Michigan’s Banana Belt

October 6, 2025 at 8:00 am · Filed under michigan, tourism, travel, U.S. travel and tagged: escanaba, short reads, travel writing

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.

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