<p>DH and I are considering tacking on some R and R to the early Sept. UM move-in trip.</p>
<p>My question is: for a relaxing, lakefront (or nearby) B and B, nice town for sight seeing, bike riding, etc. where should we head from Ann Arbor when we're done unloading DS's stuff? To the lake area up north or to the west, like Saugatuck? </p>
<p>Any suggestions welcome.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about sight seeing, but for relaxation and beauty, it’s hard to be the Lake Michigan shoreline.</p>
<p>For what you are looking for, Saugatuck is a good choice. There are plenty of trails and bikers, as well as beautiful beaches. It is a tourist destination, but September may be after the summer peak. The people there are generally very friendly and accepting. There are too many kitschy shops, in my opinion, but that’s what you get in a tourist town.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind going up north, Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island is a popular destination. It was the base for a colonial fort, and there are no cars allowed on the island (with the exception of emergency vehicles). To get there you have to take a ferry from either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace. Ferry rides with a bike are around $30/person. It is definitely worth it to bring your own bike because rentals are very expensive on the island.</p>
<p>If you want to go out to the west side of the state, go to Grand Haven. It is an amazing beach town with the nicest public beach in Michigan (in my opinion, anyway!) There is a plethora of ice cream shops and a delicious hot dog stand called Pronto Pups. If you were looking at going up north, go to Higgins Lake. The water is clear and beautiful! Personally, I would go out to the west side of the state, as they’re both about 3 hours away. Have fun!</p>
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I agree. I’ve been up there a couple times, and its a really nice place. It’s one of the best places I’ve been to in Michigan. Its a great island with a lot of things to keep you busy.</p>
<p>I would pick Saugatuck over Macinac. Macinac is pretty, and The Grand Hotel a very cool place to stay, but otherwise it’s just fudge shops. Saugatuck has cool B&B’s, lots of galleries, great restaurants, and beauty too.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions.</p>
<p>So the area around Saugatuck is about a 3-hour drive from AA? And it’s about the same to Mac Island? (I’ll probably agree that on this trip, I’d like more town than nature so I’m leaning toward Saugatuck or something similar. </p>
<p>We just haven’t taken a vacation yet and probably won’t until this trip, so three or four days of pure relaxation in a pretty spot we’ve never been to sounds like it will hit the spot.</p>
<p>Saugutuck is about a three hour trip from A2, along 94 most of the way. If you want to go to a beach, Oval Beach in Saugutuck is fantastic, though it can get crowded.</p>
<p>However, Mackinac Island and Saugutuck are not similar. Mackinac Island is a tourist destination, and that is about it. Saugutuck is a town that does have year round residents and more personality than Mackinac.</p>
<p>Also, Mackinac Island does not have sand beaches. It is a very unique experience, one you won’t find anywhere else. However, at its worst, it’s congested with tourists.</p>
<p>I used to go to Mackinac Island every summer when I was a kid. Prices on the island have skyrocketed in the last 10 years or so. You will get a much better “B&B feel” from Saugutuck. </p>
<p>There are also some wineries in the Saugutuck area that you could go to, if interested. I don’t know much about them besides the fact that they exist. Visit saugutuck.com for more information on the area.</p>
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<p>Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winnah!</p>
<p>Lol. We’ve hit the wineries in CA and WA state so this might be fun. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Traverse City area is beautiful and full of culture, art galleries, wine country, etc. Great tourist destination with lots to do.</p>
<p>^^^ Agreed. I would also mention a visit to the Petoskey/Harbor Springs area. A beautiful part of our state.</p>
<p>^^^^Yes Traverse is really amazing if you can make it up there. Taking a drive on Old Mission peninsula is to die for.</p>
<p>I like that suggestion too.</p>
<pre><code>Which is likely to be less congested Sept 6-10…Saugatuck or Traverse City? Considering its proximity to Chicago, I’ll guess S will be more crowded and also, perhaps, more pricey? Thoughts?
Is the Old Mission area/Traverse City also about three hours from AA or is it more? We will fly in and out of Detroit and I don’t want to spend whole days driving.
