The Les Cheneaux Islands area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is known for many things – most notably the 36 islands that dot the waters of Lake Huron. Yet, since 2014, Chef Zach Schroeder has been on a mission to put the small town of Hessel (population 865) on the map for another reason – as premier dining destination.
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Perched on the northeast corner of Madison and Logan streets in the Heritage Hill District – behind a well-manicured bordering hedge – sits one of Grand Rapids’ most unique homes. This gem is known as the Meyer May House, after clothier Meyer May who in 1908 commissioned acclaimed Chicago architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design and build this 3,600-square-foot “Prairie Style” family dwelling.
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Paddling beneath the towering sandstone cliffs of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore just became a little easier after the new 64-foot Kayak Express hit the water last summer.
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Travelers are once again heading to the heart of the Upper Peninsula for rest and relaxation at the historic Birch Lodge on Trout Lake.
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Birding is currently the second fastest growing hobby in the United States after gardening, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who also reports that over 2 million Michigan residents are birdwatchers. There are countless opportunities for viewing these winged wonders in and around the Mackinaw City area during the coming warm weather season.
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For 65 years, Treetops Resort in Gayord has offered some of the finest and family friendly terrain in the Midwest for downhill skiing and snowboarding featuring over 80 acres of terrain with a 1,345’ summit elevation and features a nice long cruising run a ¼ of a mile. There are 23 runs for all levels. Winter escapes also feature miles of cross country trails, and dozens of snowshoe and hiking trails.
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Just as the last of the autumn leaves blow away and the snow begins to fall, life on Walloon Lake slows to a comforting pace as the new season settles in. Winter in northern Michigan is something magical to experience, a charming wonderland retreat reminiscent of a storybook romance come to life.
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On a busy summer day, visitors fill the tiny Jampot shop in Eagle Harbor waiting patiently to purchase wild berry jams, hearty fruitcakes, savory baked goods and confections handmade by the monks of the Holy Transfiguration Skete, Society of Saint John.
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Much like the waves that roll in upon the Great Lakes shoreline, the port town of Lexington has seen a rise and fall of population and industry over the years. Settlers first arrived here in the 1830s and by mid-century this was a bustling port town built upon lumbering and later oil prospecting in Michigan’s thumb region.
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For more than 15 years, the Whiting Forest in Midland had served as a modest park where locals could hike casually through native woodlands, beneath towering trees, along the meandering Snake Creek and surrounded by nature on all sides. Yet the Forest was destined for bigger things.
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During the 1950s, soldiers camped out in the meadow and woods to the west of the [Big Bay Point] lighthouse while undergoing anti-aircraft artillery training. On the cliff, east of the lighthouse, they installed large guns used for target shooting over Lake Superior.
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A lot has changed at 185 Mount Tabor Road in Buchanan since the first grapevines were planted there in 1968. Incorporated as Tabor Hill Winery in 1972 and housing an award-winning restaurant since 1982, one of Michigan’s oldest wineries has now begun its next phase of life under new ownership, while celebrating a direct line to its historic past.
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Imagine hiking wooded island trails and paddling the open waters of northern Lake Huron where America’s “father of wildlife ecology” and “founder of the conservation movement” explored as inquisitive youth. That’s what conservationists and nature lovers are planning May 30 through June 2 when they attend the third annual Aldo Leopold Festival in the Les Cheneaux Islands, including the communities of Cedarville and Hessel.
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