Since I moved to the Upper Peninsula 23 years ago, I’ve had the privilege of frequently traveling from one end to the other thanks to my previous career as a sales representative calling on customers in my territory. I was pretty well-traveled in this area prior to moving up here because the U.P. has always intrigued me and I made it a point to come up every chance I got.
When I decided to move up here I deliberately set out to find a job where I was able to travel as much as I wanted in this beautiful peninsula, and that I did for almost 20 years. I’ve been to just about every tourist attraction the area has to offer and I’ve also taken the opportunity to bump around in lesser-known areas making my own discoveries.
I’ve sometimes been reluctant to share my findings with others, almost like I’m the only person who knows these places exist, and if I tell people they’ll all flock to these sights and it won’t be special or private anymore, which of course is ridiculous. What I also discovered is that within the most popular of these attractions, there’s another layer of uniqueness about them that is so special, that most people get caught up in the obvious and miss out on the rest of it.
Most people miss out on these areas because to find these special places you’d have to spend a lot of time digging deeper and I notice when tourists come to the area they try to cover as much geographic territory as their week-long vacation or their 3-day weekend will allow. I totally get that because I was that person as well. But what if you came up for a week and instead of driving and running all over the U.P. you just concentrated on getting to know a smaller geographic area better?
I want to talk about Five Underrated Travel Destinations In The Eastern Upper Peninsula Of Michigan I had the opportunity to dig deeper and discover. Granted, I moved up here so I had time on my side and less of a drive to my home. Since I retired from my sales career, converted our guest lodging, and opened it to the public for vacation rental, I’m excited to share this information with our guests staying with us.
All of these attractions are within an hour’s drive of our rental which allows you to spend ample time exploring and enjoying the sights without spending the bulk of your vacation behind the wheel of a car. Some of these attractions will not take you all day to explore leaving you time to take in other sights which you’ll never run out of things to do up here.
Oh, and I need to mention if you didn’t know this already – cell phone reception is spotty at best unless you’re in a more populated area, but if you stay at our tiny cabin you’ll have private internet that you don’t have to share with anyone.
So without further delay, here are those Five Underrated Travel Destinations In The Eastern Upper Peninsula Of Michigan (in my humble opinion of course):
1) Seul Choix Point Lighthouse – Off the beaten path south of the town of Gulliver and US-2 about 8 miles southeast is the lighthouse and museum maintained by the Gulliver Historical Society in cooperation with the Michigan Department Of Natural Resources.
Operating since 1895, it’s the only active light left on Lake Michigan. There’s a small fee for touring the inside of the lighthouse which has been preserved to represent how life was in the lighthouse for the lightkeeper and his family between 1900 and 1930. There you’ll find cool artifacts that belonged to the lighthouse keepers. There are several buildings on the property, one of which is a gift shop.
Now this may sound like a couple-hour trip at the most, but did you know this lighthouse is haunted?
For those of you who have an interest in the paranormal, this destination is a must-see. This knowledge brings another layer of interest in the lighthouse to a whole other level.
One cloudy fall day I decided to take a side trip to the lighthouse. I’ve been there before and I don’t know what possessed me to go there on this day but there I was. The visitor parking lot was empty except for me and another car. As I walked in, a family walked out and behind me was an older man. I paid the fee and I walked up the stairs and toured the rooms taking in the artifacts and history of the lighthouse.
For the duration of my visit, it was just me and this older man. When I was finished upstairs it was close to closing time, I walked down the stairs and the museum worker said she was getting ready to close for the day. I mentioned there was someone else, the older man still upstairs and she told me there was nobody else that entered within the last half hour other than me.
I was floored – I KNEW someone was trailing behind me as I entered and walked the upstairs of the lighthouse at the same time as I did. That was when I first learned of the lighthouse being haunted and I was one of the privileged ones who got to see one of the ghost inhabitants of the lighthouse.
This is a true story. So if you decide to check out the lighthouse keep your eyes peeled for the captain.
2) Scott’s Point – approximately 12 miles south of Gould City, Scott’s Point is a day-use park but it also has rustic camping sites. It’s on the north shore of Lake Michigan and is a great place to have a picnic and take a swim. There’s a sandy beach and it’s shallow for quite a way out so it’s a great place to bring the family. You rarely find very many people there on a given day and there may be times you could be one of the only people there. There are picnic tables and grills available.
