Michigan summers are the best.
When the weather heats up and school gets out, there is a neverending plethora of things to do and check out around this state. It takes a lifetime — and then some — to take in everything it has to offer.
With that in mind, we decided to put together a list of 22 under-the-radar activities you should try this summer, whether you're a Michigander or just visiting the state.
We call this "hidden gems" because you won't find the obvious candidates in here, such as Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks or events such as Traverse City Cherry Festival. Everyone knows about those already. Instead, you'll find ideas you may have heard of but never really thought about, or destinations you've never heard of altogether.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, here's our list!
North Country Trail/Porcupine Mountains waterfall hike, Bessemer. 11-mile trek through the Western U.P. (Photo: Sandra Gusman/Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association)
1. Upper Peninsula's hidden waterfalls
You've heard of Tahquamenon Falls; let's look past that beauty for a second. There are many waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula to explore - and there's some nice hiking to go along with it.
Consider, for example, the number of waterfalls near Munising, just west of Pictured Rocks. Or the Hungarian Falls in the Keweenaw Peninsula. And that's just the tip of the iceberg; here's a map of waterfalls for you to visit. You probably won't get to them all.
2. Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Staying in the Upper Peninsula, you will find a gem of a destination out on the northeast tip at the Whitefish Point Light Station.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum attracts more than 75,000 visitors a year, according to its website, and is full of artifacts and history regarding Great Lakes shipwrecks, including the bell of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. You can take a self-guided tour, watch a video presentation, climb the Whitefish Point Light Tower and get guided tours of the different exhibits and houses.
The Milky Way is visible in the night sky over Headlands International Dark Sky Park shoreline viewing area in Mackinaw City, in this June 2016 photo. The glow above the tree line on the left is from a full moon rising in the east. (Photo: John Hill, Headlands International Dark Sky Park)
3. Headlands International Dark Sky Park
Northern Michigan is full of places to stargaze and potentially view the northern lights, but only a handful of parks in the state are recognized as "dark sky" parks. Here's one of them.
Headlands is open 24/7/365, offers plenty of viewing area and a variety of programs & events throughout the year, even during the wintertime.
Slow Roll rides around the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix race course on in May 2017 in Detroit. AAA is adding to its bicycle service, which it started in May 2017. (Photo: Sean Work, Special to the Free Press)
4. Slow Roll in Detroit
This city staple is pretty familiar to most Detroiters but, for those who don't frequently visit the southeastern part of the state, this is a fun way to build community and give back.
Thousands of people take part in this weekly bicycle ride each summer through various parts of Detroit, including Eastern Market, the Detroit Riverfront, Beacon Park and more. Slow Roll also works with non-profit organizations and invites riders "to step into active community service" in Detroit.
The colossal, 24-foot-tall Leonardo da Vinci's Horse is the centerpiece of a sculpture collection of more than 100 world-class works at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. (Photo: File photo)
5. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Visiting Grand Rapids sometime soon? There's a lot to experience there, but you don't want to miss this one.
The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is one of the premier displays of arts and gardens in West Michigan. It's kid-friendly for those with families on board. And it includes an amphitheater that hosts a wide array of summer concerts.
Fishtown, the historic district of Leland. (Photo: Brian Manzullo, DFP)
6. Visit Fishtown
If you're up in Traverse City or the Leelanau Peninsula for an extended stay, make sure you spend an afternoon in Leland, right along the Lake Michigan coast.
Leland is home to "Fishtown," its scenic historic village right at the mouth of the Carp River, a place where you can explore old fishing shanties and smokehouses while eyeballing all the boats nearby.
A look at the interior of RareBird BrewPub which was one of the stops during the four hour Kayak, Bike and Brew tour of various breweries in Traverse City, Michigan on Friday, May 26, 2017. The tour started off with a bike tour to Right Brain Brewery and The Filling Station Microbrewery then a transfer to kayaks for a tour through the river that runs through Traverse City and a stop at the RareBird. (Photo: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)
7. Take a brewery tour
As you probably know, Michigan's home to more than 300 craft breweries. That makes it fairly easy to dedicate a day to touring breweries (responsibly, of course!).
