Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Tag: Lake Michigan

Mackinac Island: Simpler Times & Family Fun

Have you ever imagined a place where life was a little more simple? An escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, the traffic, the noise? A place where you can wander through miles of beautiful walking trails and stroll pristine beaches? Well, we found it:  Mackinac Island, Michigan!

Squeezed between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, Mackinac Island is a step back in time. There are no cars on the Island (save for a few emergency vehicles). Your travel choices include walking, bike or horse. Within a few minutes of stepping out of your hotel room, you are walking on the beach, or several beautiful trails meandering through the woods. But wait, there’s more!

Here is a rundown of some of the things we loved the most about Mackinac Island.

Mackinaw Bridge at Sunset

Mackinaw Bridge at Sunset

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Grand Rapids: Outdoor Adventures in Beer City

For the last couple of years, my travels have predominantly taken me international – which is great, don’t get me wrong. However, I always feel a bit guilty missing out on locations in the States. I recently had the opportunity to visit Grand Rapids, Michigan – a city and a state I had never visited. Simply put, I loved this trip. The only possible downside was that the trip was too short. Cliche I know, but really, I could definitely imagine spending weeks in Michigan and still only scratching the surface of fun things to experience.

Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan and nicknamed “Beer City,” quickly won over my heart. And not just because of the beer; there are endless things to do in Grand Rapids to suit all tastes. What might one do in Grand Rapids? I’m glad you asked!

The Great Outdoors

One of the most pleasant surprises of visiting Grand Rapids was the number of outdoor activities. Here are a few:

Rosy Mounds Natural Area overlooking Lake Michigan

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Chicago Architecture Cruises

There are SO many things you can do in Chicago. SO many. But, this time around, we’re just focusing on a few that we particularly have enjoyed.

During our time in Chicago, we went on a couple different Architecture Cruises–one left from Navy Pier and sailed out into Lake Michigan while giving a great history of the skyline; the other was on the Chicago River and went up and back down the North and South branches and then out into the Lake for a final view of the city.

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If you’re interested in architecture I would highly recommend checking one of these tours out; these are just the two that we were able to do, but there are others out there as well. The tours we took were/are very different from each other, which is another thing to consider. When planning a trip, it helps to do your research to determine the best use of your time and money. Continue reading