Chapter 45 - Lake Michigan (7/26 - 8/12/2026) - First Trip to Michigan

 

Corp, Sam and I at Mackinac Island.

On July 26, 2026, we hit the road for Sam’s very first road trip! 

We adopted Sam, a Jack Russell terrier mix, just five months earlier. 
At almost two years old, we thought he was ready for his first big adventure. 

Our destination was the east coast of Lake Michigan. It was the perfect way to kick off what we hope will be many more adventures with Sam.

Our first overnight stop was at Corp’s cousin Kenny & Jay's house; also known as the Bentley Wheeler Bed & Breakfast in LaCrosse, WI. We always have a great time with them because they always make us feel so welcome.  

One of the highlights of the LaCrosse visit was meeting Aries, their 26 year old parrot. Sam wasn't quite sure what to make of his new feathered acquaintance.  

On July 27, we stopped to visit our friends Dan and Marla in Barrington, IL. It was fun to see their newly remodeled Mid-Century Modern home and their suggested burrito place was delicious.

It took Sam a little while to warm up to their two big dogs, but once he did, he and Mic had a great time playing together. 

On July 28,  we went to Warren Dunes State Park, home to some of Michigan's most iconic beach scenery.

Towering sand dunes rose high above the shoreline.

We enjoyed our first walk along Lake Michigan

At home, he usually avoids getting his paws wet, so it was fun to watch him embrace the water.

By the end of our walk he was completely soaked, but seemed to be having a fun time.  

Sam was pretty tired after all his running and playing on the beach.

We wrapped up the day in St. Joseph, which is known for its beautiful beaches, walkable downtown, and inviting mix of shops, restaurants, and lakefront parks.

Our first stop in St. Joseph was The Neon Grill, where we enjoyed delicious burgers and crispy fries.

Their signature twist was adding green olives to their burgers. 
It sounded unusual, but it was pretty delicious.

After supper, we headed to Mickey's Pub for a drink. While chatting with another couple, they told us we could not leave town without riding our bikes downtown to watch one of Lake Michigan's famous sunsets at Silver Beach, so we climbed on our bikes and headed for the waterfront, excited to see what everyone was talking about.

After a little shopping in their historic downtown, we arrived at Silver Beach, a wide sandy shoreline that offered more stunning views of Lake Michigan.  It's easy to see why it's such a popular destination.

We visited the Silver Beach Carousel, a beautifully restored hand-carved carousel that is one of the town's signature attractions.

They had a nice display of patriotism for America's 250th at the carousel.

Another display of patriotism was the Statue the Liberty mural painted on the front of the steps leading up to the downtown.

The highly recommended Silver Beach Pizza didn't disappoint.

On July 29, we made our way to Benton Harbor. Our first stop was Rocky Gap Park, where we spent some time searching the beach for beach glass. No luck finding any.  

Afterward, we headed into downtown Benton Harbor to check out the city's vibrant murals. The colorful artwork added plenty of character to our walk and offered a glimpse into the town’s efforts to capitalize on their creative spirit. As a former city planner, this type of downtown revitalization excites me. Murals are one of my favorite forms of large-scale art.

We liked the crab in this mural in honor of our Crabby & Chipper Travels blog.

Check out the simplicity and importance of this one.

The colors in this mural were so vibrant.

Next, we headed to South Haven, another charming lakeside town with a historic, walkable downtown.  Lakeside town with historic walkable downtown was a theme on this trip. After some exploring, we made our way out to the end of the pier for a closer look at the iconic lighthouse and to take in more beautiful views of Lake Michigan.

We were shocked to see South Beach was packed, with what seemed like thousands of people soaking up the summer sun. It definitely made us want to have a beach day.  

So on July 30 we biked to 1st St. Beach and had a relaxing beach day.

There were lots of great beach houses to see on my beach walk.

We were surprised to see these personal flying planes fly by us on the beach.

One of many beautiful Lake Michigan sunsets.

On August 31, our first stop was Saugatuck, where we walked through another historic downtown. 

I can never resist a photo with a city name mural.  
Loved the big, bold, bright colors in this one.

One boat, in particular, caught our attention. It was a tiny sleek, futuristic designed boat  that looked like something straight out of the Jetsons.  

Later, we were off to Holland, another picturesque town with a vibrant downtown district. One of the things that stood out most was the abundance of colorful flower gardens, hanging baskets, and decorative planters lining the streets.

There were so many zinnias everywhere.

And there were lots of begonias that were stunning too.

Even the green foliage planters were beautiful too.

What a beautiful mix of colors!

Another stunning petunia display.

The beautifully maintained flowers and this one of many sculptures gave Downtown Holland a welcoming storybook feel. 

While walking in downtown Holland, we came across this car accident. The damage looked pretty severe, and we couldn’t imagine how fast they must have been going for it to end up like that.

