My first real vacation in Michigan happened in 2008 at my husband's family's rustic cabin on 40 acres in the Pigeon River Country State Forest near Gaylord. (Rustic = no indoor plumbing, outside of a pump at the kitchen sink.) I quickly got used to the outhouse, showering in the forest under a 5-gallon bucket with a spigot, and going for "deer rides" at dusk every night to look for animals (deer, elk, turkeys, porcupines, etc.). I have yet to see a bear, but I know they're there.
I fell in love with Michigan then. We actually moved to Kalamazoo later that year, and lived there until we moved to Brownsburg in 2011. Michigan is my happy place, and almost every year we make a family trip north to the woods and water. Our boys' first cabin stay was in 2018 when they were 4 and 2, and I have to say this year was so much easier without diapers on the youngest! [I think it's important to be transparent about travel costs when recommending any experience to others; I've included some information about expenses below. Our biggest cost savings is staying at our cabin!]
SUNDAY
We left Brownsburg on June 27 at 10am, with lots of snacks, charged iPads and activity binders on-hand thanks to the tips in this article. We'd also purchased a tri-fold wallet for each of our sons (now 4.5 and 6.5), and gave them $20 each for them to spend as they wanted- this actually added a lot of fun and learning to the trip.
Our first stop was at the Coldwater (MI) rest stop; we let the kids kick their soccer ball around for a bit to let off some pent-up energy and have a snack. Continuing north, our next stop was at Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns, Michigan, on US-127. The business has expanded in the 10+ years we've been going north, from a large orchard with a small bakery, to a large orchard with a large bakery and gift shop, taproom, regular events, and kids playground. Even though the skies threatened rain, we let the boys jump on the giant air pillow before they each picked out a treat (and paid for it themselves!) and got back on the road.
We arrived at our cabin at about 6:15pm, opened it (turning on electricity, priming the pump and opening the outhouse), and heated up pre-made goulash for dinner.
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MONDAY
We knew we wanted to take the boys to Mackinac Island for the first time, and based on the forecast, Monday was the best option. We purchased ferry tickets on the Mackinaw City side, and sat on the top deck so the boys could get the full experience. Shepler's offers a package deal that includes a roundtrip ferry ticket, carriage tour of the island, and entrance to Fort Mackinac , which was about $175 for the four of us (depends somewhat on age of participants).
Our boys LOVED the island! If you've never been, know that it's a truly unique and magical place: the only vehicles on the island are emergency vehicles and the odd construction truck (which usually goes back to land on the ferry each night). Otherwise, you're on a carriage pulled by horses or a bicycle. There's something for everyone- art, great restaurants, great bars, sailing, hiking/biking, incredible flowers, historical landmarks like Fort Mackinac, and amazing views. The daytime during peak months is always bustling, even in imperfect weather; if you're lucky enough to stay on the island overnight, for about 12 hours between 8pm-8am, it's mostly serene... save a drunken sailor or wedding nearby!
We had a quick lunch, and the boys bought some souvenirs with their own money. We stayed until about 3pm, took the ferry back (sitting up top again) so we could get back to our cabin by dinnertime.
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TUESDAY
Because Tuesday's forecast included rain off and on throughout the day, we decided to find indoor experiences to pass the time. About a week prior to our trip, I reached out to the visitors' centers in Gaylord, Petoskey and Harbor Springs (all 20-45 minutes from the cabin) to offer free promotion via MKH in exchange for new adventures for my family. A few companies reached out, including the Raven Hill Discovery Center. [It's an this incredible, one-of-a-kind history/science/play space near East Jordan. We were honored to be hosted by the founder and owner, Cheri. Feature article forthcoming!] We spent about 90 minutes on-site, before making the short drive to the Boyne Mountain Resort and Avalanche Bay indoor waterpark.
Tickets to the waterpark cost about $185 for the four of us, and we spent about $40 in on-site concessions. We enjoyed the waterpark for about 4 hours, took a much-needed shower, then gave each the boys a $20 arcade card to play games and win prizes. We all had a great time and achieved our goal of wearing out just enough to get a good night's sleep!
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WEDNESDAY
This was our day to stay in the forest, but we needed to run some quick errands in Gaylord in the morning. Our boys love miniature golf, and we discovered the Bavarian Falls Adventure Golf next door to the also-popular Call of the Wild outdoor center. We played a fairly quick 18 holes and had a snack for about $30. (I won, I'm proud to say!)
My husband's uncle lives about 40 minutes from the cabin, and we came into the woods to join us for lunch and conversation, since we only see him once a year. He's an avid outdoorsman, so he also brought some handmade bows and arrows for the boys to try out. My oldest is a Cub Scout, and he loved learning about archery at camp earlier this summer. After a few hours, he headed home and we headed to one of the lakes in the State Forest, called Pickerel Lake. It was a nice way to cool off, but the bugs were thick, so we didn't stay long. A free day (to do what we wanted locally, and without spending money) was just what we needed!
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THURSDAY
My husband has a fraternity brother, Greg, who lives in Petoskey with his young family. We arranged to spend Thursday with him on the lake, but when we woke up the temps were in the 50s. By lunch, they'd only risen a dozen degrees or so, but we still took him up on his offer to take his boat around Burt Lake for a little while. Bundled up in jackets and towels, we loved ogling all of the beautiful (and massive!) lake homes; the boys picked out their favorites, most of which we couldn't afford in five lifetimes! After returning to land, we joined Greg in Harbor Springs for lunch at a yacht club and sightseeing in the area. One of our favorite places for a GREAT treat is Tom's Mom's Cookies, known for their chocolate cherry cookie, but other favorites include a butterscotch oatmeal cookie, cinnamon sugar, oatmeal raisin, and white chocolate macadamia. The shop is tiny, and was featured on the Food Network several years ago. It regularly has a line stretching out to the curb.
We decided that four nights in the cabin was enough- we all needed a comfortable bed, warm shower, and also wanted to be better positioned geographically to make the trip back home on Friday, so we booked a night at the Hampton Inn in Petoskey. We enjoyed a great "splurge meal" at Teddy Griffin's Roadhouse in Harbor Springs (prime rib and local fish as opposed to PBJ's at the cabin) and melted into our hotel beds.
FRIDAY
We were up early on Friday to start the long trip home, leaving the hotel by 8am. We had one stop planned-- we still own and rent out our former home in Kalamazoo, and do a walk-through once a year. So, we pushed south to make our appointment by lunchtime, stopping a few times for pit stops. Since we'd brought a variety of snacks and drinks with us, we didn't spend much at all on those things, which saved us both time and money. We arrived back in Brownsburg shortly after 5pm, unloaded everything, and promptly decided to defer actual unpacking for the weekend.
Overall, we loved our trip. Sure, we got on each others' nerves now and then, had to scrap some plans and make unexpected ones, and dealt with unpredictable weather. But, we spent money on experiences we all could enjoy, helped with the upkeep of the family property, connected with loved ones, and made fun memories together!