Grand Rapids on its own is a prime destination for touring breweries (Founders, Brewery Vivant, Perrin, Mitten, etc.). You also could travel up the Lake Michigan coastline (Saugatuck, New Holland, Odd Side Ales, Grand Armory, Stormcloud, etc.), take a Traverse City kayak brewery tour (yes, those really exist) or hit all the different stops in Detroit (Atwater, Batch, Detroit Beer Co., and Founders' Detroit taproom).
The U.S. Coastguard Mackinaw (Photo: Joel Bissell/Associated Press)
8. Coast Guard Festival
Grand Haven is known as Coast Guard City USA. And its signature festival pays tribute to that.
Coast Guard Festival runs for 10 days and features a parade, carnival, ship tours, a cardboard boat race and more. And it certainly helps that Grand Haven, nestled right along the coastline of Lake Michigan, is a prime destination for campers and beachgoers. Check out the website for more details.
Turnip Rock in Lake Huron. (Photo: Dayna Mae Photography)
9. Kayak to Turnip Rock
Don't forget about Michigan's thumb!
One of the most amazing rock formations you'll find in the state (and the country) is at the tip of Port Austin. You can't get there by land; you have to take a kayak or a boat, and it's a 7-mile round trip. But trust us, it's worth the effort to see Turnip Rock and the sea caves that surround it.
The exterior of the Croswell Opera House in downtown Adrian. (Photo: Vicki Schmucker)
10. Take in Broadway at Croswell Opera House
Yeah, it's an indoor activity, but taking in a play at Michigan's oldest theater is worth spending a few hours out of sunlight.
The Croswell Opera House is in downtown Adrian, has been around since 1866 and the Broadway Season runs all through the summer. This year, you can check out "Mamma Mia!" until July 1, "She Loves Me" from July 13-22 and "Barnum" from Aug. 10-19. Visit the website for more.
North Manitou Island beach (Photo: Merrith Baughman, National Park Service)
11. North Manitou Island
You've heard of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Who hasn't? But have you thought about visiting the big island in the distance?
North Manitou Island spans more than 15,000 acres just off the Lower Peninsula coast line. You can hike the dunes, go camping and/or even explore ghost towns.
Cars cruising down Woodward Avenue in Birmingham during the Woodward Dream Cruise, Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
12. Woodward Dream Cruise
Love to gaze at cool, vintage cars? Detroit offers an event you can't miss (though, if you ask locals, it might be better known as the annual August traffic nightmare along Woodward).
Priding itself as "The World's Biggest Cruise," the Woodward Dream Cruise features a bunch of weekend events, but your plan is simple: Grab some lawn chairs, park them along Woodward Ave. somewhere between Pontiac and Ferndale, and enjoy the view.
Ann Arbor Art Fair. (Photo: Regina H. Boone, Detroit Free Press)
13. Ann Arbor Art Fair
If you're into art, this is a no-brainer; the Ann Arbor Art Fair is one of the largest outdoor art fairs in the United States. This year, it runs from July 19-22 and is actually four events in one: The Street Art Fair, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, the State Street Art Fair and the South University Art Fair (phew).
Visit the website for more (and a map).
S.S. Badger. (Photo: Detroit Free Press)
14. Ride the S.S. Badger
Almost everyone's taken the ferry to Mackinac Island. Here's an idea for your next ferry ride — a much longer one, to boot.
The S.S. Badger is the largest cross-lake passenger service in the Great Lakes. It offers rides between Ludington, Mich. and Manitowoc, Wisc., a span of 60 miles across Lake Michigan. While it has no problem transporting people, it'll also transport vehicles, RVs, motorcycles, you name it.
Visit the website for more.
Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium. (Photo: Brian Calloway | Lansing State Journal)
15. Take in some minor league baseball
Millions of people make the trek to Comerica Park every year to catch a Detroit Tigers game, but fewer make it a point to see the smaller ballclubs around the state. We're here to change your mind.
First of all, look at those team names. The Traverse City Beach Bums? The Lansing Lugnuts? Those alone make the baseball enticing. Combine that with the fun, cheap promotions some of these teams do — from the traditional take-your-dog-to-the-ballpark to the quirky themes like "Social Media Night" — and you've got yourself an underrated Friday night for the family.