On August 1, we started the day in Grand Haven, and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be!

Unique city signage on the hill.

By pure luck, our visit coincided with the annual Coast Guard Festival. We were treated to a helicopter flyover, a lively parade, and an art festival that filled the streets.

They take reserve seating for the parade to a whole new level!  

There were a lot of Coast Guard dignitaries in the parade. It was adorable watching the little kids wave and shout, “Happy Coast Guard!” and the dignitaries waving back and saying "Happy Coast Guard".

The double helicopter flyover was emotional, especially thinking about the relief people must feel when they hear those helicopters approaching during a rescue. It was a reminder of the lives they save and the hope they bring.

Corp was excited to get a new t-shirt at the parade.

We hadn't planned our visit around the festival, so discovering all the festivities and feeling their hometown pride about the Coast Guard made the day memorable.

Our next stop was Muskegon. We found two stunning historic mansions that were definitely worth seeing.

There were so many architectural details in these houses.

The Hackley & Hume Historic Site features two beautifully restored Victorian mansions built in the late 1880s for lumber barons Charles Hackley and Thomas Hume. The homes showcase the wealth and prosperity of Muskegon’s lumber era and offer a glimpse into the lifestyles of affluent families in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Aside from the historic site, we didn't like Muskegon and decided not to spend the night there. Although we had a non-refundable hotel reservation, we contacted Hotels.com and spoke with the hotel, and they ultimately approved a refund.

Instead, we continued north to Ludington, and we're glad we did. This charming lakeside town immediately won us over with its historic storefronts, welcoming atmosphere, and easy access to Lake Michigan. After visiting, it's easy to understand why Ludington was named the Best Historic Small Town in 2024.

We capped off the evening with a windy walk out to the end of the pier.

Then we had drinks and fun conversation at Sandbar Bar.

One of my favorite touches in Ludington was the colorful display of red, white, and purple petunias lining both sides of the town's main boulevard.

On August 2, we made our way to Traverse City.

Traverse City is known as the "Cherry Capital of the World".  We tried to buy some cherries at a roadside stand, but they were all gone because of the small harvest this year.  

Time to enjoy some ice cream in the Downtown Front Street District! 
The banana splits and mint sundae were pretty tasty on a warm summer day.

We spent the morning biking about eight miles along the scenic waterfront and through the downtown area.

Traverse City felt like one of those places where you could easily imagine living.

Later in the day, we headed to Charlevoix, another lakeside town known for stunning flower displays and beautiful stone architecture.

One of Charlevoix's most famous attractions is its whimsical Mushroom Houses, designed to resemble storybook cottages or, quite literally, giant mushrooms.

We set out on a scavenger hunt to find them and found three of the approximately 20 homes built in this distinctive style.

Charlevoix’s famous flower displays include 310 hanging petunia baskets containing approximately 30,000 petunias throughout downtown and the city marina.  One flower basket was more beautiful than the next!

Sam waiting for supper in Downtown Charlevoix

Sam and I walking to the harbor.

On August 3, we reach Mackinaw City, which was our stopping ground to get to Mackinac Island. 

At the Sheplers Mackinac Island Ferry, we ran into our friend Jaylyn from MN. It’s such a small world sometimes.

After a nice ferry ride, we arrived at Mackinac Island.

We were not expecting the chaos that ensued after leaving the ferry dock.

Sam was really overwhelmed with the horse carriages, people crowding the sidewalks, and all the pedal bikes.

We didn’t really care for the downtown area. It was a tourist trap that smelled like horse poop and fudge. Not a great mix!

Once we walked out of downtown the island was beautiful. Huge historic houses with beautiful gardens; one more beautiful than the next.

Here are photos of a few of my favorite houses on the island.

We visited Arch Rock, but again another tourist trap so we didn't stay long.

While walking up to Arch Rock, we came across this Dog Stick Library.  So adorable!

We were a little disappointed we couldn’t bring our e-bikes to the island because they are not allowed for visitors. We saw a few, but we think they were residents and workers. About 600 people live on the island year round.

After spending a few hours on Mackinac Island, we took the ferry back to Mackinaw City.
On our walk to supper, we came across this metal horse sculpture and discovered Sam is afraid of sculptures! 

That evening we met Jaylin and her family and friends for drinks at the Dixie Saloon. Fun time!

On August 4, we started to head home. After 11 hours, we made it home safe and sound. We had a couple of fun stops along the way.  

We wondered what the story was behind this two colored car.

This Indian sculpture was huge.

Sam did really well adjusting to the travel lifestyle. Here he is co-piloting.

Sam getting some exercise by running around the merry go round.

Sam did really well adjusting to the travel lifestyle.  He got to experience plenty of new sights and smells along the way.

Well, that wraps up our first trip to Michigan.

Corp & Tammy

The average hotel cost was $137 per night.