors and a massive beam-and-brick open-hearth fireplace. The Rose Hill Inn welcomes guests to its 1860 Italianate mansion, once the summer home of Chicagoan William Boyce, founder of the Boy Scouts. Pick up a walking tour map and wander along shady streets like Mansion, Prospect, Kalamazoo, and Hanover, lined with lovingly preserved homes. An eagerly awaited annual historic home tour the weekend after Labor Day affords you a rare glimpse inside, too.

The Brooks Memorial Fountain, at the entrance to Marshall’s downtown, features a colored light show every evening during the summer.

Owned and operated by the Schuler family for three generations, Schuler’s is a much-loved Michigan institution that’s been serving classics like Bar-Scheeze (a spicy cheese spread), Swiss onion soup, and nut-crusted walleye since 1909. Tradition, not trendiness, after all, has always been the trump card in Marshall.

W
HERE
: 100 miles west of Detroit.
Visitor info:
Tel 800–877-5163 or 269–781-5163;
www.marshallmi.org
.
H
ONOLULU
H
OUSE
: Tel 269–781-8544.
When:
May–Oct.
N
ATIONAL
H
OUSE
I
NN
: Tel 269–781-7374;
www.nationalhouseinn.com
.
Cost:
from $105.
R
OSE
H
ILL
I
NN
: Tel 269–789-1992;
www.rose-hill-inn.com
.
Cost:
$125 (off peak), $150 (peak).
S
CHULER’S
: Tel 877–724-8537 or 269–781-0600;
www.schulersrestaurant.com
.
Cost:
dinner $35.
B
EST TIME
: early Sept for the Historic Home Tour.

Spectacular Sandstone Cliffs Rising from Lake Superior’s Shore

Munising to Grand Marais, Michigan

The Upper Peninsula’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore showcases a stunning stretch of coastline along the forested southern shore of Lake Superior, a natural marvel of sculpted sandstone cliffs, rocky coves, and
200-foot high banks of sand. One road traverses the 40-mile-long park, leading to trail-heads, waterfalls, Lake Superior overlooks, lighthouses, and other historic sites. Get your first view at Miners Castle overlook, where eons of wind and waves have transformed the cliffs into turrets and arches like dissolving sandcastles. Near the park’s east end, the Log Slide Overlook is where loggers once jettisoned fresh-cut lumber 300 feet down into the lake. Today, you can enjoy the panorama, with the immense Grand Sable banks and dunes to the east and the 1874 Au Sable lighthouse 3 miles west.

The Brooks Memorial Fountain, at the entrance to Marshall’s downtown, features a colored light show every evening during the summer.

Lace up your hiking boots and explore some of the park’s 90 miles of trails. At Chapel Basin, footpaths loop past 60-foot Chapel Falls, then skim along the edge of precipitous sandstone cliffs several stories above Lake Michigan, like beaches in the sky.

To experience the park’s most impressive panoramas, though, you need to get out on the water. The pretty little waterfront town of Munising, located on the park’s west end, is the source for park information and a variety of boat excursions. Oldest and most popular is Pictured Rocks Cruises; its three-hour sightseeing trips sidle right up to the sculpted sandstone formations. Go in the late afternoon, when the sinking sun casts the multicolored cliffs in their most dramatic light.

Even more intimate is a sea kayak excursion. Paddling up to the rust-colored cliff face looming several stories above is like rafting up alongside an ore carrier.

W
HERE
: Munising is 400 miles northwest of Detroit. Tel 906–387-3700;
www.nps.gov/piro
.
Munising visitor info:
Tel 906–387-2138;
www.munising.org
.
P
ICTURED
R
OCKS
C
RUISES
: Tel 906–387-2379;
www.picturedrocks.com
.
Cost:
$29.
When:
May–early Oct.
K
AYAKING
: Northern Waters Kayaking, Munising. Tel 906–387-2323;
www.northernwaters.com
.
Cost:
from $115 for guided day trips.
B
EST TIMES
: July–early Sept for weather.

The Art Coast of Michigan

Michigan

Ever since the Art Institute of Chicago began sponsoring a summer camp in Saugatuck in 1914, this Victorian resort town has embraced its reputation as an arts colony and never let go. It’s home to a thriving community of artists
, art galleries (more per capita than any other small town in the Midwest), and art installations like the annual Art ’Round Town, with some 40 sculptures by nationally recognized artists. The Art Institute’s Ox-Bow School of Art still runs its prestigious summer program here, hosting demonstrations and changing exhibitions on its beautiful 110-acre campus.

Saugatuck has a genteel quality, a grande dame among resort towns along the southeast Lake Michigan shore. Tucked into wooded sand dunes near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River, lovely Victorian mansions recall Saugatuck’s heyday as a busy lumber port. Enjoy a stroll on the boardwalk along the harbor or listen to band concerts in the park. An inordinate number of restaurants and fine inns are always busy, and none more lovely than the Wickwood Inn, once the home of an early Saugatuck mayor and now owned by Julee Rosso Miller, coauthor of the seminal
The Silver Palate
cookbook series. Guests enjoy a first-hand taste of Rosso’s inventive evening hors d’oeuvres and breakfasts (her almond croissant French toast with spiced blueberry sauce is unrivaled).

Even when summer crowds seem to inundate downtown Saugatuck, there are plenty of places to escape and explore. Step aboard the frilly gingerbread Chain Ferry for the short shuttle across the Kalamazoo River to Mt. Bald Head, a high dune perfect for sunset-watching, and Oval Beach, a lovely arc of sugary sand on Lake Michigan. Three miles north of town, Saugatuck Dunes State Park preserves 2 miles of pristine beach and undulating dunes, some more than 200 feet high.