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Very true! My wife & her girlfriend go down to Grand Rapids once every 2 months for their shopping fix and to pick up some real Italian food (still about impossible to find around Traverse City)
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeeg
Try reversing the question. What do you do where you are at now?
Go out to eat? Still do that up here.
Go to the movies? Check
Like to see plays/shows? Check (I personally love the local productions!)
Anything you can imagine outdoor related.... Check
Visit various fairs/festivals? Check
Vist the local music scene? Check
Visit local art galleries/shows? Check
Take community education classes to learn new things/skills? Check
About the only thing you don't have up here is abundant shopping opportunities. Then again, that is relative to the person. My wife and I find most everything we need/want locally and use the internet for anything else. Many people we know visit the big cities a couple times a year for their heavy culture/shopping dose.
I will speak as someone who grew up in Northern Michigan and whose family is still there. I grew up in Cheboygan so I will speak only from my experience there. I must add, everyone's thoughts and contributions are right on!!
Summer
*boating in MANY lakes and rivers
*festivals all over northern michigan
*get-togethers with friends around bonfires with guitars and food
*camping
*hiking
*performances at the Opera House
*performances throughout N. Michigan
*museum visits
*Mackinac Island visits
*day trips to the UP (thousand of different things to do and see up there)
*beach days at both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan bonus of being right at the tip!
*movies
*if a kid then 4-H
*swimming lessons if you are a kid (don't know if you have any)
*community events such as beer tents, benefit foot races etc.
*playing cards with friends
*summer soccer leagues
*summer adult and little league baseball and softball! Autumn
*hiking
*high school football games-atmosphere is a lot of fun
*going to local watering hole after games
*autumn festivals
*craft shows
*color tours (day drives)
*fall bonfires
*fall trips to the Island are the BEST
*millions of things for kids to do at school
*kids can take dance class and join 4-H, take karate, etc.
*hunting (never did, but always enjoyed friend's venison jerkey)
*oh yeah fishing in EVERY season
*shopping trips to Petoskey, Traverse City, or even Gaylord
*day or weekend trips downstate
*pumpkin patch visits all ages enjoy! Winter
*downhill skiiing
*cross-country skiing
*snow-shoeing
*sledding
*ice skating (indoors and out)
*adult sports leagues and kids too
*performances at Opera House and throughout N. MIchigan
*shopping trips all over
*euchre tournaments with friends
*local clubs of ALL kinds
*library programs
*ice-fish
*movies
*high school basketball games (fun to go watch)
*visit local establishments
*touring programs come to local libraries
*winter festivals! Spring
*go morel mushroom hunting!
*hiking
*fishing
*community education programs at library and opera house
*sports kick in
*birding (sounds cheesy, but at migration time it is so awesome to see the odd birds that show up on the shoreline!)
*benefits and dances
*fishing tournaments
*fish frys!
*seeing national acts come locally...
so many endless things to do!!!!
I know if i don't move back in a few years i really really want to save up to buy a little cottage up near cheboygan!!!!
keep us posted on what your wife thinks! good luck!
People have given you a lot of good idea's and here are a few more
Horse shows, rodeos, book clubs, arcades, library's usually have lots of kids things to do, lots of independent business to start catering to the summer people and the snow mobile rs. My grandma use to make rock jewelry and sell it at the local gift shops. My uncle advertised wood, snow mobile repairs, etc and was never out of hobby work besides his full time job. Many people have family owned farms, pick berries, can produce. Kids learn early how to snow mobile, ski, sled, swim, fish, they have little league soccer, baseball, etc. My cousins girls were into gymnastics and the boy was into baseball, football etc. Really the kids have a lot to do if you make the effort to get them there.
If you can get your family into camping, there are so many great places to go up that way its not even funny! Its a great way to spend a weekend and spend a lot of quality time with the family. So many places to fish, hike, take pictures..... We love going blueberry picking deep in the woods, and a lot of times just get in the car and go down some dirt roads in our great forests and check out all the wildlife.
