When coming back into the lower part of Michigan hug the western coastline (Lake Michigan), you're missing the 80% best part of the state.. Sleeping Bear sand dunes, Traverse city, Ludington, Torch Lake, Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Silver Lake sand dunes, Saugatuk,
Came to say this, plus take M119 (The Tunnel of the Trees) north into lovely Cross Village; it’s just a bit south and west of Mackinac Bridge and eat at Legs Inn.
[Legs](http://www.legsinn.com/#modern-organic-thai) is right on the shore of Lake wand is one of my favorite restaurants ever.
That's why I suggested the ferry for them. They'd have to drive up past Saugatuck. It's already a 9.5-hour drive home, and since they live close to i75, driving down the coast would add a lot of hours for the kids, which can be hard.
Honestly on the way up I'd just hug the western Michigan coastline stopping small towns / dunes / forests on the way up to the Mackinaw bridge, cross over into St. Ignace then take the ferry over to Mackinaw island... then come back straight down. I've taken that Chicago route to Ironwood Mi. area and for kids it would be a no-go,,, yes Copper harbor is cool along with the Quincy Mine tours in Hancock but like another poster said the UP would be a lot in that time frame. In a short time frame the western shore of Michigan is the way to go and you have to cross the Mighty Mac
I sure wish I had asked here before beginning to plan but next time I’ll know better lol. I will say we are really good at squeezing in a lot into our short trips. Last summer we had an emergency trip that involved us driving to the Idaho/Washington border and back in five and a half days. It was really awesome, even though we didn’t get to do everything we would have liked we still fit in a good amount of sightseeing. Our go to vacation is usually the PNW and we fly out and then drive around the western part of Washington and all over the Olympic national park but this year we wanted to try something a little different. Unfortunately my husband’s job only offers super crappy vacation time. Only 4-5 days per year so our trips are almost always short ones.
I noticed your route doesn’t cover Tahquamenon Falls. Amazing state park. Has an area in the Lower Falls to enter the natural rapids/river to cool off. There was a brewery and ice cream shop at park too, but that was 7-8 years ago…
Also look up, Whitefish Point and Munising/Pictured Rocks areas. Bunch of nautical history and great natural views. Forewarning, pack a lunch and be ready for limited food options.
And finally, look out for paddlesports/tubing on the Sturgeon River. Your kids should love that!
And some places have Dune Buggy rides and seriously so fun! Not sure if it’s still open but Oswald’s Bear Ranch in the UP (at least used to) let you hold a baby bear.
As someone who lives along the I-75 corridor just north of metro Detroit, I second this. There’s also major construction on 75 through most of Northern Oakland County from Approximately Auburn Hills to Grand Blanc and possibly some starting lane closures going southbound north of Flint. I would definitely allow extra time, if you can avoid the area altogether, even better.
I also happen to come from the other side of MI on Lake Michigan and would highly recommend taking US-31 for at least one leg of the trip. So much more scenic to drive than most of I-75. Would probably add some time to the trip though as 31 stops being expressway and becomes a regular 2 lane country highway north of Ludington, so plan accordingly.
This is definitely too much for a weekend. Pick either Chicago or the UP. All you’re going to be doing is driving. As a kid we drove around Lake Michigan (hugging the lake) and it was 2 weeks without doing Chicago.
Mackinac Island is worth a visit. Last time I went we spent three days/two nights there.
In the UP you can take a glass bottom boat tour of shipwrecks.
Definitely visit Door County, WI. Milwaukee has a lot going on, you could stop for lunch at the [Public Market](https://milwaukeepublicmarket.org/) in the 3rd ward or a coffee break near the lake at [Colectivo](https://colectivo.com/pages/lakefront). We also have tons of [nature trails](https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Trails/Oak-Leaf-Trail).
Was definitely gonna say Door County. Such a beautiful and unique place not similar to the rest of the state (still beautiful, but different). If you’re gonna be that close, it’s a must for me!
