Everything Michigan....

[epcotprincess]

Hello my fellow Michigan DISers!

Just wanted to bump this thread to ask about going "up north". We moved here a few months ago and love it -- people are wonderful and we are enjoying living here.

So, we've heard from alot of folks that we need to go up north. Where do you prefer? On Lake Huron or Lake Michigan? Grand Haven or Traverse City? Or the small towns inbetween?

DH is the outdoorsman of the family, our girls love swimming, fishing and camping, I like to sit back and read a book with a nice glass of wine No, I enjoy the outdoors but also think I'd enjoy seeing some of the wineries in western Michigan.

Would love to hear where everyone goes. Thanks!

I'm very glad to hear you are enjoying living in Michigan! I also live in Metro Detroit.

You should check out these places!
In the Petosky area-- try The Inn at Bay Harbor. It looks sort of like the Grand Floridian! It's gorgeous. Perfect spot for reading and sipping on something while your girls swim and your DH plays golf, fishes, etc.

For a small town feel, try renting a beachfront property in Caseville, perhaps during the Cheeseburger in Caseville festival-- LOTS of fun to be had there!

Higgins Lake/ Houghton Lake have very nice campgrounds and the lake is lovely there.

In the Traverse City area, look into the Cherry Tree Inn, it's very cute and right on the beach.

Definitely make your way to Frankenmuth for a day trip to visit Bronner's and eat at Zender's.

Holland is really neat!

Mackinac Island is the classic "up north" vacation spot.

And if you get the chance, definitely see the sights in the Upper Penninsula, such as The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Tehquamenon Falls, etc.

Hope this gives you a good jump off point!

 

[jbmom]

I don't know what side of the state you are living on, but southwest Michigan has some wonderful wineries. Several are within a few miles of each other. My favorites are Round Barn, Tabor Hill, Lemon Creek and Free Run. Its a fun afternoon and close to home. Next fall we are going to try the Traverse City area wineries.

Here is an interesting article. Check out #4!

We like Sleeping Bear dunes, Traverse City, Tahquamenon falls, Pictured rocks, Sault Ste. Marie, Grand Marais. We also really like Hoffmaster SP and Ludington SP.

 

[Aburns8]

I don't know what side of the state you are living on, but southwest Michigan has some wonderful wineries. Several are within a few miles of each other. My favorites are Round Barn, Tabor Hill, Lemon Creek and Free Run. Its a fun afternoon and close to home. Next fall we are going to try the Traverse City area wineries.

You will like the wineries up there since there are so many to chose from. We could just start a conversation on which ones everyone likes.

 

[faith]

Summertime is beautiful in the northwest part of lower Michigan.
Look up Benzonia and Buehla area. It's close to Lake Michigan, and there's a wonderful canoe, tubing company there. Called Riverside. The Platte river is shallow there and crystal clear. Also, a gorgeous National park, Sleeping Bear for campers.
The sand dunes are probably half hour away, and Traverse City 45 minutes. Both worth the drive.
This is a very small town atmosphere, but hugely popular, so book hotel or campsite early.

 

[Fire14]

I'd like to pick your brains: Dh and I are talking about taking off for a vist to Greenfield village/ Henry Ford Museum sometime after weather warms up. Any suggestions on places to stay in general area for W/E. We are happy with value resorts at Disney so nothing fancy needed.

 

[antmaril]

I'd like to pick your brains: Dh and I are talking about taking off for a vist to Greenfield village/ Henry Ford Museum sometime after weather warms up. Any suggestions on places to stay in general area for W/E. We are happy with value resorts at Disney so nothing fancy needed.

While not a value resort, The Dearborn Inn is lovely and very convenient to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum.

 

[3Leafs]

While not a value resort, The Dearborn Inn is lovely and very convenient to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum.

It is quite lovely.. I live about 15 minutes from there. There are a couple other hotels in Dearborn that is pretty close.

 

[Yzerbear19]

I'd like to pick your brains: Dh and I are talking about taking off for a vist to Greenfield village/ Henry Ford Museum sometime after weather warms up. Any suggestions on places to stay in general area for W/E. We are happy with value resorts at Disney so nothing fancy needed.

Our favorite hotel near Greenfield Village is the Best Western Greenfield Inn right off of I-94. It is very easy to get to Greenfield Village then. They have a really nice indoor pool and hot tub, which is our favorite part. We just stayed there like 2 weeks ago and it was wonderful as usual. The rates aren't that bad, definitely more than a Disney value resort, but less than a moderate. LOL

Here is their website: http://www.bestwesterngreenfield.com/

My sister and I LOVE Greenfield Village. The best weekend to go is Memorial Day weekend when they have the Civil War Remembrance weekend. We've gone for that weekend for the past 10 years or so. It is awesome.

 

[Geoff_M]

Our favorite hotel near Greenfield Village is the Best Western Greenfield Inn right off of I-94. It is very easy to get to Greenfield Village then. They have a really nice indoor pool and hot tub, which is our favorite part. We just stayed there like 2 weeks ago and it was wonderful as usual. The rates aren't that bad, definitely more than a Disney value resort, but less than a moderate. LOL

Here is their website: http://www.bestwesterngreenfield.com/

My sister and I LOVE Greenfield Village. The best weekend to go is Memorial Day weekend when they have the Civil War Remembrance weekend. We've gone for that weekend for the past 10 years or so. It is awesome.