My parents have a cottage on a lake about 15 miles west of Tawas. One of my greatest memories, along with my brother and 2 sisters, was every night we would take off and go driving looking for deer. It sounds simple, but it was so much fun! We would count them, and then go the next night and see if we could see more than the night before. It was so cool to see the doe with their babies, and really exciting to see the big bucks! Back then, it was just doing simple things as a family that was so much fun, and provided the greatest memories. We really want to move up that way also because I think being the slower pace of life would be the best for my wife and our 2 younger kids. You are really kinda forced to do more family oriented things.
One more great thing to do is bikeride! We did this when I was younger also. Load up the bikes and go somewhere different every week or so. This is also one of my families favorite things to do up that way. If you ask me, nature provides all the fun a family could ask for!
Last edited by michmoldman; 04-13-2009 at 07:40 PM..
Thanks for all of the great responses. I've been going up north since I was a little kid and as soon as I was old enough to do it on my own. I kind of feel like my kids missed out on so much of what I grew up enjoying. These days T.V and video games seem to have taken control.
We do camp and we visit up north as often as we can, and we always have a great time. What amazes me is they seem to forget how much fun we have and focus only on what THEY perceive as missing from the area/area's. This I am clueless about knowing what they feel is missing. When we were up there for the Cherry Festival a few years ago I was looking around T.C, the bay, the shoreline, downtown etc and thought. I could see myself living here. I did live in Rapid City for awhile when I was younger and would have never left had I planned the move.
I honestly think there is more to do in your own backyard ( figure of speach of course) in T.C than there is where they prefer to live. Scottsdale Arizona. Sure you can travel to the mountains, hike, go to one of the lakes, the ocean, skiing in the winter etc. But these are all so far away. T.C it's all right there. The bay, lakes, downtown, shopping, food, parks, fishing, camping everything. I know they also have a multiplex theater in the Big mall and I think the drive inn is still open up there right?
There is a job I'm thinking of applying for in TC. I spoke with my wife about it today and tried to explain how if bye some chance I get it, it would be the perfect opportunity for us. She can transfer to Northern and I understand they have a great nursing program. She could also go to school full time where as she won't have that option anywhere else.
Well thanks again for the great responses. I plan to print them and show them to her.
Thanks for all of the great responses. I've been going up north since I was a little kid and as soon as I was old enough to do it on my own. I kind of feel like my kids missed out on so much of what I grew up enjoying. These days T.V and video games seem to have taken control.
We do camp and we visit up north as often as we can, and we always have a great time. What amazes me is they seem to forget how much fun we have and focus only on what THEY perceive as missing from the area/area's. This I am clueless about knowing what they feel is missing. When we were up there for the Cherry Festival a few years ago I was looking around T.C, the bay, the shoreline, downtown etc and thought. I could see myself living here. I did live in Rapid City for awhile when I was younger and would have never left had I planned the move.
I honestly think there is more to do in your own backyard ( figure of speach of course) in T.C than there is where they prefer to live. Scottsdale Arizona. Sure you can travel to the mountains, hike, go to one of the lakes, the ocean, skiing in the winter etc. But these are all so far away. T.C it's all right there. The bay, lakes, downtown, shopping, food, parks, fishing, camping everything. I know they also have a multiplex theater in the Big mall and I think the drive inn is still open up there right?
There is a job I'm thinking of applying for in TC. I spoke with my wife about it today and tried to explain how if bye some chance I get it, it would be the perfect opportunity for us. She can transfer to Northern and I understand they have a great nursing program. She could also go to school full time where as she won't have that option anywhere else.
Well thanks again for the great responses. I plan to print them and show them to her.
Good luck! We are also looking to move to the TC area here in the next year or so. We really like the lake Ann area. My wife will also need to be near the medical facilities, so its not too far. We just want to be far enough from the summer traffic. I would like to live a bit closer to lake Mi, but its close enough. I honestly could never get bored of living up that way! And yes the drive inn is still open.
I will speak as someone who grew up in Northern Michigan and whose family is still there. I grew up in Cheboygan so I will speak only from my experience there. I must add, everyone's thoughts and contributions are right on!!
Summer
*boating in MANY lakes and rivers
*festivals all over northern michigan
*get-togethers with friends around bonfires with guitars and food
*camping
*hiking
*performances at the Opera House
*performances throughout N. Michigan
*museum visits
*Mackinac Island visits
*day trips to the UP (thousand of different things to do and see up there)
*beach days at both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan bonus of being right at the tip!