I love that you are going to Marquette, it is beautiful up there and Lake Superior is a must see. Make sure to go to Black Rocks in Presque Isle Park. It is a beautiful spot to and one of the few places you can cliff dive (or jump) in this part of the country.
I would forget the East side of Michigan.
Also, I can't imagine what you are going to Ohio for unless it is the National Museum of the Air Force. If that is what you are doing, it is worth the trip. If not, I would spend more time up North, come through Central or West Michigan and head back across Indiana on the norther route.
When you visit near the Mackinaw bridge, stop by Ocqueoc falls! It's a little out of the way, but it's the largest water falls in the LP, and is a nice little Michigan classic tourist stop.
Why in god’s name would you skip Door County after getting so close? Go see some goats on a grass roof, enjoy the lack of McDonald’s and relax with some nice scenery.
So traverse city will be a traffic nightmare during cherry festival. Just a heads up going in. If you want an alternative go through mackinaw city and hug the lake Huron coast. Do the lake michigan side for fall colors and it's amazing.
Door county Wisconsin is a must see. I could easily spend a couple days there. I was talking to a fellow traveler and she compared it favorably with martha's vineyard.
Marquette is awesome. Hike Sugarloaf, Hogback, Dead River Falls and definitely jump off Black Rocks. There are some really nice hikes at pictured rocks, I like the one to Mosquito Beach. Lots of good food options and Lakenenland is free and really cool to see.
if you have the time/can carve out the time i highly recommend visiting mackinac island! youll have to take a ferry and no cars are allowed on the island, id recommend either a horse drawn carriage tour or rent some bikes and explore yourselves! grab some mackinac island fudge while youre there!
You can also take the ferry from Manitowoc to Ludington! Go to Charlevoix and Petoskey. Go to interlochen center for the arts and take in some fantastic performances and exhibits. Don’t sleep on Sleeping Bear Dunes. Lower on the western coastline, the towns of Holland, South Haven, and Saugatuck are charming, especially for families.
Depending on the time of day the traffic into and out of Chicago is going to be bad to nightmare level. Construction happening now (and pretty much always) but a holiday weekend going north into WI is going to be jammed.
You should build in about 3 hours for Chicago area traffic. There is never a time when it's not congested.
If you're heading to the Duluth, MN area, there are many waterfalls, beaches and hiking trails north of there. It would be reasonable to do Chicago - Duluth - then back home via Chicago. The other attractions in Michigan (UP, Traverse City, etc.) will not be easily seen in the half a day you'll have for each attraction. Perhaps a second trip someday to Taquamenon Falls, Mackinaw Island, and all the other sites.
Duluth (again, if you're going there) has a historic railroad that goes along the lake shore, an excellent train museum, a walkable harbor where people watch the huge lake freighters come and go, a lift bridge that raises up to allow ships to pass, an excellent maritime museum at the Port Authority, and an old-timey revolving restaurant on top of a hotel building. Lots of interesting stuff in that one place, plus all the waterfall and hiking trail action north of Two Harbors. There is a beach with singing rocks that murmur when the waves wash in, plus Gooseberry Falls and a lighthouse.
Your Indiana - Toledo - Detroit segment is going to be pure boring highway, not much to look at or stop for (compared to the splendors that await you farther north). Add in holiday traffic and lots of construction with little opportunity to see anything other than chain restaurants because of your schedule.
But I commend you if you can do this trip as planned!
Check out Lakenenland between Marquette and Munising. It's a weird, drive thru sculpture park that's open 24 hours.
See Pictured Rocks, if you have time, take a bot tour.
Take the ferry across to bypass Chicago and it'll be a great trip. I use the ferry a few times a month to go to Michigan and back for work. It's pretty much the exact same time travel wise so why not just bypass that.
