Michigan (MI)

Michigan State Flag

 

"The Great Lakes State"

"The Mitten State", The Wolverine State", "Water-Winter Wonderland"

Why visit Michigan?

Travelers wishing to bike, camp, canoe, cider mills, dog sled, farms, fish, gamble, golf, hike, horseback ride, hunting, lakes, motor races, museums, sail, scuba dive, ski, snowmobile, snow sports, waterfalls, water parks and waterski. 

A popular destination for:

• Conventions, Meetings & Reunions
• Destination Wedding
• Groups: Family, Fish, Friends, Golf and Multigenerational 
• Milestones: Anniversary, Birthday, Retirement and Vow Renewal

Tulip Time Festival, Holland, MI. Photo Credit: Swan 44/Pixabay

At a Glance

• Capital: Lansing
• State Bird: Robin
• State Dessert: None
• State Flower: Apple Blossom
• State Gemstone: Chlorastrolite (Isle Royale Greenstone)
• State Mammal: Wolverine 
• State Rock: Petoskey Stone 

Fun Facts

• In 1866, the Hires Root Beer was invented. The second longest soft drink produced in our country.
• In 1930, the world's first international underwater vehicular tunnel was Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
  
• During 1950, Surveyors identified a 300 feet area where their equipment would mysteriously not work. The "Mystery Spot" became a tourist attraction. 
• Mackinac Bridge (5 miles) is the longest suspension bridge in the world.
  
• Widely known as the center of the U.S. automotive industry.
• Their public Universities attract more than $1.5 Billion in Research & Development Grants annually.
• Has the most lighthouses (150), largest state park and state forest system compared to any other state. 
  
• Approximately 60,520 acres is dedicated to Christmas Tree making them the third largest grower.
  
• Highly recognized chains, Domino's Pizza and Little Caesars were founded in the state.
  
• Ranked first in our nation for licensed hunters (over one million). Many rural school districts are known to close on opening day of Deer Season.
  
• Michigan Underwater Preserves 11 shipwrecks. 
  
• Features 3 National Forests and 99 State Parks.

Thank You!

• Spotlight Celebrities: Dee Stadium (Athlete), Diana Ross (Musician), Kristen Bell (Actress), "Madonna" Louise Ciccone (Musician), Serena Williams (Athlete), Stevie Wonder (Musician) and Terry Crews (Actor), just to name a few.
• Movies to Inspire You: Die Hard 2 (1990), Semi-Pro (2008), Somewhere in Time (1980) and Whip It (2009), just to mention a few.
• Reads Set in Michigan:  Bud, Not Buddy (written by Christopher Paul Curtis) and The Queen Next Door (written by Linda Solomon), just to name a few.

Bond Falls (Ontonagon River), MI. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Crea Stellmacher/Pixabay

Good to Know

• Only state to consist of two peninsulas: Lower Peninsula (mitten shape) consists of a majority of lakes, flats to hills while the Upper Peninsula ("the U.P.") consists of forest and wetland areas. 
  
• Majority of ski resorts are located in the Upper Peninsula area.
  
• Boasts 64,980 inland lakes and ponds.
  
• Instagram prefect pics to be taken at Grand Traverse Bay, Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
• Lake Huron Shoreline area is less expensive and flatter terrain.
  
• Even during summer months, the water temperatures are cold.
• Fall Foliage is best mid September - October.
• A major hub for Delta Air Lines.
  
• A leading grower of our fruits: apples, blueberries, grapes, peaches and tart cherries. Also, known for growing: corn, flowers, plums, pears, potatoes, soybeans, strawberries, sugar beets and wheat. 
  
• Great destination to fish for: perch, salmon, trout and walleye.
  

Subject to humidity, snow storms and tornadoes.

• Best Time to Visit: May - October
• Coldest Month: January
• Hottest Months: July
• Peak Season: June - August

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, MI. Photo Credit: Steve Saunders/Unsplash

Before, proceeding onto Michigan's great Must See & Do's I do wish to highlight the unique experience of...

Mackinac (MACK-in-naw) Island

Founded in 1780, situated on Lake Huron, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas boasts relaxation and romance.

• Automobiles are banned on the island. So, your means of transportation is by bicycle, horse-drawn carriages, saddle horses and walking.
• On this 8 mile island circumference, there are no chain hotels or restaurants.
• Accessible by boats from St Ignace (Upper Peninsula) or Mackinaw City (Lower Peninsula). 
• Peak Tourism Season is May - October, less crowded early May or late October.
  
