From Minneapolis head to Northern Wisconsin by way of Duluth, MN. In Duluth you can take a tour of Glensheen Mansion or Fairlawn Mansion in Superior, Wisconsin. You could stop at Amnicon Falls State park. It’s possible to see the waterfall and covered bridge there without hiking.
Take Highway 2 to Ashland, Wisconsin but don’t miss a stop in Bayfield, Wisconsin. There is great shopping there and it is the cutest little town. If you are there in the summer take a boat tour of The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. This year Washburn,Wisconsin is redoing the highway thru the main part of town so the highway 13 has a detour around the main shopping district. It’s still possible to access the shops in Washburn but it’s a bit more challenging. Also, Duluth, Mn is replaced a freeway and will be soon replacing a major highway bridge so the road work there with detour is…. A bit epic.
Don’t miss a stop at The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland. Take the elevator up to the top of the center for an incredible view of the area. Eat Cheese curds while in Wisconsin or Friday night fish fry from just about anywhere but Culver’s. Culver’s is not bad … it’s just that you can do so much better. I highly recommend Patsy’s Bar & Grill in Washburn for both fish fry or curds…. Or an incredible burger.
The drive through the UP can be very boring. But stop at the Stormy Kromer factory in Ironwood, Michigan for a free tour. Eat a pasty while in the UP. With sour cream & lots of gravy. There is a neat lighthouse to stop at in Escanaba, Michigan. A cool state park just out side of Manistique, Michigan. With a beautiful spring you can take a boat out on. Manistique also has a cool lighthouse and neat old water tower. Mackinaw City has some cool stuff to visit - in season including a neat lighthouse with an incredible view of the Mackinac Bridge. Mackinac Island is neat too although a bit touristy.
Visit Petoskey or Charlevoix but do not miss Traverse City. The downtown there is one of the best. Coffee at Espresso Bay, browsing at Horizon Bookstore, shopping at Cherry Republic for all things Cherry and gyros at The U & I bar. Just outside of Traverse city is Sleeping Bear dunes National Lakeshore. Old mission Peninsula is worth the drive out of Traverse City out to the light house. There are wineries on the way, if your into that.
Drive south along the west coast of Michigan visiting all the lighthouses on your way down to Grand Rapids. Have Fun! I love this area and have been visiting for over 20 years now and been a resident for about 12. There is ALoT to see & do.
I'm from the UP and support this. It's so touristy and there's so many beautiful places across the UP. I think most of the highlights have been hit in this post (Porcupine mountains, Copper Harbor, Pictured Rocks). All beautiful. Could be hard to hit all of them depending on the route but I don't think you can go wrong. Marquette is the closest "big city" to pictured rocks and there's some really pretty quick hikes there around Little Presque Isle and Sugar Loa
I know you said you were adding Iowa but I would reconsider. 4 states in 10 days is a lot considering a significant amount of that time will be used driving. I know you are aiming to complete all 50 states but you will miss so much by cramming too much in. 10 days wouldn’t even scratch the surface of Michigan alone - most people only think of Detroit but there is so many wonderful places to see.
I don't have too much to add that hasn't been covered already but will add when you're in Northern Michigan make sure to eat a pasty. With ketchup. The poster upthread said gravy but they're wrong LOL. And fudge from Mackinaw (either city or island - it's the same level of goodness).
Sleeping Bear Dunes - I do love it but if you're not going to go all the way up for the views (which are gorgeous) then I might skip it otherwise it's just a big sand hill and kind of meh.
I'm from the UP and support this. It's so touristy and there's so many beautiful places across the UP. I think most of the highlights have been hit in this post (Porcupine mountains, Copper Harbor, Pictured Rocks). All beautiful. Could be hard to hit all of them depending on the route but I don't think you can go wrong. Marquette is the closest "big city" to pictured rocks and there's some really pretty quick hikes there around Little Presque Isle and Sugar Loaf
I lived in Marquette for 6 years and agree with this. It's fine, but low on the list of places I've visited that I'd be excited to visit again. I think Marquette would actually be a really nice overnight, it's a cute college town along Lake Superior and very pretty. Plenty of good places to eat, a walkable downtown/lake area, and as mentioned there are plenty of short walks vs hikes where you can see incredible lake views. You can also drive around Presque Isle, which is stunning and right in town (though I recommend walking, it's paved so very easy and lets you take your time).