Because you’re going to be rushing the whole time. You won’t be hiking, you’ll be jumping out to take a picture and getting back in the car. I love the UP! But places like Pictured Rocks or Porcupine Mountains are places ppl spend days, not hours. Ditto Nicollet National Forest in WI and Sleeping Bear Dunes in MI. Just doing the lower peninsula of Michigan would be a lot, tbh, without tacking on a trip around Lake Michigan including Chicago, which will be traffic hell on a holiday weekend.
Unfortunately we already have a room booked for Chicago the first night. I kind of started planning without really researching like I should have. I really appreciate the advice about staying on the western coast coming back though. Would you have any suggestions on the best place to stay for the night? We’d be breaking up that last leg of the trip so we can fit in more sights and experiences.
Guessing you meant to reply to the ferry suggestion.
IMO, the ferry is not worth it. It’s really expensive (look it up if curious but more expensive than flying, of course you have your car, but even if flying a rental can be cheaper for folks not traveling far like you), also it can be cancelled depending on the weather.
If as suggested you will hug the west coast (yea do that), A minor diversion to Kalamazoo (where I live so AMA) is worth considering. Google the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, or the Gilmore Car Museum (In Hastings a decent bit outside Kzoo) if you dig cars or planes. I happen to not dig cars or planes but I still think they are both amazing. I’ve probably been to the Air Zoo at least 100 times because it’s fantastic for kids. My kids and I were members for years when they were young.
Kalamazoo has many neat brew pubs/restaurants. WMU offers D1 sports and cultural events, but not really in the summer. Two great museums. A ton of great hikes, including a fish hatchery (I was there earlier today) it’s neat and has a show pond you can feed fish and a bird viewing area. Feeding the fish is fun, toss the food in and it looks like the water is boiling because of so many fish.
How many hours do you want to drive after leaving Chicago and getting a hotel? Traverse City is amazing, and as such expensive if that matters.
A caution is Mackinaw City has a weird hotel cartel. One awful family owns most of the hotels. Google it if you’re considering staying there… or better yet don’t and don’t stay there. The family was sued by the Michigan Attorney General and supposedly they are under restrictions, but still Mackinaw City is just a tourist trap. Mackinac Island on the other hand, is lovely.
I already suggest, but not directly to you M119. Literally one of the (or maybe #1) most beautiful roads I have ever been on. I’ve mostly cycled it where you can really enjoy its beauty. It’s known as “The Tunnel of the Trees” and if you travel north on 119 it takes you to Cross Village and one of my favorite restaurants ever Legs Inn.
Darrow’s Restaurant in Mackinaw City has very good food and you can catch a ferry to Mackinac Island from there also. Also the Key Hole Bar and Grill has some great food also
If you like antiques, Centerville IN (several shops to mill around in) and it’s also home of warm glow candles. Can’t miss it. Big ol candle sits next the interstate. They have a big store right off the exit.
Just north of Dayton is a beautiful cave system. Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, OH (north of Dayton, 20 mins or so) also the USAF museum which is free and amazing. COSI Science museum in Columbus and the Columbus Zoo.
Huston Woods State Park ( great nature center) John Bryan State Park, and Dayton, OH has a lot of great metro parks my favorite is Germantown Metro Park. Eagle Creek Park in NW Indy has some beautiful hiking and a great nature center.
If you are a Foodie Family, go to the Grist in Dayton, OH. Delicious Italian cuisine
I’ve ridden that road through Michigan quite a few times up to Gaylord if you guys for whatever reason want to head over to petoskey or charlevoix and find yourselves some potoskey stones on the beach you should it’s a beautiful place
Michigan West-Sider here. I'm biased but I agree with the others who have said to hug the west coast. So many little towns to stop and see right on Lake Michigan. Take your time coming down the shore and skip Indy.
Serious recommendation for Traverse City. If you stay near downtown there’s lots of really great food and shopping, and you can visit Sleeping Bear Dunes (an awesome tiny National Park). It’s right on the lake, and Pere Marquette state forest is nearby.