• Foliage colors best late September to mid October.
• The romantic film, Somewhere in Time (1980) was filmed on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel
• Island Attractions: Anne’s Tablet, Arch Rock, Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, Crack In The Island, Fort Holmes, Fort Mackinac, Grand Hotel, Horse in History Museum, Kite Flying at Windermere Point, Mission Point Resort’s Lawn, Original Butterfly House & Insect World, Skull Cave, Somewhere In Time Gazebo, Stone Skipping (Windermere Point), Sugar Loaf and Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory.
• Well known for Mackinac Island Fudge, unique dining and shopping.

Mackinac Main Street, Mackinac Island, MI. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Your Must-See & Do

• Historical Sites: Alden Dow House & Studio, Badger, Bay View, Calumet Historic District, City of Milwaukee, Cranbrook, Durant-Dort Carriage Company Office, Edison Institute, Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Ernest Hemingway Cottage, Fair Lane, Fisher Building, Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, Ford River Rouge Complex, Fort Michilimackinac, Fox Theater, General Motors Building, General Motors Technical Center, Governor Charles Croswell House, Governor Warner Mansion, Grand Hotel, Guardian Building, Hackley & Hume Historic Site, Highland Park Ford Plant, Historic Chapin Mansion, Honolulu House, Lightship No. 103 "HURON", Loren Andrus Octagon House, Mackinac Island, Mann House, Marshall Historic District, McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Meadow Brook Hall, Meyer May House, Michigan State Capitol, Mies van der Rohe Residential District, Milwaukee Clipper, North Manitou Island Lifesaving Station, Norton Mound Group, Old Victoria, Parke-Davis Research Laboratory, Paulson House, Pewabic Pottery, Quincy Mining Company Historic District, Roethke House, Samuel Kingsley House, Ste Claire, St. Clair River Tunnel, St Ignace Mission, St Marys Falls Canal, Turner-Dodge House,  USS Silversides and W.K. Kellogg Manor House.
• Museums: Adventure Mine, A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum, Air Zoo,  Alden B Dow Home & Studio, Alden B Dow Museum of Science & Art, American Museum of Magic, Andrew J Blackbird Museum, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Anton Art Center, Arab American National Museum, Argus Museum, Au Sable Light Station,  Automotive Hall of Fame, Bergland/Matchwood Historical Society Museum, Big Sable Point Light, Blanchard House, Bunert One-Room School House Museum, Bunert One-Room School House Museum, Cannery Boathouse Museum, Canton Historical Society & Museum, Cappon House & Settlers House Museums, Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw, Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, Cell Block 7 Prison Museum, Charles H Wright Museum of African American History, Charlton Park Historic Village & Museum, Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum, Cobblestone Farm & Museum, Coopersville Area Historical Society & Museum, Copper Range Historical Museum, Coppertown USA Mining Museum, Cornish Pump Engine & Mining Museum, Cranbrook Art Museum, Cross in the Woods & Nun Doll Museum, Dearborn Historical Museum, Dennos Museum Center, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, DeVos Art Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Eagle Harbor Lighthouse & Museums, Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum, Elk Rapids Historical Museum, Ella Sharp Museum,  Eyaawing Museum,  Fenton Museum, First Congregational Living Museum, Flint Children's Museum, Fort St Joseph Museum, Frank Murphy Memorial Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Gardner House Museum, Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum, Gilmore Car Museum, Governor's Mansion Museum, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum, Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Grice House Museum, Grosvenor House Museum, Hack House Museum, Hadley Mill Museum, Hanka Finnish Homestead Museum, Hartwick Pines Logging Museum, Holland Museum, Houghton County Historical Museum, Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum, IXL Historical Museum, Jim Crow Museum, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kaleva Bottle House Museum, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Kempf House Museum, Kingman Museum, Kruizenga Art Museum, Lake Odessa Museum, Leelanau Historical Museum, Lenawee Historical Society Museum, Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum, Luce County Historical Museum, Marquette Maritime Museum, Marshlands Museum & Nature Center,Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, Michigan Firehouse Museum, Michigan