Hey Guys!
This post continues our trip exploring all 5 Great Lakes.
Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here & Day 6 here ….Click here to see links to all of my blog posts
We are currently in Mackinaw City, MI and will be making our way to our next destination, Traverse City, MI.
The drive will take approximately 2 hrs.
Last night we stayed at the Beach House Lakeside Cottages.
One of the employees had mentioned that the sunrises here were stunning, so we made sure to wake up early and catch it.
With coffee in hand, we sat for an hour as the sun climbed above the lake, casting golden light across the water.
It was one of those moments you just want to pause and hold onto.
A shot of the lakeside cottages
Looking out from our front door
After getting packed up, we checked out and headed to our first stop of the day.
Our first stop would be the McGulpin Point Lighthouse just 10 mins from our cottage.
After getting parked, we spotted a sign that showed all of the other lighthouses in the area.
McGulin Point Lighthouse was constructed as a navigational aid through the Straits of Mackinac. The light began operation in 1869, making it one of the oldest surviving lighthouses in the Straits.
The lighthouse was built in 1869 at a cost of $20,000. The living quarters were built as a vernacular 11⁄2-story brick structure. The lighthouse operated during the Great Lakes navigation seasons from 1869 until 1906.
In June 2008. the governing board of Emmet County voted to purchase the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and 11.5 acres of surrounding lakefront property, including 336 feet of Lake Michigan footage, and some adjacent property for visitor parking, for $720,000.
There is a self guided tour that you can do that includes informational plaques & a short trail to the lake.
James Davenport was the only lighthouse keeper at this light, and served for 27 years.
You can also tour the lighthouse daily from 9:30 – 5 for a small cost of $3.
A couple more shots of the lighthouse 
After leaving here, we continued our drive to our next stop which would be Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.
On our drive, we passed through several cute towns with one of those being Bayview, MI.
This Historic Victorian community of nearly 500 public and private buildings is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The homes here were incredible!
I wished we would have had time to stop and explore this cute, historic town!
Just 10 mins after driving through Bay View, we arrived to another cute town called Petoskey.
This town also had some beautiful, historic homes.
Click here for 10 must see things to see /do while in this area
A few minutes later, we spotted a sign for a pullover called Big Rock Point so we decided to stop and stretch our legs.
Big Rock Point is named for a large boulder used as a landmark by Native Americans.
It was also the site of the Big Rock Nuclear Power Plant. It was the world’s first high-power density boiling water reactor and the fifth commercial nuclear power plant in the US.
It opened in 1962 and closed in 1997. It is now a Nuclear Historic Landmark. When it closed, it was the longest running nuclear plant in the nation.
The views at this stop
After this short stop, we continued our drive and soon found ourselves driving through the beautiful town of Charlevoix.
Tip: I have since learned that this place is home to the famous mushroom houses….read more about it here & book a tour here.… So sad we missed seeing them!
Charlevoix was full of gorgeous, historic homes!
This was another town that I wished we would have had more time to explore.
The streets were lined with hanging baskets that went on for miles!
After driving for a few minutes, we spotted a fruit stand called King Orchards that advertised they had sandwiches so we decided to stop and pick up something for our lunch.
This orchard is family owned and been in operation for 45 years.
We walked inside and couldn’t believe all the yummy looking baked goods they had….we wanted one of everything!
If you don’t know, Michigan is the top producer for tart cherries in the US!
Michigan produces on average 90,250 tons of cherries. Tart cherries are smaller than sweet cherries and also more red.
And look at these prices! Yikes!
They had so much to choose from!
We finally decided on a sandwich, a bag of chips and a yummy homemade dessert.
After leaving the orchard, we passed many other orchards along the way.
We also passed the Archangel Gabriel Greek Orthodox Church.…the dome on this church weighs 42k pounds!
After 2 hrs of driving, we finally arrived to Traverse City, MI.
Traverse City is nicknamed “the Cherry Capital of the World“, as the area surrounding Grand Traverse Bay is a hotspot for cherry production.
The city hosts the National Cherry Festival, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually.
The festival was actually going on when we arrived but our first stop was Sleeping Bear Dunes so we still had another 40 min drive to get there.
However, we would be staying our next night in Traverse City and attending the Cherry Festival later in the day so I’ll write more about that later.
Tip: There are also lots of vineyards in this area for those who are interested in that
We passed beautiful farms on our drive to Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Click here to see animal farms & petting zoos in this area
The drive was so pretty
As we neared Sleeping Bear, we spotted an eagle!
Our first stop in Sleeping Bear was the Dune Climb.
Click here for 50 things to do at Sleeping Bear Dunes
The Dune Climb is the most famous attraction at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The dune is a 284-foot-high wall of glistening white sand that tourists climb for fun.
The Dune Climb is different than almost all other dunes along the Lake Michigan shore. Most dunes are created when the wind takes sand from Lake Michigan beaches and piles it up.
But the sand at the Dune Climb has never been in Lake Michigan or on a Lake Michigan beach, and the wind has actually piled it down.
The sand at the Dune Climb came from dunes higher up on the Sleeping Bear Plateau.
Before tackling the 284-foot wall of sand, we figured it was best to fuel up first….we’d need the energy for the climb ahead! 😉
After our delicious sandwiches, we tried some of the cherry pie that we had purchased…..it was so good!!
Tip: There are restrooms & a visitor center located here
It was now time to attempt the 284 ft wall of sand!
It was a struggle!
They warn you, but you never really understand until you’re halfway up the Dune Climb —calves burning, shoes full of sand, heart pounding as if you’ve just sprinted up a skyscraper made of sugar!