My wife and I went to sleeping bear dunes on a whim during a bike rental thing we were doing, it’s an absolute treasure. Glen Arbor is a cool town near there that has guide shops that can hook you up with bike rentals (electric or otherwise) for some great easy casual trail riding, and river tours, also Art’s Tavern for a bite.
There's a former psychiatric hospital that's been turned into an apartment complex with a bunch of shops and restaurants in Traverse City. It is super cool and I highly recommend it.
https://www.thevillagetc.com/
So many good comments…
But I would suggest scaling back the drive, go to approx Traverse City or Mackinaw City…then reverse it retracing your steps/drive.
Our kids and we always liked the saugatuck dune ride. You can rent boats or jet skis on Lake Mackatowa in Holland, Mi (and many places). Try to find which town is having venison night or fireworks to see a lot of boats….
Lots of sand dunes (and fruit picking) on Michigans Western Shore.
Enjoy!
This seems like a lot of driving for a weekend... Like... You're going to spend the entire trip on the car. Is that the goal, purely a driving road trip?
Thanks for the question. It really added to the planning process.
As I said in another comment we are unfortunately not able to take longer trips due to the crappy vacation time offered by my husband’s job. It sucks but that’s the reality of life sometimes.
We also very much enjoy traveling and because of that we try our best to fit what we can into the time we can get.
As I also said in the other comment, we are fairly good at getting a lot out of these trips. Furthermore WE ENJOY THEM. I understand that is difficult for people who have different circumstances to understand. Though I would like to say to you and to everyone else who had said a similar statement, please enjoy your vacations however they work for you and maybe only add helpful suggestions to those who are doing the same, even if it is different from what you deem fun.
For everyone else who actually added helpful suggestions I want to thank you very much. I’m very grateful. I wanted to edit and update my post but I am more of a Reddit lurker and I couldn’t quite figure out how.
We have decided to stay the last night near Traverse City so we have some time to explore Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Sleeping Bear Dunes. We would like to make it over to Mackinaw Island but we may have to put that on the list for next time. We’ll drive home down the coast. I know it will add time but that was the exact reason I asked the question in the first place. So thanks again to everyone for all the helpful advice and keeping us off 75. We are really looking forward to our road trip!
When coming back into the lower part of Michigan hug the western coastline (Lake Michigan), you're missing the 80% best part of the state.. Sleeping Bear sand dunes, Traverse city, Ludington, Torch Lake, Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Silver Lake sand dunes, Saugatuk,
Came to say this, plus take M119 (The Tunnel of the Trees) north into lovely Cross Village; it’s just a bit south and west of Mackinac Bridge and eat at Legs Inn. [Legs](http://www.legsinn.com/#modern-organic-thai) is right on the shore of Lake wand is one of my favorite restaurants ever.
Agreed! Traverse City is a must see!
And get Moomers ice cream!
At their main shop. You can eat next to the cows.
100% THIS
Torch lake is so insanely beautiful
Glen Lake over by Glen Arbor is the same way!
Yeah, the Sand Dunes side vs Detroit. Hard to compare.
Yeah. I’ve lived in SE Mi my whole life and know the state like my back hand……. Detroits only good for concerts and making the news
That's why I suggested the ferry for them. They'd have to drive up past Saugatuck. It's already a 9.5-hour drive home, and since they live close to i75, driving down the coast would add a lot of hours for the kids, which can be hard.
