Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for michigan
Mushroom Houses
By Linda Tancs
Both an artist and an architect, master builder Earl Young gained a reputation for constructing homes that blend in with their surroundings. For that reason, they’ve come to be known as Gnome Homes, Mushroom Houses or Hobbit Houses. Located in Charlevoix, Michigan, they’re made from locally sourced stone and feature cedar-shake roofs. The iconic dwellings (26 homes and four commercial buildings) include such shutterbug favorites as Mushroom House (the mushroom-like dwelling that gives all the houses their most common moniker), Half House (looking like two halves), Thatch Roof House and Owl House (resembling an owl). A self-guided tour map is available from the Visitors Center at 109 Mason Street. Be aware that the homes are privately owned and not open for interior tours.
Share this:
The Kingdom of Beaver Island
By Linda Tancs
Although Hawaii is the only state to have been a kingdom, there’s an island in Michigan that once claimed its own monarch. That storied past belongs to Beaver island, the largest island in Lake Michigan. The self-proclaimed monarch was James Jesse Strang, a dissident Mormon leader who crowned himself king in 1850 and ruled until 1856. Following the departure of the Mormon colony in 1856, the island became a haven for Irish immigrants, leading the locale to be dubbed “America’s Emerald Isle.” Also, DarkSky International has formally recognized the Michigan State Wildlife Research Area on Beaver Island as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, offering one of the finest dark skies star gazing locations in the United States thanks to its distance from the light pollution of any large metro areas. The peaceful, remote haven is active largely from spring through fall. The Beaver Island Boat Company ferry runs from mid-April through December; winter travel relies on flights.
Share this:
White Pine Village
By Linda Tancs
Set upon 13 acres in Ludington overlooking Lake Michigan, White Pine Village represents pioneering Michigan life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The village boasts more than 30 historic buildings, including the original 1849 Mason County Courthouse (on the State Register of Historic Places). You’ll also find gems like a turn-of-the-century steam locomotive, a blacksmith shop and lumber camp buildings. In fact, many of the buildings contain thousands of authentic artifacts and archives depicting the rich lumbering and agricultural history of the area. The site is open annually from May to October.
Share this:
Linchpin of the Great Lakes
By Linda Tancs
Michigan’s Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are referred to by the Army Corps of Engineers as “the Linchpin of the Great Lakes.” A feat of engineering, the locks comprise two canals and four locks that allow vessels of many types and sizes to safely traverse the 21-foot drop in elevation of the St. Mary’s River between Lake Superior and lakes Michigan and Huron. The observation platform located in Soo Locks Park provides a fantastic vantage point to watch the locking process of “Lakers” and “Salties” (ocean-going vessels). The Soo Locks Visitor Center is located near the entryway into the park and is open between mid-May and mid-October.
Share this:
Michigan’s Banana Belt
By Linda Tancs
Escanaba (also known as Esky) is a port city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The seat of Delta County, it’s located in an area that locals call the “banana belt” because of its temperate climate, located well south of Lake Superior’s lake-effect snow zone. A walking tour of its historic downtown area features sights like Sand Point Light, where one of the first female lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes worked for 18 years. You’ll also find the House of Ludington, a Queen Anne-style resort that remains the oldest
continuing hotel and inn still operating within the city. And Carnegie Library is one of many community libraries funded by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Constructed of red Lake Superior (Bayfield) sandstone and brick in 1903, this fine example of Neo-Classical architecture is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Share this:
Cherry Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
Traverse City, Michigan, is known as the “Cherry Capital of the World.” That’s because the five counties around Traverse City make up the region that produces 40 percent of the annual tart cherry crop in the United States. It should come as no surprise that there’s an annual cherry festival to celebrate this bounty. This year’s festival, boasting rides, parades and lots of cherry-centric food, runs through July 6.
Share this:
Sky High in Michigan
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge, Skybridge Michigan is a thrill walk along a 1,200-foot-long, 118-foot-high pedestrian bridge between McLouth and Disciples Ridge peaks, overlooking Michigan’s Boyne Valley. Guests ride the historic Hemlock Scenic Chairlift to the summit to access the bridge and its breathtaking views. Take the paved loop to see the bridge from all angles.
Share this:
The Mighty Mac
By Linda Tancs
Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge, affectionately known as The Mighty Mac, is a suspension bridge with a shoreline-to-shoreline length just 28 feet short of 5 miles. It spans the Straits of Mackinac, basically becoming the dividing line between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It’s currently the fifth largest suspension bridge in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. Enjoy scenic bridge views and walking paths at Bridge View Park.
Share this:
The Cross in the Woods
By Linda Tancs
Located in Indian River, Michigan, the National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods is arguably the state’s best-known religious monument. Featuring a sculpture of Christ on a cross, the bronze monument was cast in Norway. Twenty-eight feet tall from head to toe with outstretched arms spanning 21 feet, it weighs 7 tons. What you might not know about the site is that it also boasts the largest collection of dolls dressed in traditional habits of men and women religious communities in the United States. The collection of 525 dolls and 20 mannequins represent diocesan clergy and more than 217 religious orders of priests, sisters and brothers of North and South America.
Share this:
A Magical Place in Michigan
By Linda Tancs
Touted as sporting the largest collection of magic open to the public, the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of magic for audiences of all ages. You’ll find thousands of artifacts illuminating the stories of Houdini, Blackstone, Thurston and many others. Its collections are based on the vast holdings of the late Detroit-area journalist Robert Lund, who amassed apparatus and illusions, more than 12,000 books on conjuring, letters, diaries, memorabilia, photographs, 3,000 posters, scrapbooks and periodicals, costumes and approximately 350,000 pieces of ephemera. No wonder the museum has been called the “Smithsonian of American Magic.”
