15 Best Places to Visit in Michigan

Want to find the best places to visit in Michigan? Here’s an updated guide for 2020 with interesting and beautiful destinations to include on your Itinerary. 

Ranked as the 5th fairest state in the US in terms of living costs, Michigan is a destination where you can find the simplest of pleasures. It’s the 11th largest state in the United States by area and has a bunch of interesting attractions, events, and festivals as well as scenic landscapes and impressive natural wonders.

Michigan is a prime place for an enjoyable Midwestern vacation. Better yet, there is an endless variety of fun activities here to do all around the year despite the season. 

Mackinac Island State Park

Located in Michigan’s Mackinac Island, Mackinac Island State Park covers nearly eighty percent of the island. It was established as a state park at the end of the 19th century and is the second national park in the US.

The park offers plenty of natural sights including famous Arch Rock, which is an attention-catching extraordinary geological formation and a natural bridge.

Impressive rock formations, woodlands, cottages in Victorian style, historic cemeteries, forests, and sparkling waters are only a part of numerous attractions offered by the Mackinac Island State Park. 70.5 miles of roads and trails in the park make it an adventurous route to navigate through.  

Pictured Rocks National Seashore

The beauty of Michigan’s upper peninsula, Pictured Rocks Seashore got its name from the layers of mineral stains that are seen on the face of its cliffs.

These layers of vivid colors are a result of the most color-producing minerals in them, such as iron, copper, limonite, and others. The seashore has a length of 42 miles and offers spectacular scenery of sand dunes, rock formations, cliffs, caves, arches, and waterfalls.

The largest cave in the area is called Rainbow Cave and has impressive walls to explore while kayaking in it.

Torch Lake

Torch Lake is a piece of paradise in Michigan and one of the most beautiful lakes in the US. It’s often compared to the Caribbean because of its crystal clear turquoise water.

The 18,000 acres large lake is also beloved for its impressive sunsets. Because of its depth (nearly 300 feet), the lake is quite cold and does not freeze during the winter. 

The Torch Lake is also home to historic Yacht & Country Club, which dates back to 1928! 

Sleeping Bear National Dunes Lakeshore

This shore of Lake Michigan offers visitors remarkable sightseeing in all seasons of the year featuring the famous dunes. It stretches 35 miles along the coast of the lake and is made up of 50,000 acres large area of forests, clear lakes, and the high dunes after which the national park was named.

A must-do activity while visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is to take Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, which is a scenic route located a short distance away. It’s also noteworthy that there are black bears here awake on a regular basis, so campers and hikers should be vigilant!

Detroit

Visiting Michigan without stopping at America’s Great Comeback City, Detroit, would not be fair. Detroit bounced back from hard times of bankruptcy and its flourishing and revitalizing aura can be clearly sensed in the city.

Detroit is where Motown was born, which indeed means that art and music thrive here. There are plenty of tourist attractions to see and experience in Detroit, whether it’s exploring Riverwalk, diving into the art scene, attending a festival or anything else.

But what’s truly noteworthy for Detroit is that it represents the American dream: dreams made and lost and dreams rebuilt again. This is also the home town of the famous rapper Eminem. 

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

60,000 acres large Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is Michigan’s biggest state park. The park offers many popular natural attractions, such as forests, beautiful waterfalls, long rivers, and streams as well as hiking trails and the shoreline of Lake Superior.

Isle Royale National Park

Surrounded by cold and deep waters of Lake Superior, Isle Royal is one of the least visited national parks, although, it is the most revisited.

Being far from civilization signs, the park is a great destination for travelers seeking unparalleled solitude, peace and a true remote paradise. The island is also known for its wolves and moose and plenty of spots to observe wildlife. 

Lost Lake park

One of Michigan’s natural wonders is the Lost Lake Park, which stretches only 1.5 miles around and can be completed in just one hour. There are a variety of natural scenes that can be admired throughout the park.

On the hiking tour to view Lost Lake, you walk through small islands connected to each other by footbridges. And at the end of the trail, you are rewarded with the scenery of the beautiful Lost Lake.

Windmill Island

Located in the city of Holland, Michigan, this is the state’s treasured destination of colors and authentic Dutch feeling. Blooming gardens of tulips, Dutch windmills, one of which is 250-year-old, a hand-painted Dutch carousel, nice views of canals, and even costumed guides.

The oldest windmill of the island is named “De Zwaan” and it reaches 125 feet above 36 acres of beautiful gardens. The whole island has a unique vibe and is one of the best places to visit in Michigan to discover the dutch heritage. 

Henry Ford Museum

This is a 250-acres large outdoor and indoor museum named after the innovator Henry Ford, which is also a national historic landmark. It has a history of over 300 years and offers an experience of going into the past of vibrant innovations, which then fueled the imagination of the next generations.

In the museum, you can observe the strides of America’s greatest minds, their inventions and be inspired by the stories of American great change-makers. It’s also one of the best places to visit in Michigan for car enthusiasts. 

Thorne Swift Nature Preserve

Located between Lower Shore Drive and Lake Michigan, Thorne Swift Nature Preserve is 30 acres of a wildlife sanctuary. This natural refuge protects hardwood forests, upland dunes, a sandy beach, and some cedar swamps.

The area is facilitated with 1,5 miles of trails, pond and dune observation platforms, gazebo and Elizabeth Kennedy Nature Center, from where you begin the tours.

During the summertime naturalists also organize hikes on such topics as medicinal plants and wildflowers, wild edibles, and so on. The beach in the preserve is small, but still a great place for pristine and quiet leisure.

Grand Haven

Grand Haven is one of Michigan’s famous beach towns and is often called America’s happiest seaside town. The city has kind of an old fashioned spirit which can be felt while taking a waterfront walk of this town on Lake Michigan’s shore.

The city’s long pier, which leads to an eye-candy-red lighthouse, is a famous photographing spot.

Sugarloaf Mountain

If you wish to admire one of the best views of Michigan’s Upper Penninsula, hiking Sugarloaf Mountain is a great choice. The mountain is located in Marquette Township and is 470 feet high.

There are trails and wooden stairs through forested land that lead to the mountain summit. The mountain peak is also some of the best spots to see the northern lights, especially in March, when the nights are darker and longer. 

Frankenmuth

This “Little Bavaria” of Michigan is a famous German-style village that offers tourists true Bavarian hospitality. It offers plenty of activities, such as ziplining through its forests, kayaking, enjoying traditional Bavarian food.

Frankenmuth is also home to the oldest Brewery in Michigan rich with history and beer and it even holds an annual Oktoberfest event. 

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

The 50,000 acres large Tahquamenon Falls State Park is famous for its majestic waterfalls of the Tahquamenon River. The largest of the waterfalls is The Upper Falls, which drops nearly 50 feet and is about 200 feet across.

The impressive sound of the waterfalls flowing and falling makes the scenery more powerful and truly impressive. Sometimes because of its golden-brown color, Tahquamenon Falls is also called Rootbeer Falls.

In winter accumulated ice around the falls gives it a beautiful turquoise shade. But it’s also one of the best places to visit in Michigan for autumn during the foliage season when the leaves are changing colors. 

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