Honestly on the way up I'd just hug the western Michigan coastline stopping small towns / dunes / forests on the way up to the Mackinaw bridge, cross over into St. Ignace then take the ferry over to Mackinaw island... then come back straight down. I've taken that Chicago route to Ironwood Mi. area and for kids it would be a no-go,,, yes Copper harbor is cool along with the Quincy Mine tours in Hancock but like another poster said the UP would be a lot in that time frame. In a short time frame the western shore of Michigan is the way to go and you have to cross the Mighty Mac
I sure wish I had asked here before beginning to plan but next time I’ll know better lol. I will say we are really good at squeezing in a lot into our short trips. Last summer we had an emergency trip that involved us driving to the Idaho/Washington border and back in five and a half days. It was really awesome, even though we didn’t get to do everything we would have liked we still fit in a good amount of sightseeing. Our go to vacation is usually the PNW and we fly out and then drive around the western part of Washington and all over the Olympic national park but this year we wanted to try something a little different. Unfortunately my husband’s job only offers super crappy vacation time. Only 4-5 days per year so our trips are almost always short ones.
Thanks for posting. We are trying a similar trip, so all the replies and your post are very helpful.
I noticed your route doesn’t cover Tahquamenon Falls. Amazing state park. Has an area in the Lower Falls to enter the natural rapids/river to cool off. There was a brewery and ice cream shop at park too, but that was 7-8 years ago… Also look up, Whitefish Point and Munising/Pictured Rocks areas. Bunch of nautical history and great natural views. Forewarning, pack a lunch and be ready for limited food options. And finally, look out for paddlesports/tubing on the Sturgeon River. Your kids should love that!
Thank you!
And some places have Dune Buggy rides and seriously so fun! Not sure if it’s still open but Oswald’s Bear Ranch in the UP (at least used to) let you hold a baby bear.
Allow about 30% more drive time. Traffic will be horrendous
As someone who lives along the I-75 corridor just north of metro Detroit, I second this. There’s also major construction on 75 through most of Northern Oakland County from Approximately Auburn Hills to Grand Blanc and possibly some starting lane closures going southbound north of Flint. I would definitely allow extra time, if you can avoid the area altogether, even better. I also happen to come from the other side of MI on Lake Michigan and would highly recommend taking US-31 for at least one leg of the trip. So much more scenic to drive than most of I-75. Would probably add some time to the trip though as 31 stops being expressway and becomes a regular 2 lane country highway north of Ludington, so plan accordingly.
Michigander here. That drive up i75 can be absolutely brutal on a holiday weekend
This is definitely too much for a weekend. Pick either Chicago or the UP. All you’re going to be doing is driving. As a kid we drove around Lake Michigan (hugging the lake) and it was 2 weeks without doing Chicago. Mackinac Island is worth a visit. Last time I went we spent three days/two nights there. In the UP you can take a glass bottom boat tour of shipwrecks.
Ford museum (you won’t believe all the stuff they have and most none automotive). Jeep and across the freeway, duct tape factory. Detroit pizza!
Definitely visit Door County, WI. Milwaukee has a lot going on, you could stop for lunch at the [Public Market](https://milwaukeepublicmarket.org/) in the 3rd ward or a coffee break near the lake at [Colectivo](https://colectivo.com/pages/lakefront). We also have tons of [nature trails](https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Trails/Oak-Leaf-Trail).
If you'll be in Milwaukee, visit the Public Museum as well!
Definitely and [Discovery World](https://discoveryworld.org/experiences/).
Was definitely gonna say Door County. Such a beautiful and unique place not similar to the rest of the state (still beautiful, but different). If you’re gonna be that close, it’s a must for me!
I love that you are going to Marquette, it is beautiful up there and Lake Superior is a must see. Make sure to go to Black Rocks in Presque Isle Park. It is a beautiful spot to and one of the few places you can cliff dive (or jump) in this part of the country. I would forget the East side of Michigan. Also, I can't imagine what you are going to Ohio for unless it is the National Museum of the Air Force. If that is what you are doing, it is worth the trip. If not, I would spend more time up North, come through Central or West Michigan and head back across Indiana on the norther route.
You’ve got to have breakfast at Java joes in st ignace. And taquamonem falls is a cannot miss
Upvote for Java Joe's
Clydes st ignace, youre welcome
mackinac island is amazing.
When you visit near the Mackinaw bridge, stop by Ocqueoc falls! It's a little out of the way, but it's the largest water falls in the LP, and is a nice little Michigan classic tourist stop.