</code></pre>
<p>Remember, that will be Labor Day weekend.</p>
<p>Re: Mackinac
I remember having lots of fun riding on horseback or driving a horse buggy around the island. The Grand Hotel is real nice but it might be fully booked for that weekend.</p>
<p>Traverse City is about four hours from Ann Arbor. Over Labor Day weekend all of the resort areas will be crowded.</p>
<p>I’ve already run into the Labor Day crowd in checking availability.</p>
<p>Lucky for me, I was planning to stay in AA through Sunday and leave early Mon, the 6th, when everything opens up. </p>
<p>Now I just have to see if I can get Michigan football tickets for the 4th.</p>
<p>Traverse City is larger with more hotels and accomodations, more restaurants, more shops, more stuff going on at night…just more. You can probably fit your budget anyway you want in TC but not so large that you can’t walk from one end of downtown to the other. The wineries are well known and the drive to any of them is pretty as is a drive just to do a drive up to Northport. TC is very “foody” if you are into that. The beaches are beautiful and the water is cleaner up north. Saugatuck is much smaller, more of an arts community but also foody in its own way plus it does have the sandy beaches. The water is alittle warmer south than in TC if you’re thinking of beaching it. If finding accomodations is tough there’s always Holland, Michigan just a short jaunt north with a cute downtown or Grand Haven just north of Holland, similar to Holland but right on the water. All three towns are resorty towns with year round populations. But the bottom line is after Ann Arbor head west or northwest for the best of Michigan. </p>
<p>It’s faster to get to Saugatuck (Holland, Grand Haven, etc.) from Ann Arbor via I-96 than taking I-94. PM me if you decide to do this one and Mapquest doesn’t give you that route (I’m guessing it will) You can get there in under 3 hours. I’ve done that literally a hundred times if not more. Travese City is just under a 4 hr drive (from Ann Arbor).</p>
<p>I would not go to Mackinac Island. It’s interesting but very,very touristy. I actually prefer Beaver Island to Mackinac. Save Mackinac for when you’re “bored” with the rest of Michigan.</p>
<p>Thanks for the detailed advice. </p>
<p>I was considering heading up as far as Petoskey or Harbor Springs, but then I got discouraged because it seemed like it would be a very long drive. </p>
<p>We wouldn’t swim unless the water is super warm. (Note: we live in a beach community in CA and half the time I consider the water too cold for swimming…legacy of having grown up in Florida.) But, visiting a state park with dunes would be nice and just sitting and reading in a spot with a water view, somewhere with great sunsets. </p>
<p>Does it matter whether one stays on Grand Traverse Bay or East Traverse Bay? There are some resort/hotel/condos around there, but they also look like they’re very near a local airport. Should I avoid those?</p>
<p>I love Harbor Springs but it is a haul from Ann Arbor. As far as Traverse City some of the hotels are on the water and some are on the other side of 31 with water access so I guess it depends on if you like to sit on a hotel balcony and look at water without cars going by. The listings will tell you if they are beachfront or beach access. The airport is quite small and I can’t imagine would be too much of a factor. For the most part you’ll need to get in your car and drive to town, to food etc. in Traverse City unless you stay very close to downtown. If you want a pretty drive/trip West of Traverse is Sleeping Bear dunes. </p>
<p>If you want to get away from urban check out the Homestead resort. You can still take driving trips into Traverse City or up to Northport or into Leeland, but it’s on Lake Michigan so you’d get the sunsets, Sleeping Bear dunes, etc. [The</a> Homestead - Michigan Resort - Summer Vacation Packages - Lake Michigan](<a href=“http://www.thehomesteadresort.com/]The”>http://www.thehomesteadresort.com/) </p>
<p>There are also real old time lodges in and around Leeland and really all over the area north and west of Traverse City that are quaint and not as modern as the Homestead. It really comes down to taste and comfort. Some people like the amenities and some people love the charm of the old resorts. I have friends that turn their nose up at the Homestead and love the Jolli Lodge. There’s plenty to do and see in the area and you could still spend 1 day in Traverse City walking the downtown, etc.</p>
<p>Oh, one never knows about the Lake Michigan water. It can be 70 one day and the wind will switch and it’ll be 55 (too cold for me) the next!</p>