It's crazy, I love to travel and lived in the midwest for 36 years and haven't been to so many of the places listed here! This thread is making me want to plan a trip to visit purely as a tourist sometime.
Post by thedutchgirl on Apr 11, 2024 8:37:11 GMT -5
I live in Minneapolis and grew up in Grand Rapids (and family is still there). If you are set on Mackinac Island, the way to go is through the UP. That cuts out the Dells, as it’s way out of the way. And Iowa is too
I think the plan strawberry posted is a great one, and I would definitely follow that or follow most of it
If you decide to skip Mackinac, then you could do the Dells and spend a day or two in Chicago and do some of lower Michigan (Grand Haven, maybe even up to Traverse City)
If you're coming up 35 to MN from Des Moines, you could also hit up the the Buddy Holly crash site near Clear Lake (if you're into historical markers) I have not been there but it looks to be pretty close off the highway. Then I'd also probably try to hit the Spam Museum when you come into MN. If you head on up to Duluth, Jay Cooke state park is cool, otherwise, if you want a free option, Lester park in Duluth has some cool trails and similar rock formations. Enger Tower has good views as it's up on the hill or Park Point has a beach (though Lake Superior is always very cold) And then I'd hit up Bayfield in Northern WI. I haven't been beyond there, so I can't comment on the UP or other parts of MI
I'm going to dissent about Mackinac Island and say you should definitely go. As long as you expect touristy and are okay with it, I think it's really fun. My kids LOVED Mackinac Island on our Michigan trip (they loved everything, but Mackinac was definitely a highlight). It's something you hear about and then can say you experienced. Do the bike ride, do a horse wagon, eat the fudge, and see the main sights. Look at the beautiful old houses and gardens. I'd recommend staying overnight one night (we did) b/c it really is nice to have the island in the evening/morning when it's not so crowded. We enjoyed doing our bike riding mostly in the evening and morning.
My kids also loved going from St. Ignace across the big bridge to Fort Michilimackinac living history museum. It's worthwhile for sure if you are in that area. We also ate (and did not care for) the fried whitefish they sell all over.
Someone mentioned Riptide Ride in Munising..I did hear that it's super fun to do that wilder ride. It was really expensive and we had six so we did the shipwreck cruise, which was really neat, too. But if you want some wilder fun, go for Riptide Ride if you are up there.
I looked from Des Moines, and you could just drive up the middle of WI through Madison, Oshkosh, Appleton, Green Bay. You'd have a pretty significant detour to Northern Wisconsin. But if you wanted to do Northern Wisconsin anyway, like Minocqua area, message me and I could make specific recommendations. It would be fairly easy to do the main UP sights from this route...it's basically the way we went on our trip. You just detour north a bit to Munising to make a bigger loop. If the weather is good, Tahquamenon Falls is really, really fun b/c you can climb and play in the falls.
If you do Green Bay, there's actually a lot to do there that could be fun. Bay Beach is a super cheap old fashioned amusement park, and there's an adjacent free nature park. Not as good for older kids but I think still fun. You can take a Lambeau Field Tour and/or visit the play area/concourse near the park that has various interactive things and a nice playground and restaurants. The botanic gardens are nice and might have some kind of show going on that would appeal to kids--check schedule. There's a famous kringle bakery called Uncle Mike's.
Depending on which route you want to take, if you are going in summer (I forget what you said), I think there is a ferry that goes across Lake Michigan out of Milwaukee and into...Muskegon Michigan which is relatively close to Grand Rapids. Cuts a ton of drive time out and then you'd be well positioned for the beach towns along Michigan, but I don't think it is particularly cheap.
Anyway - if you did that you could go Minneapolis, Madison, Milwaukee, and then right over into Michigan.