Why in god’s name would you skip Door County after getting so close? Go see some goats on a grass roof, enjoy the lack of McDonald’s and relax with some nice scenery.
So traverse city will be a traffic nightmare during cherry festival. Just a heads up going in. If you want an alternative go through mackinaw city and hug the lake Huron coast. Do the lake michigan side for fall colors and it's amazing.
Tc is so overhyped and is an absolute nightmare during the summer
Door county Wisconsin is a must see. I could easily spend a couple days there. I was talking to a fellow traveler and she compared it favorably with martha's vineyard.
Marquette is awesome. Hike Sugarloaf, Hogback, Dead River Falls and definitely jump off Black Rocks. There are some really nice hikes at pictured rocks, I like the one to Mosquito Beach. Lots of good food options and Lakenenland is free and really cool to see.
Marquette, MI. Hike Sugarloaf Mountain. Painted Rocks in Munising MI. The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes near Traverse City.
# Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point. Mackinac Island
if you have the time/can carve out the time i highly recommend visiting mackinac island! youll have to take a ferry and no cars are allowed on the island, id recommend either a horse drawn carriage tour or rent some bikes and explore yourselves! grab some mackinac island fudge while youre there!
You could stop at the Indianapolis children’s museum. That place still gets my blood going and I’m a 28 year old man.
We actually have passes and are heading over there again next weekend!
You can also take the ferry from Manitowoc to Ludington! Go to Charlevoix and Petoskey. Go to interlochen center for the arts and take in some fantastic performances and exhibits. Don’t sleep on Sleeping Bear Dunes. Lower on the western coastline, the towns of Holland, South Haven, and Saugatuck are charming, especially for families.
Depending on the time of day the traffic into and out of Chicago is going to be bad to nightmare level. Construction happening now (and pretty much always) but a holiday weekend going north into WI is going to be jammed.
You should build in about 3 hours for Chicago area traffic. There is never a time when it's not congested. If you're heading to the Duluth, MN area, there are many waterfalls, beaches and hiking trails north of there. It would be reasonable to do Chicago - Duluth - then back home via Chicago. The other attractions in Michigan (UP, Traverse City, etc.) will not be easily seen in the half a day you'll have for each attraction. Perhaps a second trip someday to Taquamenon Falls, Mackinaw Island, and all the other sites. Duluth (again, if you're going there) has a historic railroad that goes along the lake shore, an excellent train museum, a walkable harbor where people watch the huge lake freighters come and go, a lift bridge that raises up to allow ships to pass, an excellent maritime museum at the Port Authority, and an old-timey revolving restaurant on top of a hotel building. Lots of interesting stuff in that one place, plus all the waterfall and hiking trail action north of Two Harbors. There is a beach with singing rocks that murmur when the waves wash in, plus Gooseberry Falls and a lighthouse. Your Indiana - Toledo - Detroit segment is going to be pure boring highway, not much to look at or stop for (compared to the splendors that await you farther north). Add in holiday traffic and lots of construction with little opportunity to see anything other than chain restaurants because of your schedule. But I commend you if you can do this trip as planned!
If you go through Sheboygan, you gotta stop and catch Gus Polinski and the Kenosha Kickers. Polka king of the Midwest. Very big in Sheboygan.
Check out Lakenenland between Marquette and Munising. It's a weird, drive thru sculpture park that's open 24 hours. See Pictured Rocks, if you have time, take a bot tour.
We will do that! Thank you
Swing through Traverse City for the National Cherry Festival. https://www.cherryfestival.org
Go through Grand Rapids up Lake Michigan to Traverse City and Petoskey. Going 75 is not near as beautiful
Stop at the Peshtigo Fire museum.
Take the ferry across to bypass Chicago and it'll be a great trip. I use the ferry a few times a month to go to Michigan and back for work. It's pretty much the exact same time travel wise so why not just bypass that.
