[addicat]

Hi: I am planning to head up to Mackinac Island for 3 days and wanted to hit some other towns that would be worth a visit for 3-4 days before that. I have 3 children ages 8, 7 & 3 so the wineries etc are not an option. I am open to hitting a town one day checking it out and then moving on to another for a night knowing we will have 3 nights on Mackinac.

Would love to hear someone's itinerary suggestion for me. We are driving up from Cleveland and we are moving to the East coast this summer so wanted to take advantage of getting to see Michigan before we head out.

Thanks!

[skyl4rk]

Petoskey is nice, you can drive along the Lake through the Tunnel of Trees to Mackinac City.

[mackinac81]

Hi addicat! NW Michigan is my favorite part of the state, and I took a trip to the straits last year via Traverse City. Here's what I chose to see.

Day 1: Leelanau (the peninsula just NW of Traverse City.) Sleeping Bear Dunes are there--there's hiking and even a dune the kids can climb too. The M-22 scenic drive around Leelanau is a must. It goes through Empire, up to Northport (near a lighthouse at the tip) and down through Sutton's Bay back to Traverse City--a nice loop. Stop and see the Glen Lakes and Glen Arbor. There's an old coast guard station/museum there. Barb's Bakery in Northport has the BEST cinnamon twists around!

Day 2: Traverse City: saw Old Mission point, stopped at the general store, walked around town, saw the sites, bought fruit at the farmer's market. Great little town.

Day 3: Petoskey/Charlevoix/Harbor Springs: Stayed in Petoskey state park with a stunning view of the sunsets over Little Traverse bay. (I sat on a sand dune and watched the sun set--amazing!) Downtown in all three towns is nice with shops, ice cream parlors, and parks. Charlevoix has a nice public beach. Oh, and the scenic M-122 drive (North of Harbor Springs) is incredible. It goes through the "Tunnel of Trees" for 23 miles overlooking Lake Michigan. Ends in Cross Village. Absolutely gorgeous!

Day 4: Mackinac: Stopped in Mackinaw City--not much to see there--and got on the ferry to the island. Mackinac Island is AWESOME!!

There. I hope I didn't overload you with info. there's so much more to do (kayaking, canoeing, orchards, cycling etc...) but I hope you have a great trip!

mackinac

[addicat]

Sounds fabulous! Thank you. Can you tell me anything regarding accomodations? Should I stay in Leelanau the 1st night and then Traverse the 2nd and then Charleroix the 3rd? Need clarification on where I should probably stop and find a hotel vs if I can do the Day 1 and 2 from a Traverse City pit stop etc...

Let me know if you can give anymore detail.....Thank you so very much- You have saved me hours of research!

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by addicat

Sounds fabulous! Thank you. Can you tell me anything regarding accomodations? Should I stay in Leelanau the 1st night and then Traverse the 2nd and then Charleroix the 3rd? Need clarification on where I should probably stop and find a hotel vs if I can do the Day 1 and 2 from a Traverse City pit stop etc...

Let me know if you can give anymore detail.....Thank you so very much- You have saved me hours of research!

We stayed at the Americ-Inn in TC in March and we LOVED it! I highly recommend it. The previous posts have it right about the way to go to get to Mackinaw.
Traverse City Michigan Hotels | Traverse City MI Accommodations | AmericInn Hotels

[tecpatl]

You can't go wrong detouring off the direct route and visiting Leelanau County, Traverse City, then along the coast thru Charlevoix, Petoskey, Harbor Springs, thru the tunnel of trees to Legs Inn at Cross Village, then up to the Straits.
You will have visited the very best part of the Northern Lower Peninsula.

[addicat]

OK...so I think I stay in Traverse City Day 1 & 2 and then head up to Petoskey for a night and then over to Mackinaw for 3 nights and then I am going to hit Frankenmuth on Route 75 on the way home. Calling some hotels for the first few days & I found out it is Cherry Festival the week I am going so wanted to get your thoughts on that. Thinking about staying at the Cherry Tree Inn and then at Staffords Perry Hotel in Petoskey. Any thoughts? Should I stay in Petoskey, Charlevoix or Harbor Springs? Should I stay in Frankenmuth and if so any hotel suggestions?

[malamute]

If you're going to be in the Leelanau County area, your kids would probably enjoy Fish Town in Leland. There is also canoeing down the Platte River where you end up in Lake Michigan. That is very fun for kids.

[mackinac81]

I'd go with Petoskey. It's the largest of the three towns with more to do, Harbor Springs is right across the bay (you can literally see it from Petoskey), and Charlevoix is only 18 miles to the south. I usually stop in Charlevoix on my way to Petoskey, then stay in Petoskey to camp.