In the past few years, the park was renovated and has been upgraded. There are some rugged hiking trails as well. If you want to take a walk on the beach you can go quite a ways but bring your water shoes, as it does get rocky.
If you’re lucky and you’re there on a clear day you can even get to see Beaver Island in the distance.
If you want to grab lunch and eat it at the park make sure you hit Moofinfries in Naubinway. If you’re coming back from a morning at the Seul Choix Lighthouse this is a great stop along the way.
3) Fayette – If exploring ghost towns is your thing then you’re in luck. Fayette, Michigan is located on the Garden Peninsula about 17 miles south of US 2. It has a rich history of playing a key part in one of the UP’s most productive iron-smelting operations back in the late 1800s. Operations were shut down when the iron market began to decline and the exhaustion of hardwoods in the area that were used to fuel the smelting operations. Around the turn of the century, it was turned into a resort and fishing village. It was eventually bought by one of the local paper companies and then swapped to the Michigan government for timberland. Fayette then became a state park in 1959.
Since then, the park has undergone some big renovations. It’s now not only a living museum, but offers 61 campsites, hiking trails, cross country ski trails in the winter, and hosts over 20 buildings that are open to the public. It is situated on Little Bay De Doc and is a great place to canoe or kayak as well as fishing.
Off in the distance are the limestone bluffs that mirror the bluffs at Pictured Rocks. There are special events that go on throughout the year so a visit to this amazing place will keep you busy all day long.
*Side Note* in 2024, the park’s historic townsite is undergoing some renovations to the furnace complex so that area will be closed to visitors. No information at this time on when that project will be completed.
4) Mackinac Island (the rest of the island) – you would have to practically have lived under a rock to not have heard of Mackinac Island. The things the island is famous for, like fudge, horse-drawn carriages, The Grand Hotel, and the ban on cars on the island (125-year-old ban!) among other things are just some of the intrigue the island has to offer.
When you step off the ferry that takes you from the mainland to the island, you’re bombarded by the shopping, restaurants, gift shops, and hustle of the first few blocks of the island. You can spend the entire day just on those few blocks and not know what hit you unless you have a clear and concise plan of what you want to see and accomplish on your trip.
I could do several blog posts on just what the island has to offer because there’s so much. For instance, there is SO MUCH history on the island, like Fort Mackinac and Arch Rock. But there’s also A LOT to do and see beyond the first few busy blocks of the island.
So how do you find out what those under-the-radar activities and sights are?
I highly suggest either taking a carriage ride or renting bikes (or better yet, bringing your own on the ferry if you have one), packing a lunch, and taking the 8.2-mile ride around the island. You can always combine your bike rental with a guided tour of the islands. The trail follows the lakeshore so you’ll be sure to have the best views of the island sights.
If you decide there’s so much to see and do and you have the time, stay overnight and catch more sightseeing the next day. I promise you, you won’t be sorry to have taken this trip. Check out this list of under-the-radar activities.
**side note** In keeping with our haunted theme keep in mind you can practically spend a portion of the day checking out the haunted locations.
5) Garlyn Zoo Wildlife Park – Here in practically the middle of nowhere in the U.P. exists a unique and enjoyable attraction for all ages. This zoo is a private family-owned zoo and is 100% funded by entrance fees from visitors. Native and exotic animals make up the inhabitants of this zoo and as a bonus, you can feed many of the animals with the purchase of the food in the gift shop area. To walk through the zoo grounds expect to be there 1.5 to 2 hours. This would be a great activity to combine with the activities above – Seul Choix Lighthouse and Scotts Point for your trips for the day.
If you decide to check out these Five Under The Radar Travel Destinations In The Eastern Upper Peninsula Of Michigan I’d love to hear back from you and please share your experiences.
Keep in mind that Hideaway Tiny Cabin is within an hour or less from these destinations.
Do you have a special under-the-radar destination you’d like to share that’s not on this list? Please share in the comment section below.
Thanks for checking out this blog post. Please come back often.
More Later,
Nancy