Carefree Travel Guide 2023

CAN’T-MISS WEST MICHIGAN SMALL TOWNS

BRIDGEFEST HOUGHTON This three-day festival in June celebrates the start of summer with live music, fresh food, and family-fun on the Keweenaw Waterway. Bridgefestfun.com

CHOOSE MARSHALL Nationally recognized for its

COLDWATER COUNTRY CONFERENCE & VISITORS BUREAU Coldwater Country is an area brimming with outdoor recreation, unique attractions, quaint downtowns and a whole host of family fun. ColdwaterCountry.com

DESTINATION BELLAIRE Come visit us and enjoy our remarkable shops, diverse dining/ drink establishments, and endless entertainment. Bellaire, where

architecture and museum collections that rival the Smithsonian, Marshall also boasts live performances, home tours, and a famous restaurant and brewery. ChooseMarshall.com

everyone is a local! BellaireChamber.org

U.P.: KEWEENAW PENINSULA The U.P. towns of Houghton,

Hancock, and Copper Harbor can be found in this remote, breathtakingly beautiful area. This is the place for exploring your inner mindfulness and the rugged shores and unspoiled beauty of Lake Superior and Lake of the Clouds. To say that fall color here is spectacular is quite the understatement. Tour a copper mine, hike the abundant trails, view some waterfalls, jump on an ATV or a mountain bike, and then when you’re hungry, be sure to sample some local smoked trout or whitefish, and don’t forget the local favorite, a miner’s pasty.

Cathy Leik | Portland Patti Vahary | Battle Creek

main street seems forever poised for a local parade. Even without the annual 4th of July spectacle filled with local clowns and bicycles laden with streamers, the numerous shops, galleries, breweries, and antique stores are bustling with locals and tourists alike. The beaches are

expansive and beautiful, the historic bed and breakfasts plentiful, and the three nearby lighthouses worth a trip alone. Grab an ice cream cone, head out to the pier, and take delight in watching the daily arrival or departure of the historic steamship car ferry, the SS Badger.

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#WestMichigan | 2023 Carefree Travel Guide