Grapes in the vineyard at Bowers Harbor Vineyards on Traverse City's Old Mission Peninsula. (Photo: Steve Sadler)
16. Old Mission winery tour
We've already covered beer. Now let's get to the wine. Michigan offers a heck of a wine selection, but there's no better destination for wine lovers than Old Mission peninsula just north of Traverse City.
There, along M-37, you'll find winery after winery, from Black Star Farms Old Mission to 2 Lads Winery, from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir. And there's a convenient website you can check out that offers a trail map, schedule of events and resources to plan your getaway trip. What the heck are you waiting for?
Carl Oswald, 44, pets a large black bear at Oswald's Bear Ranch in Newberry, MI on Wednesday July 30, 2014 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. (Photo: Ryan Garza / Detroit Free Press)
17. Oswald's Bear Ranch
Those of you traveling through the Upper Peninsula, especially near Tahquamenon Falls, shouldn't overlook this cool habitat nestled near Newberry.
Once the subject of a fine John Carlisle piece in 2014, Oswald's Bear Ranch is home to more than three dozen rescued and orphaned bears, all of which can be viewed in safe, natural habitats on 240 acres of woodlands. And it's cheap, to boot; only $20 per car or $10 per lone visitor.
Visit the website for more.
The Grand Hotel's front porch on Mackinac Island. (Photo: Cindy Burton, Detroit Free Press)
18. Grand Hotel's Front Porch
Next time you visit Mackinac Island, make sure you do this. From the Free Press' Cindy Burton, who wrote briefly about this in 2015:
"Best $10 you ever will spend in Michigan: The entry fee to the Grand Hotel’s Front Porch on Mackinac Island. You can rest your feet on a hot summer day (remember, no automobiles are allowed on the island), order a drink or 2 or a bite to eat and enjoy breathtaking views of the hotel’s signature geraniums, Lake Huron, the Mackinac Bridge and ferries carrying visitors to and from the island, all from a white rocking chair that’s as comfortable as it is big. The $10 fee also buys you access to shops and other public places of the hotel. The best part is there is no hurry. Stay as long as you like during business hours."
The improved Ford Rouge Factory Tour offers a new theater experience that shows what it takes to build an F-150 in the 360-degree Manufacturing Innovation theater. (Photo: Mandi Wright Detroit Free Press)
19. Ford Rouge Factory Tour
Want to hear the story behind the Ford F-150 - and see how it's made?
The Ford Rouge Factory Tour, part of the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, offers a glimpse into the past, present and future of America's automotive industry, and it doesn't get much more Michigan than that. From the website: "Pop open the hood on game-changing technology, sustainable design and sheer American grit at America’s greatest manufacturing experience."
A general view of a marina on Betsie Lake, near Frankfort, Mich. (Photo: Brian Manzullo, DFP)
20. Stay the night on a marina boat
Yes, you can do this in Michigan. And you should at least once.
A number of marinas throughout the state offer "hotel stays" on marina boats. For example, on Airbnb, there are several rentals available near Saugatuck/Douglas, Frankfort and other small cities along Lake Michigan.
These marina stays are uniquely Michigan — and relatively cost-effective, too!
Copper Harbor Trails has been designated a silver-level ride center by the International Mountain Biking Association. (Photo: Hansi Johnson)
21. Copper Harbor Trails
The northernmost point of mainland Michigan is a prime destination for outdoor and sports enthusiasts.
We're talking more than 35 miles of forest and mountain trails that overlook Lake Superior, good for hiking and biking during the summer (and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter). You can bring a dog. And it's free.
Check out the website for more.
The 40 Mile Point Lighthouse in Rogers City (Photo: John Carlisle, Detroit Free Press)
22. 40 Mile Point Lighthouse
Michigan is home to dozens of lighthouses, but here's one you may not have visited yet.
40 Mile Point Lighthouse, about 7 miles north of Rogers City, is more than a century old and offers a beautiful view of Lake Huron. And, as John Carlisle pointed out in our original Michigan bucket list in 2015, "there’s also a real shipwreck poking out of the sands on a beach that’s just a short trail’s walk from the lighthouse."
Visit the website for more.