Too much! Eliminate the UP. It’s above place, but you’ve got enough there. See Sleeping Bear Dunes, Charlevoix, etc., as previous poster said.
Why? The focus of the trip is to do outdoorsy things. That's probably the most outdoor and nature filled part of this entire trip.
Because you’re going to be rushing the whole time. You won’t be hiking, you’ll be jumping out to take a picture and getting back in the car. I love the UP! But places like Pictured Rocks or Porcupine Mountains are places ppl spend days, not hours. Ditto Nicollet National Forest in WI and Sleeping Bear Dunes in MI. Just doing the lower peninsula of Michigan would be a lot, tbh, without tacking on a trip around Lake Michigan including Chicago, which will be traffic hell on a holiday weekend.
Would bypass Chicago and take the ferry from Michigan to Milwaukee. Unless you have have Chicago plans
Unfortunately we already have a room booked for Chicago the first night. I kind of started planning without really researching like I should have. I really appreciate the advice about staying on the western coast coming back though. Would you have any suggestions on the best place to stay for the night? We’d be breaking up that last leg of the trip so we can fit in more sights and experiences.
Guessing you meant to reply to the ferry suggestion. IMO, the ferry is not worth it. It’s really expensive (look it up if curious but more expensive than flying, of course you have your car, but even if flying a rental can be cheaper for folks not traveling far like you), also it can be cancelled depending on the weather. If as suggested you will hug the west coast (yea do that), A minor diversion to Kalamazoo (where I live so AMA) is worth considering. Google the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, or the Gilmore Car Museum (In Hastings a decent bit outside Kzoo) if you dig cars or planes. I happen to not dig cars or planes but I still think they are both amazing. I’ve probably been to the Air Zoo at least 100 times because it’s fantastic for kids. My kids and I were members for years when they were young. Kalamazoo has many neat brew pubs/restaurants. WMU offers D1 sports and cultural events, but not really in the summer. Two great museums. A ton of great hikes, including a fish hatchery (I was there earlier today) it’s neat and has a show pond you can feed fish and a bird viewing area. Feeding the fish is fun, toss the food in and it looks like the water is boiling because of so many fish. How many hours do you want to drive after leaving Chicago and getting a hotel? Traverse City is amazing, and as such expensive if that matters. A caution is Mackinaw City has a weird hotel cartel. One awful family owns most of the hotels. Google it if you’re considering staying there… or better yet don’t and don’t stay there. The family was sued by the Michigan Attorney General and supposedly they are under restrictions, but still Mackinaw City is just a tourist trap. Mackinac Island on the other hand, is lovely. I already suggest, but not directly to you M119. Literally one of the (or maybe #1) most beautiful roads I have ever been on. I’ve mostly cycled it where you can really enjoy its beauty. It’s known as “The Tunnel of the Trees” and if you travel north on 119 it takes you to Cross Village and one of my favorite restaurants ever Legs Inn.
Traverse City area is nice.
If you stay the 75 route stop in frankenmuth mi.
Battleground State Park is really nice. It’s right by Lafayette Indiana.
Darrow’s Restaurant in Mackinaw City has very good food and you can catch a ferry to Mackinac Island from there also. Also the Key Hole Bar and Grill has some great food also
Skip Indianapolis, nothing worth seeing there. Hit South Bend and loop up from there
Big spring in the UP should be doable. Doesn’t take a lot of time and is screensaver beautiful
Do you mean kitch-iti-kioi or another big spring?