Post by snowflurry on Apr 11, 2024 11:44:49 GMT -5
Thank you all so much! These are all great ideas and the trip is starting to come together with some input from the kids (Spam Museum and Pictured Rocks jet boat ride).
I've extended the trip to 13 days and plan on following the upper route. Much like what strawberry laid out plus adding a few other stops mentioned.
I'm so glad I asked because I never would have found these places on my own.
I'm going to dissent about Mackinac Island and say you should definitely go. As long as you expect touristy and are okay with it, I think it's really fun. My kids LOVED Mackinac Island on our Michigan trip (they loved everything, but Mackinac was definitely a highlight). It's something you hear about and then can say you experienced. Do the bike ride, do a horse wagon, eat the fudge, and see the main sights. Look at the beautiful old houses and gardens. I'd recommend staying overnight one night (we did) b/c it really is nice to have the island in the evening/morning when it's not so crowded. We enjoyed doing our bike riding mostly in the evening and morning.
My kids also loved going from St. Ignace across the big bridge to Fort Michilimackinac living history museum. It's worthwhile for sure if you are in that area. We also ate (and did not care for) the fried whitefish they sell all over.
Someone mentioned Riptide Ride in Munising..I did hear that it's super fun to do that wilder ride. It was really expensive and we had six so we did the shipwreck cruise, which was really neat, too. But if you want some wilder fun, go for Riptide Ride if you are up there.
I looked from Des Moines, and you could just drive up the middle of WI through Madison, Oshkosh, Appleton, Green Bay. You'd have a pretty significant detour to Northern Wisconsin. But if you wanted to do Northern Wisconsin anyway, like Minocqua area, message me and I could make specific recommendations. It would be fairly easy to do the main UP sights from this route...it's basically the way we went on our trip. You just detour north a bit to Munising to make a bigger loop. If the weather is good, Tahquamenon Falls is really, really fun b/c you can climb and play in the falls.
If you do Green Bay, there's actually a lot to do there that could be fun. Bay Beach is a super cheap old fashioned amusement park, and there's an adjacent free nature park. Not as good for older kids but I think still fun. You can take a Lambeau Field Tour and/or visit the play area/concourse near the park that has various interactive things and a nice playground and restaurants. The botanic gardens are nice and might have some kind of show going on that would appeal to kids--check schedule. There's a famous kringle bakery called Uncle Mike's.
I agree. It's touristy in the "downtown area" but we spend the majority of our time exploring nature/sightseeing when we are there. I highly recommend doing a private carriage tour with Gough Carriages over the public tour that gathers on the Main Street. I guess it's a place that people either love or hate. Part of the problem is that it gets crowded during the summer but I think you should be ok in late May or early June. We could seriously stay for a week or longer if it wasn't so expensive.
UPDATE WITH ITENERARY. Any thoughts are welcome. Yes, I am aware of the amount of driving - I have all the mileages and drive times and everything seems quite doable (except maybe ferry timing to/from Mackinac)
Huge thanks to all of you for so much help! I would have been lost without all this incredible insight! strawberry - thank you - I am pretty much following your guide
Fly into Des Moines late - 1 night. Breakfast in small town. Head north. Buddy Holly crash site. Spam Museum in Austin
Minneapolis - 1 or 2 nights. Downtown? not sure on things to do in the city
Duluth/Superior - 1 or 2 nights. Maybe stop in Grantsburg on the way to sample cheese. Glensheen or Fairlawn Mansion. Amnicon Falls. Canal Park. callmekdTacocat
Ashland or Bayfield - 1 night. Tour Apostle Islands. Great Lakes Visitor Center
Ironwood - Stormy Kromer Factory Tour
Minocqua - 1 night. Fish nearby? maybe hiking.
Palms Book State Park - Kitch-iti-kipi spring
Munising - 2 nights. Pictured Rocks - boat tour. Tahquamenon Falls. If time, drive up to Whitefish point?
Macinack Island - 2 nights. bike trails. drive carriage. forge knives. Grand Hotel.
I don't have too much to add that hasn't been covered already but will add when you're in Northern Michigan make sure to eat a pasty. With ketchup. The poster upthread said gravy but they're wrong LOL. And fudge from Mackinaw (either city or island - it's the same level of goodness).
