Lake Michigan Circle Tour
Driving around Lake Michigan is a beautiful and exciting tour no matter where the tour starts. If the driving tour starts at Grand Beach, winding leisurely up the Lake Michigan coast, viewing the dunes and lighthouses along the way, or taking a detour to Paw Paw for a winery visit, South Haven can be a destination for a late lunch or tea. Grand Haven would be an excellent choice for an evening destination with the Grand Haven State Park, beautiful dunes, and harbor. Continuing north following the shoreline roads, shutterbugs must take pictures along Scenic Drive between North Muskegon and Whitehall and at the sand dunes at Silver Lake State Park west of Shelby. Frankfort and the Crystal Lake area could be a destination for the second night before going to Leelanau County along M 22. M 22 outlines Leelanau County, following the coast and winding between the villages. Drivers should plan to spend at least a day or two exploring the villages and rolling country-side of Leelanau County before going to Traverse City. In fact, Leelanau County could be a resting point for visiting wineries, shopping, golfing, boating, and gaming.
Traverse City and Old Mission Peninsula with its wineries require another day because there is a museum and galleries to explore, concerts at Interlochen Center for the Arts, golfing, fly fishing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, parasailing, camping, and gaming-something for everyone! After Traverse City, following US 31, drivers can ride through the beautiful hills of Antrim County past Torch Lake, one of the ten most beautiful lakes in the world, visit Charlevoix, shop or gamble in Petoskey, and dine in Harbor Springs. Lodging and camping are available throughout this region. M 119 north of Harbor Springs is a very beautiful forested route through Good Hart, Cross Village, and Wilderness State Park en route to Mackinaw City and the famous Big Mac, the Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Straits of Mackinac. Visitors can find plenty of parking in Mackinaw City where they can explore historic Michumackinac State Park and Fort Michumackinac, shop, buy fudge, or take a ferry to Mackinac Island.
Driving across the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge requires two people, a driver and a photographer to take memorable pictures of the fabulous views. Once off the Mackinac Bridge, which has a toll, drivers should visit St. Ignace and view the Lower Peninsula from across the Straits of Mackinac, see Castle Rock, or spend some time gaming before driving to Escanaba along scenic US 2 that follows the northern shore of Lake Michigan. At Escanaba where there are Big Bay De Noc and Little Bay De Noc for great fishing, the driving tour turns south to Menominee, Michigan or Marinette, Wisconsin on the Green Bay. Tourist can either find lodging and camping available in Marinette and Oconto or continue their auto tour to Green Bay, home of the Green Bay Packers. After Green Bay, the driving tour should include a two- or three-day stay in Keewaunee and Door Counties with their quaint towns, interesting harbor lights, and beautiful beaches. After leaving Keewaunee and Door Counties, drivers should go to Manitowoc and either catch a ferry back to Ludington, Michigan or continue driving south down the Wisconsin shoreline to Sheboygan and stop at Kohler-Andrea State Park before heading to Port Washington and seeing its lighthouses. From Port Washington, Milwaukee is a short drive and should be a destination for fun and cultural activities. It is a city with museums, fine dining, and lodging for every pocketbook.
Even winding along the coast at a leisurely speed drivers can make the trip from Milwaukee to Chicago, another important destination, in less than a day. However, once in Illinois, Lake Michigan Circle Tour drivers should stay off the freeways and follow the shoreline roads through the north shore suburbs onto Lakeshore Drive and into the Chicago "Loop." Shopping is at its best on the "Miracle Mile" of Michigan Avenue, dining is superb in Chicago whether tastes run from hot dogs and pizza to fusion cuisine. Museums, zoos, and theatres make Chicago a great stop on the tour of Lake Michigan. After Chicago going east through the industrial north of Indiana, drivers again need to leave the expressway and visit the Lake Michigan coast of Indiana where there is gaming and boating before returning to Michigan where the tour began.
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Circle Tours
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