Season of Splendor—
Michigan Day Trips Offer
a Healthy Change of Pace

By Lani West

Good news for those looking for a more balanced lifestyle! Michigan has it all for fall when it comes to changing pace and getting healthier, happier.

When flowers burst with golden blooms, apples hang low and red, and pumpkins rise orange and mellow, the time is ripe to explore Michigan’s abundance. And everyone deserves at least one day away.

Back to a Simpler Time—Marshall

No wonder Marshall was almost voted Michigan’s state capitol in 1847. The country’s largest National Historic Landmark District has a quaint small-town feel, with the “best collection of 19th Century homes in a small urban area.”

Check out the Hawaiian-style Honolulu House. Check into The National House Inn, Michigan’s oldest operating inn overlooking the multi-colored Brooks Memorial Fountain. Or, take a healthful stroll past 144 buildings on the Historic Marshall Walking Tour, or on the City of Marshall Riverwalk.

Enjoy the Historic Home Tour, September 11-12. Or, join the fun at the Scarecrow Festival, Oct. 16-31. For details, contact (800) 877-5163 or www.marshallmi.org.

Going by Battle Creek? Stop at Southern Exposure for a selection of herbal plants, edible flowers, freshly dried herbs, and a refreshing cup of tea.

Discover a Secret Gem—Rochester Hills/Rochester

In the heart of Metro Detroit’s northwest suburbs, sits historic Van Hoosen Farm—a picturesque farm house and modern museum in the original dairy barn, both situated near winding waters in old Stony Creek Village. Learn the lifestyles of famed “Petticoat Surgeon” Bertha Van Hoosen and her niece Sarah Van Hoosen Jones, a master farmer who sold the first “certified” milk in southeastern Michigan.

Sample cider and donuts at Yates Cider Mill, which is still partially water-powered, and get a taste of 1800’s rural life in this busy milling area. Try lighter fare at Sheila Teas in Downtown Rochester. Or, picnic at Stony Creek Metropark.

Historic walking/driving tour guides for Rochester are available at Van Hoosen Farm (248) 656-4663. Or, call the Rochester Visitor’s Bureau at (248) 651-6700.

Got art? Attend Paint Creek’s 39th annual Art & Apples Festival juried show in Rochester’s 30-acre park, Sept. 10-12.

Awesome Antiques Trail—Lexington

Michigan’s Thumb Area is not just about scenic lake ports and lighthouses anymore. Now, the 100-plus-mile trek up the Lake Huron coastline, from the port town of Lexington north to Port Austin, is an antique collector’s dream come true. Stay at charming B&B’s and cottages along the way. Shop and eat at lake-side shops and restaurants.

Best of all, there is no real destination. Take a leisurely drive, gather up antique goodies (and your thoughts), and go as far north as the spirit moves you. Maps of Thumb Area antique dealers are available in Lexington. Or, call (810) 359-2262.

Get on “Island Time”—Mackinac Island

Here’s the ultimate indulgence for anyone seeking a better quality of life. The island’s car-free rule means less pollution and noise—only the clip-clop of horses and gentle whirring of bicycle wheels.

B&B’s dot the island’s southwestern shore, treating guests to upscale cottage life reminiscent of 100 years ago. But like the name implies, the Grand Hotel—a world-class resort overlooking the Straits of Mackinac—takes pampering to new heights. Individually decorated rooms. Seven colorful restaurants. An 18-hole golf course. Croquet and bocci ball. Vita Trail through woodlands. Eight-mile bike route. Horseback riding. Masseuse, exercise and weight room. Garden tours, complete with meditation labyrinth. Personalized spa packages. No television provided or required.
Fall festivities at the Grand include the Antique & Design Fall Festival (Sept. 24-26), Big Band Extravaganza (Oct. 15-17), and Somewhere in Time Weekend (a romantic celebration of the 1980 movie filmed at the hotel, Oct. 29-31). Click onto www.grandhotel.com for details.

And for more about “slowing down” on Mackinac, contact 800-4LILACS or www.mackinacisland.org.

Nature’s Bounty at Its Best—Traverse City

Traverse City caters to those who relish out-of-the-ordinary “up north” living. In fact, exquisite resorts, scrumptious eateries, and scenic vistas surround the Grand Traverse Bay region.

But a trip through the Leelanau Peninsula—at the little finger of Michigan’s glove—is an autumn “must.” Begin this feast for the senses at Betsie Point Lighthouse (north of Frankfort on Lake Michigan). Meander north through Sleeping Bear Dunes. Drive through pastoral countryside and apple-laden trees that spread far and wide here in Michigan’s Fruit Belt. Watch for wild turkeys or the occasional prairie warbler (endangered).

Reaching Grand Traverse Lighthouse at the very tip in Leelanau State Park, turn south down MI 22 through wine country (there are 13 wineries on the peninsula) toward Suttons Bay—home of Café Bliss, an upscale vegetarian delight (dinner only), and Black Star Farms, a jewel of a B&B smack in the middle of a vineyard.
Visit www.wine.about.com to sign up for a complementary copy of Michigan Wine Country Magazine which includes a winery tour map. For details on touring Leelanau Peninsula or Old Mission Peninsula, contact www.tcchamber.org.

Color the World Glorious—Ludington

Nowhere is Michigan fall color more prolific than Ludington. Situated in Manistee National Forest, this outdoor wonderland inspires and invigorates with abundant fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and biking.

No longer a logging town, the pristine setting is now preserved and observed… from a canoe on the Pere Marquette River… from rolling sand dunes… and even from the Big Sable Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest on Lake Michigan. Not-to-be-missed sunsets add more color to photo memories.

Through mid-October, ride the carferry S.S. Badger to Wisconsin for a true Great Lakes experience. Meanwhile, back on the mainland, pick up a nutritious and delicious picnic from Chef John’s, Le Serving Spoon, or The Grand.

For color tour information, contact 877-420-6618 or www.ludingtoncvb.com.

This fall, take the time and travel Michigan. A day off the beaten path focuses perspectives, rejuvenates the body, and soothes the soul. And that makes all the difference.