We've stayed at both the Dearborn Inn and the Best Western Greenfield Inn and like them. You used to be able to get really cheap weekend deal at the Dearborn Inn. It used to be Ford's corporate hotel and it's still mostly a business/conference resort so it's not set up for "family fun" (there's no indoor pool... or at least there wasn't when we last stayed there).

But the best deal we've found is a weekend night at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency. We've reliably gotten it on Price Line for $55/night. We've stayed there 4 times at that rate in the last 12 months. Pick a 4-star hotel in Dearborn and bid $55, and it's popped up each time!

 

[Fire14]

Our favorite hotel near Greenfield Village is the Best Western Greenfield Inn right off of I-94. It is very easy to get to Greenfield Village then. They have a really nice indoor pool and hot tub, which is our favorite part. We just stayed there like 2 weeks ago and it was wonderful as usual. The rates aren't that bad, definitely more than a Disney value resort, but less than a moderate. LOL

Here is their website: http://www.bestwesterngreenfield.com/

My sister and I LOVE Greenfield Village. The best weekend to go is Memorial Day weekend when they have the Civil War Remembrance weekend. We've gone for that weekend for the past 10 years or so. It is awesome.

Sounds like a good place to stay. I have been happy with other bw's

 

[disneyaddicted]

Hello my fellow Michigan DISers!

Just wanted to bump this thread to ask about going "up north". We moved here a few months ago and love it -- people are wonderful and we are enjoying living here.

So, we've heard from alot of folks that we need to go up north. Where do you prefer? On Lake Huron or Lake Michigan? Grand Haven or Traverse City? Or the small towns inbetween?

DH is the outdoorsman of the family, our girls love swimming, fishing and camping, I like to sit back and read a book with a nice glass of wine No, I enjoy the outdoors but also think I'd enjoy seeing some of the wineries in western Michigan.

Would love to hear where everyone goes. Thanks!

Hi there,
I know this is a Michigander place to hang and I am currentlyliving in Pa. But I am originally from Commerce Twp, Mi. So I still go home a few times a year.

I just wanted to post my two cents. My sister has a place in Tawas Bay, it's on the Lake Huron side. A Really nice town with a nice beach and a interesting shops. I have only gone up in the summer, but my sister said that there are always things going up there all year.

 

[3Leafs]

Well if you guys are ever in the Spring Lake / Grand Haven don't stay at the holiday inn. We are here now and its the dirtiest hotel I have ever stayed at. We are here on a hockey tournament and if we didn't have to stay here I would have packed my stuff up and left. We are not picky people but when you have drywall debris all around the edge of your room you know something is wrong. Towel bar was ripped out of the wall and soap dish was ripped out. I will be so glad when the weekend is over. and sadly this is my second room. I don't want to keep complaining so i'll just deal with it. So you have the heads up now. for holiday inns sake I hope it turns out nicely when they are done remodeling...

 

[Colleen27]

I like the Traverse City area a lot. But then again, I like the wineries.

Yeah, that's about all I have to add too. Black Star Farms . DH & I get up there every couple years without kids, around our anniversary, just to follow the "wine trail" along the Leelanau Penninsula.

And I second EpcotPrincess's recommendation for the Cherry Tree Inn, lovely, lovely place with old-fashioned small-town service and the most fabulous location right on the beach.

Also up that way and worth a short detour is Gwen Frostic Prints in Benzonia. We got our wedding stationary there, and the shop is like nothing else I've ever seen, well worth a visit.

We have a family vacation property near Baldwin, just a little ways inland from Ludington, so the Lake Michigan coast is where a lot of my favorites are.

 

[KatieA]

The snow has started again!!! The ground is covered. We are at the 127 & I94 corridor and they are saying we are supposed to get snow, sleet and freezing rain. Thank goodness we have tomorrow off for Presidents Day.

 

[WDWMom]

It's been snowing here since about 1ish in West MI. Really big, pretty flakes right now.

DD is at Adrian College so not far from you KateA. I hope they don't get much ice. DD isn't so graceful and she has several leg injuries going on from track practice. She doesn't need any more.

 

[Colleen27]

The snow has started again!!! The ground is covered. We are at the 127 & I94 corridor and they are saying we are supposed to get snow, sleet and freezing rain. Thank goodness we have tomorrow off for Presidents Day.

We're near 69 & 94 on the other side of the state and it is coming down HARD now. My DD and her friend are so disappointed because they had a Girl Scout outing to an indoor waterpark scheduled but the waterpark is part of a neighboring city's rec center and the city canceled all events for this afternoon & evening so we're going to have to reschedule. I just hope the new date isn't when we're in FL... We've got a bad track record of missing things for our trips, usually because of weather-related rescheduling.

 

[AKL_Megs]

We live nearest I-275 and I-96... It's near white out conditions out my living room window. I can hardly see the house behind my across the street neighbor! This STINKS!

 

[BrerMom]

We're near I-94 and 131. We got several inches of snow before it started raining. It is nasty!! Huge areas of road are covered by water. We're not supposed to have Presidents' Day off, but it won't surprise me if we have a snow day if this keeps up.

 

[KatieA]

It's been freezing rain for about a half hour now. I'm supposed to have a dentist appointment tomorrow but it wouldn't surprise me if they call and cancel.

 

[vicb]

We live in Ann Arbor, just drove home from visiting our daughter at MSU... took us 2 hours, normally only 1. So, so many cars off the road in ditches! Glad to be back home now.