Gold Coast
The forest-cloaked Manitou Islands provide an off-the-beaten-path adventure. They’re part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, hence the entrance…
Must-see attractions in Gold Coast
Gold Coast
The lakeside park is one of Michigan's largest and most popular playlots. Once inside, people simply pull over on the roadside and make a break for the…
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Gold Coast
Round Barn goes beyond vino with its grapes – it also uses the fruit to make DiVine Vodka, a smoother elixir than the kind made with grains or potatoes…
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Gold Coast
One of the state’s most visited parks, Holland offers a lovely huge beach on Lake Michigan that’s stellar for sunset gaping and lighthouse views. A cafe,…
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Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area
Gold Coast
Nordhouse Dunes, a 3450-acre plot within the Huron-Manistee National Forest, features perhaps the wildest stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline. Dunes rise…
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Gold Coast
Chinook Pier has a lot going on. There’s a seasonal mini-golf course (adult/child $3/2) and farmers market (8am to 1pm Wednesday and Saturday). Wet Mitten…
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Gold Coast
Fans of Ernest Hemingway will recall the store, with its 'high false front,' from his short story 'Up in Michigan.' As a youth, Hemingway used to hang out…
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Gold Coast
Everyone gathers for the musical fountain performance each evening in summer. It's a trippy tradition to watch water spray high in the sky while…
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Gold Coast
The 48-acre urban park is all beach – a wide, gorgeous one with squeaky clean sand. It’s mega popular in summer, especially for families, who appreciate…
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Gold Coast
A quiet, Irish-influenced enclave of some 600 people, Beaver Island floats in Lake Michigan offshore from Charlevoix. Forest covers most of its 9-mile…
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Gold Coast
Vollie Fox, Hemingway's fishing buddy, lived in this building next door to Horton Bay General Store. Young Ernie would stay at the inn, which is now…
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Gold Coast
A popular place to immerse in all things Dutch. When the gardens bloom in spring, Veldheer charges a fee (adult/child $12/6). Otherwise it's free to check…
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Gold Coast
With 3 miles of beachfront, 6 miles of hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and climbable dunes that rise 260ft in the air, visitors are all over this…
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Gold Coast
Learn about dunes! A 0.7-mile (one way) boardwalk trail takes you from the parking lot to the Lake Michigan shore. Prepare for loads of stairs up and down…
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Gold Coast
Connoisseurs often regard Tabor Hill Winery as the region’s best. The vintner provides tours and lets you belly up in the tasting room for swigs of its…
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Gold Coast
It is one of the Old Mission Peninsula's stalwarts, pouring renowned chardonnay and pinot noir (five-wine tasting $5). The patio overlooking the vineyard…
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Gold Coast
Life guards patrol the long expanse of fine sand. There are bathrooms and concession stands, though not enough to spoil the peaceful, dune-laden scene. It…
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Gold Coast
The park is north along Hwy 119 and has a beautiful beach. Look for indigenous Petoskey stones, which are honeycomb-patterned fragments of ancient coral…
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Gold Coast
It gets lots of kudos for its chardonnay, pinot noir and dessert wines (five-wine tasting from $7, three-wine flight from $10). The romantic, French-style…
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Gold Coast
Michigan's excellent wines taste even better on Brys Estate's sprawling deck, which provides stunning vineyard and bay views. Tastings from $8; cheese and…
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Little Traverse Historical Museum
Gold Coast
This small museum has a worthy Hemingway collection, including rare first-edition books that the author autographed for a friend when he visited in 1947.
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Gold Coast
Located in an old schoolhouse, Peninsula makes fine whites and is often less crowded than other wineries. A five-wine tasting costs $5.
