Michigan offers plenty of outdoor activities, including golf, hiking, camping and skiing. Though it has a relatively short golfing season (April through most of October), the state leads the nation with its number of public courses. Many of Michigan's upscale resorts have courses designed by the big names of golf architecture. In addition to those mentioned elsewhere in this report, standouts include Shanty Creek and Schuss Mountain resorts in Bellaire (The Legend, designed by Arnold Palmer); Garland Resort in Lewiston (The Monarch); Sylvan Resort in Gaylord (Treetops, designed by Robert Trent Jones); Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville; and Hidden Valley Resort in Gaylord.
Along the northeastern side of the Lower Peninsula is Michigan's best Scottish links-style course, The Gales, located in Oscoda. Part of the Lakewood Shores Resort, The Gales is complemented by Blackshire, another 18-hole challenge. (Both of these well-regarded courses were designed by the resort owner's son, a relative rookie among golf architects.) Southwest of Oscoda in Tawas City is the Arthur Hills-designed course, Red Hawk.
At the western tip of the Upper Peninsula are some of Michigan's most popular ski areas. Big Powderhorn Mountain, Blackjack and Indianhead Mountain are the principal ski resorts there, all clustered within 5 mi/8 km of each other. Combined with Wisconsin's Whitecap Mountain, they make up a ski complex called Big Snow Country (lift tickets are interchangeable). Big Powderhorn has 25 trails and peaks as high as 622 ft/193 m. This region attracts skiers from Chicago, Minneapolis and Milwaukee. Many go for a weekend (or longer) of novice-level downhill skiing and snowmobiling. The mountains yield views of Lake Superior and the Ottawa National Forest wilderness area. Lodging and dining can be found within a 10-mi/16-km radius of the slopes.
Cross-country skiing is also very popular in Michigan (and is well-suited to the state's mostly flat terrain). The state and national forest lands offer an abundance of scenic backcountry trails, and many of the downhill resorts also have cross-country routes.
Scuba divers can explore Great Lakes shipwrecks at nine different underwater preserves in Michigan: Alger (in Munising), Straits of Mackinac (St. Ignace), Thumb Area Bottomland (Port Hope), Manitou Passage (Empire), Keweenaw (Houghton), Marquette (Marquette), Sanilac Shore and Whitefish Point (Paradise).
Shopping
As with any state containing large urban areas, Michigan's shopping choices are plentiful. In particular, shop for ceramics made by the state's many artisans. Detroit's Pewabic Pottery is a nonprofit organization committed to education in ceramic arts: Its graduates exhibit and sell their work throughout the state. Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth offers an enormous inventory of Christmas decorations. Guitar players won't want to miss Elderly Instruments in Lansing, one of the largest guitar stores in the U.S. Wine from the state's vineyards, jams, fruit butters and various dried-cherry products are also good souvenirs, as is maple syrup—the state has a large number of maple trees and a thriving syrup business. Cabela's, a sporting-goods outlet in Dundee—near the border with Ohio—ranks No. 1 in the state for visitors.
Day By DayMichigan is a big state, and its only major air hub is Detroit, in the far southeastern part of the state. With these limitations in mind, we've designed an itinerary that's confined to the Lower Peninsula. Tack on an extra four or five days to see the Upper Peninsula. If you're seeing the U.P. without seeing the southern part of the state, you might want to combine it with a visit to Minnesota or Wisconsin. The following plan assumes a visit during the summer.
Days 1 and 2—Detroit. Spend one day at The Henry Ford in Dearborn.
Day 3—Head west on Interstate 96 to Grand Rapids. Visit the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Overnight there.
Day 4—Visit the Frederik Meijer Gardens in the morning, then head west on I-96 to Highway 104 into Grand Haven. Enjoy the dunes and lakeshore and overnight in the area.
Day 5—Make the long drive along the coast on Highway 31 to northwestern Michigan. Stop on the way at one of the many beaches or villages along the shore. North of Manistee, take Highway 22 and continue on to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Overnight in the area.
Day 6—Spend the day at Sleeping Bear and elsewhere on the Leelanau Peninsula, where charming and quaint bayside communities await, replete with unique little shops and top-shelf wineries. In late afternoon, head toward Traverse City, either by cutting across the Leelanau Peninsula on Highway 204 to Highway 22, or by following 22 all the way around the northern tip of the peninsula. Overnight in Traverse City.
Day 7—Take the scenic drive to Old Mission and tour one of the vineyards. In the afternoon, head north on Highway 31 to Petoskey. Overnight there.
Day 8—Head north on Highway 31 to Mackinaw City. Explore Fort Michilimackinac. In the afternoon, take a ferry to Mackinac Island and spend the night there.
Day 9—Explore the island and stay another night at your hotel. A more economical option is to take one of the late ferries back to Mackinaw City and stay in a less expensive property there.
Day 10—Head out of Mackinaw City on I-75 South. Stay on the highway all the way to Bay City. You can continue on 75 to the Frankenmuth exit or take a more scenic route on smaller roads: Highway 25 east to Highway 15, then south on Highway 83. When you get to Frankenmuth, visit Bronner's and end the day with a chicken dinner. Overnight in the area.
Day 11—Return to the Detroit area on I-75 and depart Michigan.