Iron Industry Museum,  Michigan Maritime Museum, Michigan Transit Museum, Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, Motown Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Museum of New Art, Museum of Ojibwa Culture, Museum Ship Valley Camp, Music House Museum, Muskegon Museum of Art, Newton House Museum, Ontonagon Historical Museum, Old Mill Museum, Our Savior's Historical Museum, Phoenix Church & Museum, Pickford Historical Museum, Pickle Barrel House Museum, Pine Grove Historical Museum, Pioneer Log Cabin Museum, Polish Home Army Museum, Port Huron Museum, Presque Isle County Historical Museum, Rentschler Farm Museum, R. E. Olds Transportation Museum, Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, Schoolcraft County Museum, Selfridge Military Air Museum, Seul Choix Point Light & Museum, Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum, Sloan Museum, Southern Michigan Railroad Museum, SS City of Milwaukee, St Mary's Preparatory Museums, Standish Depot Museum, Steam Railroading Institute, Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, Stuart House Museum, Sturgeon Point Light House & Museum, Tecumseh Area Historical Museum, Thomas Edison Depot Museum, Ukrainian American Archives & Museum of Detroit, University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, Upper Peninsula Firefighters Memorial Museum, USCGC Acacia, USCGC Bramble, USS LST 393 Veterans Museum, USS Silversides Submarine Museum, U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum, Voigt House Victorian Museum, Waterloo Farm Museum, Wexford County Historical Museum, Whaley Historic House Museum, White River Light Station Museum, William G Thompson House Museum, Wills Ste Claire Auto Museum, Wing House Museum, Wyandotte Museums, Yankee Air Museum, Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum and Ypsilanti Historical Museum.
• Popular Attractions: Abrams Planetarium, Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, Belle Isle Park, Berlin Raceway, Binder Park Zoo, Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park, Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, Cabela's, Carr-Fles Planetarium, Castle Farms, Central Mine & Village, Children's Zoo At Celebration Square, Church of Ste Anne, Colonial Michilimackinac, Copper Harbor Lighthouse, Cranbrook House & Gardens, Cranbrook Institute of Science, Crisp Point Light, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary & Zoological Gardens, Crossroads Village, Crystal Coaster Alpine Slide, Curwood Castle, Deer Tracks Junction, Delaware Copper Mine, Delta College Planetarium & Learning Center, Detroit Dragway, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Zoo, DeYoung Family Zoo, Drake Memorial House, Durand Union Station, Eagle Harbor Life-Saving Station, Eby Log Cabin, Eccentric Cafe & General Store, Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Edge Adventure, Elaine L Jacob Gallery, Elderly Instruments, Fallasburg Historical Village, Father Marquette National Memorial, Fayette Historic Townsite, Felt Mansion, Finnish American Heritage Center, Flash Flood At Full Blast, Flat Rock Speedway, Flint Institute of Arts, Flora Kirsch Beck Gallery, Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Fort Mackinac, Fort Michilimackinac, Fort Wayne, Fort Wilkins & Copper Harbor Lighthouse, Forty Mile Point Light, Fox Park Public Observatory, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Ganton Art Gallery, GarLyn Zoo, Gerald E Eddy Discovery Center, Gerald R Ford Presidential Library, Gillette Sand Dune, GingerMan Raceway, Grand Army of the Republic Hall, Grand Traverse Bay, Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, Grattan Raceway Park, Great Lakes, Great Lakes Quilt Center, Greenmead Historical Park, Grosse Pointe War Memorial, GT Butterfly House & Bug Zoo, Henry Ford Estate, Heritage House, Historic Adventist Village, Historic Bowens Mills, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, Holocaust Memorial Center, Howell Nature Center, Huron Lightship, Hurst Planetarium, I-96 Speedway, Impression 5 Science Center, Indian Creek Zoo, Inland Seas Education Center, Isle Royale National Park, Jackson Speedway, James C Veen Observatory, Japanese Cultural Center & Tea House, John Ball Zoo Society, Kal-Haven Trail, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Kinde Water Slide, Kinross Speedpark, Kokomo's Family Fun Center, Krasl Art Center, Kreft Center Gallery, Lake Huron, Lansing Art Gallery, LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Michigan, Little Sable Point Light, Little Valley MX Park, Longway Planetarium, LSSU Arts Center Gallery, Ludington Light, Lumberman's Monument, Marquette Harbor Light, Merritt Speedway, McGulpin Point