What to Expect When You Visit Michigan for the First Time
Vacation season is just around the corner, and more and more folks from near and far are putting Michigan on their summer itinerary.
Word is getting out about Michigan’s clear, blue waters, sandy beaches and lush forests. If it’s culture you’re looking for, we have galleries, museums and entertainment venues to suit any interest and taste. Not to mention all the good eats and craft beer you’ll find at our local establishments. If you’re visiting Michigan for the first time this summer, here’s what you can expect:
Yes, the Great Lakes really are that big.
After all, there’s a reason we call them GREAT. Lake Michigan alone is 22,300 square miles. That’s roughly the size of the state of West Virginia! Lake Superior is even bigger.
These big lakes are really inland seas. They can whip up huge waves, and on a windy day you might think you’re at the ocean. Except our water is unsalted and shark free, which makes for awesome swimming. You can boat, fish, kayak and even surf the Great Lakes too.
By the way, the Great Lakes hold 21 percent of the earth’s freshwater. Just a little something we like to brag about.
Our beaches are legit.
All those big lakes are rimmed with fantastic beaches. You don’t have to travel to faraway, tropical locals to find clear, blue water and soft, white sand. We have world-class beaches that regularly win best beach awards.
A beach along the shores of Lake Huron.
You’ll find clean, well-maintained beaches with changing facilities, snack bars and marinas if a boat is your mode of transportation. Most of our beaches are just steps away from towns that are just as beautiful and eclectic as the beach towns on the West Coast. Oh, who are we kidding? We think our beach towns are better. But you’ll have to visit and decide for yourself.
The weather is gorgeous.
So you’ve probably heard about our cold, snowy winters, which are great for people who enjoy skiing. Well, we do summer right here too. June through August the sun shines and the mercury hovers in the upper 70s to mid-80s. It’s the perfect weather for enjoying all that sand and surf.
We have it all.
On the southeast side of the state you’ll find Detroit, a big metropolitan city with four national sports franchises: Tigers baseball, Pistons basketball, Lions football, Redwings hockey. It’s also the home of Motown and the birthplace of the modern automobile. You’re welcome.
The Detroit skyline.
On the west side of the state you’ll find Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city and home to a thriving art scene as well as bearer of the title Beer City USA. Craft beer is kind of a G.R. specialty.
Keep going west to lake Michigan and you’ll find a string of beach towns that starts at the Michigan/Indiana border and doesn’t stop until you hit the Mackinac Bridge in Northern Michigan. You’ll find the best beaches and boating in the state along that route, as well as some pretty nifty scenery, like Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
You might think Northern Michigan is the end of the line, but there’s more waiting for you across the Mackinac Bridge in the Upper Peninsula. There you’ll find unspoiled forests, deserted beaches and amazing waterfalls.
Leave the U.P. and head back down south through Michigan’s Thumb for a tour of historic lighthouses along Lake Huron.
In the middle of all that are 9.95 million acres of rolling farmland where we produce some of your favorite foods like cherries, blueberries and apples.
Likes I said, we have it ALL.
Michiganders are friendly.
We’re serious when we say we love our home state. It’s hard not to be proud when we’re surrounded with so much natural beauty. We also like to share it and show it off to visitors. Don’t be surprised if we strike up a conversation about the weather with you in line at the gas station. And if you want to know the best place in town to eat, all you have to do is ask. We’d love to show you around.