*movies
*if a kid then 4-H
*swimming lessons if you are a kid (don't know if you have any)
*community events such as beer tents, benefit foot races etc.
*playing cards with friends
*summer soccer leagues
*summer adult and little league baseball and softball! Autumn
*hiking
*high school football games-atmosphere is a lot of fun
*going to local watering hole after games
*autumn festivals
*craft shows
*color tours (day drives)
*fall bonfires
*fall trips to the Island are the BEST
*millions of things for kids to do at school
*kids can take dance class and join 4-H, take karate, etc.
*hunting (never did, but always enjoyed friend's venison jerkey)
*oh yeah fishing in EVERY season
*shopping trips to Petoskey, Traverse City, or even Gaylord
*day or weekend trips downstate
*pumpkin patch visits all ages enjoy! Winter
*downhill skiiing
*cross-country skiing
*snow-shoeing
*sledding
*ice skating (indoors and out)
*adult sports leagues and kids too
*performances at Opera House and throughout N. MIchigan
*shopping trips all over
*euchre tournaments with friends
*local clubs of ALL kinds
*library programs
*ice-fish
*movies
*high school basketball games (fun to go watch)
*visit local establishments
*touring programs come to local libraries
*winter festivals! Spring
*go morel mushroom hunting!
*hiking
*fishing
*community education programs at library and opera house
*sports kick in
*birding (sounds cheesy, but at migration time it is so awesome to see the odd birds that show up on the shoreline!)
*benefits and dances
*fishing tournaments
*fish frys!
*seeing national acts come locally...
so many endless things to do!!!!
I know if i don't move back in a few years i really really want to save up to buy a little cottage up near cheboygan!!!!
keep us posted on what your wife thinks! good luck!
Ahhh, what a great post. I love northern Michigan. Sometimes, I think it might be nice to get out of this depressed metro Detroit area and leave Michigan altogether but I would miss vacationing up north sooo much. Thanks for the great post.
If you're talking about Traverse City, then I'd say it'd be a fine place to live. We're about 75 miles from TC though, and it gets old fast trying to drive over there for say a doctor appointment. We can't really enjoy it over there because we have the 3 hour round trip to contend with. In the winter it's longer. But for me, if we lived in TC, I'd be pretty content. The schools are great, tons to "do", good employment opportunities, and an excellent hospital. Has she seen the Munson website? Munson Medical Center
OTOH, if your wife would be unhappy up here, then I'd suggest moving somewhere that both of you like. No matter how hard you try, you just can't change people unless they want to change!
I went to visit my family up in Petoskey this weekend and I always forget how nice it is up there. Such a drastic difference from mid-Michigan. I really don't see TC as being way out there, there is a lot of stuff to do and whereas a lot of places like Petoskey feel like smaller vacation towns, TC always feels like more a bigger city. To be honest, there are a lot of the same things that you can find in TC that you could find in GR.
If you're talking about Traverse City, then I'd say it'd be a fine place to live. We're about 75 miles from TC though, and it gets old fast trying to drive over there for say a doctor appointment. We can't really enjoy it over there because we have the 3 hour round trip to contend with. In the winter it's longer. But for me, if we lived in TC, I'd be pretty content. The schools are great, tons to "do", good employment opportunities, and an excellent hospital. Has she seen the Munson website? Munson Medical Center
OTOH, if your wife would be unhappy up here, then I'd suggest moving somewhere that both of you like. No matter how hard you try, you just can't change people unless they want to change!
Good luck.
I appreciate the thoughts and suggestion. The big issue is that we DO NOT agree on anything when it comes to moving. I feel I have more legitimate reasons NOT to move to Arizona than she has for NOT wanting to move up north. I was at least open to trying Arizona, things we had planned at the time just did not work out. ( A sign if you ask me) Since then I have read a lot about the state and just don't feel it's a good fit for us. TC is about as big a city as I'd like to live. Safe with good schools. # 1 reason I would not think twice about moving there. Az? Worst schools in the country, overpopulated cities and serious drug and illegals issues. I have 2 kids and I put them first. I think they would love TC, and I also feel it would grow on my wife if given the chance. But she is just so dead set against it I can't figure it out.
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