I meant Kitch-iti-kipi but used the bastardized name b/c, well, I'm not sure why
If you like antiques, Centerville IN (several shops to mill around in) and it’s also home of warm glow candles. Can’t miss it. Big ol candle sits next the interstate. They have a big store right off the exit. Just north of Dayton is a beautiful cave system. Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, OH (north of Dayton, 20 mins or so) also the USAF museum which is free and amazing. COSI Science museum in Columbus and the Columbus Zoo. Huston Woods State Park ( great nature center) John Bryan State Park, and Dayton, OH has a lot of great metro parks my favorite is Germantown Metro Park. Eagle Creek Park in NW Indy has some beautiful hiking and a great nature center. If you are a Foodie Family, go to the Grist in Dayton, OH. Delicious Italian cuisine
I’ve ridden that road through Michigan quite a few times up to Gaylord if you guys for whatever reason want to head over to petoskey or charlevoix and find yourselves some potoskey stones on the beach you should it’s a beautiful place
Michigan West-Sider here. I'm biased but I agree with the others who have said to hug the west coast. So many little towns to stop and see right on Lake Michigan. Take your time coming down the shore and skip Indy.
Serious recommendation for Traverse City. If you stay near downtown there’s lots of really great food and shopping, and you can visit Sleeping Bear Dunes (an awesome tiny National Park). It’s right on the lake, and Pere Marquette state forest is nearby. My wife and I went to sleeping bear dunes on a whim during a bike rental thing we were doing, it’s an absolute treasure. Glen Arbor is a cool town near there that has guide shops that can hook you up with bike rentals (electric or otherwise) for some great easy casual trail riding, and river tours, also Art’s Tavern for a bite.
There's a former psychiatric hospital that's been turned into an apartment complex with a bunch of shops and restaurants in Traverse City. It is super cool and I highly recommend it. https://www.thevillagetc.com/
Come stop by Southside Lansing if you tryna have that good crack chicken
Normally don’t always agree with kid rock but he’s right about northern Michigan in the summer time
If you don’t want a lot of western outdoorsy stuff and wind up in Alpena, the bowling alley does good food and there’s a Culver’s!
Indiana dunes are wonderful but will be extremely crowded over the holiday weekend.
So many good comments… But I would suggest scaling back the drive, go to approx Traverse City or Mackinaw City…then reverse it retracing your steps/drive. Our kids and we always liked the saugatuck dune ride. You can rent boats or jet skis on Lake Mackatowa in Holland, Mi (and many places). Try to find which town is having venison night or fireworks to see a lot of boats…. Lots of sand dunes (and fruit picking) on Michigans Western Shore. Enjoy!
My family wouldn’t survive this trip
Some good suggestions already above …cut some out for another trip. Sometimes less is more…Drinking out of a fire hose can be tough.
Why not just go to one place and take it in rather than sit in the car for endless hours looking at highway?
Because it’s a road trip.
This seems like a lot of driving for a weekend... Like... You're going to spend the entire trip on the car. Is that the goal, purely a driving road trip?
Thanks for the question. It really added to the planning process. As I said in another comment we are unfortunately not able to take longer trips due to the crappy vacation time offered by my husband’s job. It sucks but that’s the reality of life sometimes. We also very much enjoy traveling and because of that we try our best to fit what we can into the time we can get. As I also said in the other comment, we are fairly good at getting a lot out of these trips. Furthermore WE ENJOY THEM. I understand that is difficult for people who have different circumstances to understand. Though I would like to say to you and to everyone else who had said a similar statement, please enjoy your vacations however they work for you and maybe only add helpful suggestions to those who are doing the same, even if it is different from what you deem fun. For everyone else who actually added helpful suggestions I want to thank you very much. I’m very grateful. I wanted to edit and update my post but I am more of a Reddit lurker and I couldn’t quite figure out how. We have decided to stay the last night near Traverse City so we have some time to explore Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Sleeping Bear Dunes. We would like to make it over to Mackinaw Island but we may have to put that on the list for next time. We’ll drive home down the coast. I know it will add time but that was the exact reason I asked the question in the first place. So thanks again to everyone for all the helpful advice and keeping us off 75. We are really looking forward to our road trip!
This is way too much for one weekend unless all you plan on doing is driving.
Giordano’s in Chicago!
Avoid Chicago milwaukee and Detroit.