Sleeping Bear Dunes - I do love it but if you're not going to go all the way up for the views (which are gorgeous) then I might skip it otherwise it's just a big sand hill and kind of meh.
Ketchup is 100% the correct condiment for a pasty. This is how I grew up eating them, and I am a "troll." (How Yoopers refer to those of us in MI who live "below the bridge" (in the Lower Peninsula).)
Post by wanderlustmom on Apr 23, 2024 9:47:50 GMT -5
Your trip sounds great! I've been to Minneapolis, Mackinac island, Traverse City and Grand Rapids. All are awesome.
My sisters (and a few others, group of six women) and I are doing a half marathon and 5K in Minocqua Labor Day weekend and would love any ideas. We are all flying into Milwaukee and have almost a week to relax and site see. None of us have been to Wisconsin. We rented a house on a lake.
I didn't see if you mentioned when the trip is, but avoid Duluth the weekend of June 22nd. That is Grandmas Marathon weekend. Not only is it super busy there that weekend (but fun!) you likely won't be able to find any lodging at this point.
snowflurry , staying on the island can get pricey, so I would start looking for lodging now to see if you can find some deals.
Yes, definitely received that shock last night when I went to book! It's was rather pricey but the Island House Hotel caught my eye and I was able to get a room booked.
The shorter drive to Sleeping bear, from Traverse on M72, is *boring* and about 45 minutes. The longer one, up through Suttons Bay on M204 and around the peninsula on M22, is much prettier, but longer. Think about a night in the Glen Arbor/Glen Lake/Sutton's Bay/Empire area to get a fun feel for the area, and a much shorter travel time to Sleeping Bear. M22 is also an area "thing," (like, with merch, an M22 store in Glen Arbor, etc) so definitely take that at least once, if you do stay in Traverse.
The shorter drive to Sleeping bear, from Traverse on M72, is *boring* and about 45 minutes. The longer one, up through Suttons Bay on M204 and around the peninsula on M22, is much prettier, but longer. Think about a night in the Glen Arbor/Glen Lake/Sutton's Bay/Empire area to get a fun feel for the area, and a much shorter travel time to Sleeping Bear. M22 is also an area "thing," (like, with mercy, an M22 store in Glen Arbor, etc) so definitely take that at least once, if you do stay in Traverse.
Thanks for the idea! I debated 1 night in Traverse and 1 in Glen Arbor. I'll have to check it out in more detail since I haven't booked hotels for there yet.
Post by strawberry on Apr 23, 2024 10:30:28 GMT -5
I think your itinerary looks fun. You may find it a bit heavy, but maybe not. And it’d be easy to adjust as you go along.
Just another heads up on road construction that I forgot to mention in my post: traverse city is also doing major underground road work, so there are some big detour in the downtown area, but I found it to be easier to navigate than I had expected. With the heavy summer traffic they get it might be a bit more confusing then though, especially for someone who has never visited before. I wouldn’t avoid it because of that though, just be prepared to add a bit more time to navigate in and around that area.
Are you planning to stay both nights in Munising? Tahquamenon is about a 1-1.5 hour drive each way from there. If you're going to Mackinac after that, you might want to see if you can stay somewhere in Paradise when you're visiting that area. We camp so I can't be of much help with hotels, but I'm pretty sure I saw a few.
Are you planning to stay both nights in Munising? Tahquamenon is about a 1-1.5 hour drive each way from there. If you're going to Mackinac after that, you might want to see if you can stay somewhere in Paradise when you're visiting that area. We camp so I can't be of much help with hotels, but I'm pretty sure I saw a few.
Looking at the the things to do/see a little more I am rethinking a bit.
I might skip Minocqua and stay 2 days/nights in Munising (one day to see Escanaba and Kitch-iti-kipi and one day at Pictured Rocks) and then add in a night at Paradise and do Whitefish Point and Tahquamenon before heading to Mackinac.
