Would you, could you, in a van? Lake MI tour help!

Hi all,

I am trying to plan our annual family summer road trip and I need some opinions. Starting from home in Western CT, we would drive to Toronto (leaving after work Weds and staying over in the Syracuse area that night, continuing to Toronto Thurs) for Red Sox vs. Blue Jays. We%26#39;d stay in Toronto after the game (Any opinions on the Renaissance attached to the Rogers Centre welcome - looking for convenience most importantly) and probably see some of the city Fri before driving to Ann Arbor MI (our son wants to see where he was born :-) and spending the night there.

From this point (Saturday), we would have about 5-6 days to do part or all of the Lake MI circle tour and get back to CT. I%26#39;ve done some research on the tour but I am wondering where good stopovers would be and how to divide the time. We are a family of 3 with one being an 11 year old boy. We like drives and scenery, history, light walking/hiking, swimming and boating, things unique to the setting we are in and offbeat destinations.

The dunes sound interesting and I saw some info about dune buggy rides that caught my interest. My son is collecting the National Parks passport stamps so NP sites are high on the list. My husband and I have been to Mackinac but not our son so that%26#39;s probably a good stop but do we stay over there?

I can%26#39;t wait to see the UP, but how much time do we spend? Where to stay over? What should we see if only a day or so to spend?

I know nothing about the WI side of the tour but what I%26#39;ve read here so any tips are much appreciated. I was considering taking the ferry back to Ludington MI and driving back to CT from there-anyone try it?

Soooo, as you can probably tell, I%26#39;m a little uncertain in general...

Help!

Thanks,

Jen :-)

Would you, could you, in a van? Lake MI tour help!

Well, for the Michigan part of your trip I think I can help a little bit!

Dune-wise, I HIGHLY recommend the west side of Michigan-- specifically Silver Lake: http://www.thinkdunes.com/. There is so much sand, you%26#39;ll wonder which way is out. Also they have dune buggies and dirt bikes you can rent! It%26#39;s a blast, definitely a great family experience.

Also on the west side of Michigan, there%26#39;s a little lake called Hamlin Lake that has GREAT scenery and is a blast boating. There%26#39;s a boat rental there, as well. There%26#39;s islands all over the middle of the lake, and hidden coves that you can park your boat at and adventure around.

In the Ludington area there is a neat little historic village my mom used to take my sister and I to when we were little. If you%26#39;d like to check it out it%26#39;s called White Pine Village: http://www.historicwhitepinevillage.org/

The S.S. Badger in Ludington is the carferry you%26#39;re talking about! I absolutely love riding on it, and it%26#39;s been so long. An excellent idea.

Mackinac City has a brand new waterpark, so that may be fun: http://www.thunderfallswaterpark.com/

Hope that helped a bit. If you have any more questions, I%26#39;d be happy to answer! I%26#39;ve lived in: Ludington, East Tawas, and the Saginaw/Bay City area. Otherwise, have a blast on your trip! =)

Bets

Would you, could you, in a van? Lake MI tour help!

In a boat or in a van, I would do it Sam I Am!

With a few words of advice.... The circle line is beautiful but it is hundreds of miles. If you have only 5 or 6 days after leaving Ann Arbor and you need to return to Connecticut at the end of 5 or 6 days, you will spend the better part of the trip in your van seeing, but not experiencing, Lake Michigan. You really only have 3.5 days to experience this trip. I think I would stick with touring Michigan then returning from Michigan without making the loop around the Lake. It is just too much territory to cover.

Here is a suggested itinerary that will still leave you in the car far more than I like but it will allow you to at least see some of beautiful Michigan. I would leave Ann Arbor and decide whether you want to do the Ludington/Silver Lake area or the Traverse City/Petoskey area. Both are lovely areas but my gang prefers the latter. Both offer Sand Dunes. The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes are perhaps the most famous in Michigan. They are vast and beautiful and are located one hour west of Traverse City. No dune rides here just beautiful rolling sands that lead to Lake Michigan. The Silver Lake Sand Dunes are located near Ludington and are also beautiful. They are in a bit more touristy than the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes area but do offer the dune rides. Both locations offer beautiful lighthouses, beaches, quaint towns and sunsets.

From either Ludington or Traverse City/Petoskey, I would head to Mackinac Island. Spend the night on the island. Ride bikes around it, take the carriage ride, head to the fort, just enjoy!

The next day I would head up to Sault Ste. Marie and take the Soo Locks tour. If you have time, head to Paradise to see the Shipwreck Museum and to Tacquemenom (sp?) Falls. Spend the night in the UP. It is now time to start heading back to Connecticut.

As you can see, you don%26#39;t have enough time to circle Lake Michigan. You certainly have enough time to get a flavor for Michigan. I am sure you will come back again and again after this trip...next time I hope you can stay a bit longer to experience the true beauty of Michigan....sitting by a bonfire on a beach as the sunsets, renting a lake house/cottage, laying in a hammock and just enjoying a beautiful Michigan afternoon.... Moms

I would ditto the previous response.

Just not enough time to truly enjoy the lake Michigan Circle tour.

Silver Lake and Mackinac Island will give you a feeling of the coast.

Personally I would skip the locks at Sault St. Marie and concentrate on Pictured Rocks and Taquanamon Falls.

Thanks everybody!

I did some looking for lodging last night in the towns around Sleeping Bear Dunes and found it to be hit or miss. It seems like you either rent a cabin for a week, choose a Mom%26amp;Pop motel or go upscale resort. As we don%26#39;t have a week, the cabin idea won%26#39;t work and our budget wouldn%26#39;t accomodate too upscale, I%26#39;m left with the motels and I hope I don%26#39;t choose wrong - some sound like they could be quaint...or could be dicey. Any suggestions for the Silver Lake area? I%26#39;ll check the site as well...

I%26#39;ll keep researching and coming back with more questions :-) I%26#39;d be happy to return the informational favor if anyone%26#39;s headed to Cape Cod or CT!

Thanks again,

Jen

Yay to Moms Travel for getting into the Seuss spirit!! Thanks for your input - I think you are right about decreasing the scale of our adventure. We actually like being in the car as a family together and consider the drive part of the fun but some physical fun along the way is very necessary. Are there any odd or offbeat destinations in our proposed itinerary?

Thanks again,

Jen

';Any suggestions for the Silver Lake area?';

Comfort Inn-Hart,MI

Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Days Inn, Best Western Inn-Ludington,MI

Best Western Inn, Ramada Inn, Super 8-Whitehall,MI

If you%26#39;re looking for an odd or offbeat stop, you might want to try the Mystery Spot in St. Ignace. It%26#39;s kind of hokey, and definitely odd and offbeat. Here%26#39;s the website:

http://www.mysteryspotstignace.com/

Another unique stop in St. Ignace is Castle Rock. Where else can you see a giant statue of Paul Bunyan?

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11463

Enjoy your trip!

Missy,

Great suggustion! You can%26#39;t travel the UP of Michigan without hitting Castle Rock and The Mystery Spot. They have been around forever. I went as a kid and took my children when they were young (they are in their 20%26#39;s now).

For a nice senic area I would suggest the Cut River on US2. There is a bridge that crosses the gourge with a roadside park and pathways (long!) down to the river. I know the bridge was closed for repair last fall so I suggust checking on this before making the drive just in case.

The Cut River Bridge was fixed last fall and is open to traffic. There is a park on both sides of it where you can park and get information.