Light, Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park & Wild Water Adventure, Michigan Art Walk, Michigan International Speedway, Michigan Legacy Art Park, Michigan Science Center, Midland Center for the Arts, Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Mid-Michigan Raceway Park, Midway Sports & Entertainment, Milan Dragway, Mill Creek State Historic Park, Milwaukee Clipper, Mission Point Lighthouse, Motawi Tileworks, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Munising Falls, Mystery Spot, Navarre-Anderson Trading Post, Nelis' Dutch Village, New Presque Isle Light, Northfork Farms & Outback, Norway Speedway Stock Car Racing, Oakland University Art Gallery, Old Jail, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Old Presque Isle Light, Onaway Speedway, Overbrook Gallery, Padzieski Art Gallery, Paint Creek Trail, Parker Mill, Peninsula Point Light, Pewabic Pottery, Pictured Rocks, Pioneer Log Village, Point Betsie Light, Point Iroquois Light, Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse, Porcupine Mountain, Potter Park Zoo, Quincy Mine, Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Robinson Planetarium, Rock Harbor Light, Saarinen House & Gardens, Roscommon Zoo, Saginaw Valley State University Art Gallery, Sand Point Light, Sea Life Michigan Aquarium, Shorts Brewing Company, Silver Beach Center & Carousel, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Soaring Eagle Waterpark, Soo Locks, South Manitou Island Lighthouse, Spartan Speedway, Springport Motor Speedway, Stephen F Wessling Observatory, St Lawrence River, Summer Wind Farms Sanctuary, Tawas Point Light, The Henry Ford, TreeHouse, Tri-City Motor Speedway, Turnip Rock, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Upper Peninsula International Raceway, Walker Tavern, Warner Vineyards Winery, Whitefish Point Light, Whittemore Speedway, Wilderness Trails Zoo, Windmill Island Gardens and Wolcott Mill Metropark. 
• Popular Cities/Towns to Visit: Ann Arbor, Bellaire, Dearborn, Detroit, Empire, Farmington Hills, Flint, Frankenmuth, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Harbor Springs, Houghton, Indian River, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Lewiston, Livonia, Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, Marquette, Munising, Oscoda, Paradise, Port Hope, Rochester, Saginaw, Sterling Heights, St Ignace, Thompsonville, Traverse City, Troy and Warren.
• Special Events: (January) Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Ice Jam, North American International Auto Show, Plymouth Ice Fest, Tip-Up Town USA, Winter Wheat, (February) Dirty Show, Great Indoor Folk Festival, Hamtramck Music Fest, Mackinac Winter Festival, Motown Winter Blast, Winter Delights Festival, Winter Roots Festival, (March) Autorama, Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival, WO-Stock Music Festival, (April) GrandStand Music Festival, Monroe Street Fair & Hash Bash, Motor City Nightmares Horror Expo, Thornapple Arts Council Jazz Festival, (May) Annual Spring Arts & Crafts Show, BBQ Blues & Bluegrass, MotorCity Comic Con, Movement Detroit, Movement Music Festival, National Cherry Festival, Review Music Awards Celebration, Tulip Time Festival, White Birch Music Festival, (June) Detroit Grand Prix, Detroit River Days, Downtown Hoedown, Hippie Fest, Jackson BluesFest, Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, Motor City Irish Fest (MCIF), Music at Opa! Fest, Romeo Peach Fest, Spirit of the Woods Folk Festival, Target Fireworks, (July) Ann Arbor Art Fest, Concours D'Elegance, Faster Horses Festival, International Food Festival, Marshall Bluegrass Festival, Michigan ElvisFest, Michigan Jazz Festival, National Cherry Festival, Sounds & Sights Festival, Uncle Sam Jam, Woodtick Music Festival, (August) APBA Gold Cup Races, Frankenmuth Summer Music Fest, Grand Marais Music & Arts Festival, Jazz on the River, Mackinac Island’s Fudge Festival, Memphis Blues Festival Michigan, Michigan Renaissance Festival, Porcupine Mountains Music Festival, Square Dance Convention, Sun Dried Music Festival, Suttons Bay Art Fair, Unity Christian Music Festival, Woodward Dream Cruise, (September) Arts Beats & Eats, Berserker, Detroit Jazz Festival, Marquette Area Blues Fest, Michigan BluesFest, Michigan Irish Music Festival, Michigan State Fair, Movement - Electronic Music Festival, Music at Dally in the Alley, Music at Oktoberfest West Michigan, Thumbfest, Underground Railroad Heritage Gathering, (October) Annual Michigan State Championship Old-Time Fiddlers Contest , Big Country Fest, Theatre Bizarre, Youmacon, (November) Detroit Thanksgiving Parade, (December) Mittenfest and Noel Night.

Benton Harbor, MI. Photo Credit: June Simonton/Pixabay

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