Your itinerary looks great! I would not stay in downtown Minneapolis while you are here. Hotels are pricey, you’ll have to pay for parking, and traffic is terrible. Are you interested in seeing the Mall of America? It’s a good central location close to the airport, there’s tons of hotels, and it’s easy to hop on the highway. I’d look there instead.
Also, since you mentioned Grantsburg. The Burnett county dairy is awesome, but be aware you will be driving awhile off the interstate to get there. It’s about 20 miles each way. However, they have the best cheese and ice cream so if that interests you it’s worth it. We stop there a couple times a year to and from our cabin and we love it. But there is literally nothing around it as it’s technically not even in grantsburg. Just my 2 cents!
Post by midwestmama on Apr 23, 2024 16:02:51 GMT -5
snowflurry, if you have time in Grand Rapids, I would encourage you to try to get to Frederik Meijer Gardens. It's about 10-15 minutes away from the airport (in normal traffic, if you take the freeway route).
I will be one to say we love Mackinac Island. The downtown area is very touristy, but we love to bike around the island. It's fun to stop along the route to look for stones or skip stones in the water. We really like the Pink Pony restaurant, so I recommend eating there. Everyone has their own opinions on fudge, but my favorite "hidden gem" is the fudge at the Murray Hotel. Lots of different/unique flavors.
Your itinerary looks great! I would not stay in downtown Minneapolis while you are here. Hotels are pricey, you’ll have to pay for parking, and traffic is terrible. Are you interested in seeing the Mall of America? It’s a good central location close to the airport, there’s tons of hotels, and it’s easy to hop on the highway. I’d look there instead.
Also, since you mentioned Grantsburg. The Burnett county dairy is awesome, but be aware you will be driving awhile off the interstate to get there. It’s about 20 miles each way. However, they have the best cheese and ice cream so if that interests you it’s worth it. We stop there a couple times a year to and from our cabin and we love it. But there is literally nothing around it as it’s technically not even in grantsburg. Just my 2 cents!
I will very happily drive long and far for cheese! Good to know that this place is good as I think we are going to eat a late lunch there and have some ice cream!
Thanks for the tip on downtown Minneapolis. I'll take a look around the MOA. The only activity I saw that was peaking my interest was the St. Paul Historic Cave Tour
snowflurry , if you have time in Grand Rapids, I would encourage you to try to get to Frederik Meijer Gardens. It's about 10-15 minutes away from the airport (in normal traffic, if you take the freeway route).
I will be one to say we love Mackinac Island. The downtown area is very touristy, but we love to bike around the island. It's fun to stop along the route to look for stones or skip stones in the water. We really like the Pink Pony restaurant, so I recommend eating there. Everyone has their own opinions on fudge, but my favorite "hidden gem" is the fudge at the Murray Hotel. Lots of different/unique flavors.
The Gardens sound perfect to hit up before our flight!
Post by pegasuskat on Apr 23, 2024 17:00:33 GMT -5
When your in Mackinac go to Sault St Marie, the Soo Locks are interesting and not a lot of walking. While there go under the bridge and get a hamburger at the West Pier, I promise you will love it! I second the gardens in GR too!
When your in Mackinac go to Sault St Marie, the Soo Locks are interesting and not a lot of walking. While there go under the bridge and get a hamburger at the West Pier, I promise you will love it! I second the gardens in GR too!
And if you do it is a MUST to take a picture with the giant anchor!!
Duluth/Superior - 1 or 2 nights. Maybe stop in Grantsburg on the way to sample cheese. Glensheen or Fairlawn Mansion. Amnicon Falls. Canal Park. callmekdTacocat
Ashland or Bayfield - 1 night. Tour Apostle Islands. Great Lakes Visitor Center
PM me if you want specific recs
You will take Hwy 2 out of Duluth, through Superior. You can hit both Bayfield and Ashland without backtracking with you take the scenic route around the peninsula and then you’ll continue on to Ironwood.
If you go over to the Island, don’t bother bringing your car. It’s much more expensive than walking and you don’t really need it once you’re there.
Idk your specific plans for this area. One suggestion is to kayak the sea caves.
I grew up going to the Island every summer as my grandparents had a house there. It holds such special memories and I love when people get to experience it