At first glance, it looks like a big sandy hill, but the Dune Climb is a full body challenge disguised as a beach day!
Every step forward felt like two steps back, thanks to the soft, shifting sand that erases your progress just as you find a rhythm!
But turn around and you are rewarded with an incredible view of Glen Lake sparkling behind you like a postcard.
Once you reach the top, you will feel like you’ve just conquered a small mountain…well, because basically you did!
The views from the top are beautiful!
We spent several minutes at the top soaking in the panoramic views and snapping photos from every angle!
After taking way too many pictures, we started our descent..
So much easier!
Next, we headed to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.
You will have to pay the park fee to enter this area. It’s $25 for a 7 day pass.
The Pierce Stocking Scenic drive is a 7.4 mile one way loop through forests, dunes and overlooks.
There are 12 numbered stops along the route, many of which include spectacular overlooks of Lake Michigan, Glen Lake and the dunes.
The highlights of this drive include the Lake Michigan Overlook, Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook, Dune Overlook, Glen Lake Overlook and the Covered Bridge stop.
Tip: This drive is seasonal…it’s usually open from late May through Oct.
The first thing you will see as you begin your drive is the covered bridge…there is a small pullover for this stop but I just snapped a few pictures as we were driving through it.
The next stop was the Glen Lake Overlook.….we didn’t feel the views were worth the stop as it was mostly obscured by the trees.
The next stop you will come to is the Picnic Mountain/Dune Overlook. We didn’t stop at this overlook.
Next was the Cottonwood Trailhead.….
I had this on our itinerary to hike but we decided to pass.
The hike is a 1.5 mile loop with views of the dunes and Glen Lake.
We didn’t stop at stops 5, 6, 7 & 8 as they were more like drive by areas. (Leaving the Sand Dunes, Dune Ecology, Beech-Maple Forest & Changes Over Time).
Our next stop would be stops number 9 & 10 as they are both located at the same stop…these stops are the Lake Michigan Overlook & the Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook.
To be honest, I was very disappointed with the views on this drive until we got to these stops!
So, if you do this drive, do not miss this area!
This was by far the busiest stop….it was a challenge trying to find a parking spot!
After getting parked, we headed to the overlook and after we arrived, I could not believe my eyes!
This overlook steals your breath!
You are greeted with panoramic views of Lake Michigan, dunes & bluffs!
The vastness and the deep blue expanse of Lake Michigan stretched out as far as the eye could see, meeting the sky in a seamless horizon.
The colors of the lake were surreal, almost impossible to describe —like something painted on a canvas but too real to be art.
The water shimmered under the sunlight, changing shades from emerald to turquoise to deep blue.
It’s moments like these that remind me of how small we are in this vast, beautiful world — and how important it is to take time to pause, breathe and appreciate it.
One of the most popular things to do here is to take the very steep hill down to the lake.
I’m not sure why anyone would want to do this as we literally saw people trying to climb back up on all fours!
It looked exhausting and it is …….there are warnings posted that if you go down and can’t get back up, you will be charged as much as $3,000.00 to be rescued!
As we stood at the edge of the overlook, staring down at the steep drop, we quickly decided that we would be taking our pictures from the top of the hill….the views were stunning enough without risking the climb back up….or worse, needing to be rescued!
There are many viewpoints located here so take your time and explore the dunes and the “ghost trees”! (which we missed)
More amazing views of this area
Tip: The sand is very hot so keep your shoes on!
After leaving here, we continued our drive along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.
Our next stop would be the North Bar Lake Overlook & Picnic area.
This stop offered views of North Bar Lake and Lake Michigan.
There were a few informational signs at this stop along with a Sleeping Bear Dunes wooden “picture frame” positioned just right to perfectly capture the landscape behind you.
After this stop we decided to bypass the last stop called, Pine Plantation as you can see it as you are driving along the scenic drive.
Read reviews for this scenic drive here
Next, we headed to a nearby lighthouse called Point Betsie.
The lighthouse was closed when we arrived but we were still able to take pictures from the fence.
The lighthouse is located at a very popular beach area so we walked down to the beach to check it out.
It was incredible!
The water and sand were so clean….once again, I thought I had somehow been transported to a Caribbean island!
As you got closer to the lake, the sand gave way to a rocky shoreline.
The rocks were so colorful!
We spent about an hour here just taking in the views and searching for rocks!
From the beach, you had much better views of the lighthouse. 
The lighthouse was completed in 1858 for a cost of $5,000.00.
This was the last staffed lighthouse on Lake Michigan and the last Michigan lighthouse to lose its keeper. However, it is still in operation today.
Point Betsie is said to be one of America’s most photographed lighthouses, and the most-visited attraction in Benzie County.
You can tour the lighthouse for $5 pp….you can also book a stay in the keepers quarters.
The concrete in front of the lighthouse protects it from Lake Michigan.
We had a couple offer to take our picture….of course, we never turn down having our picture taken! 😉
More shots of the area
Read reviews here
After leaving here, we headed back towards Traverse City where we would be spending our next night.
On the way, we passed a lavender farm so we pulled over to check it out.
Lavender farms are scattered all throughout Michigan.
After this quick stop, we continued our drive to Traverse City.
Once we arrived, we headed straight to the Cherry Festival!
Thankfully, the festival is open from 10 am to 10 pm because we didn’t arrive until after 5 pm!
The cherry festival has been held since its origins as the “Blessing of the Blossoms” in 1925, with the first National Cherry Festival held in 1933, growing into a major event by 1926.
The festival is an eight day celebration held in July to coincide with the cherry harvest.
Every year the festival also holds a parade.….but sadly, we missed that.
The parade broke the all-time record in 1975, boasting 180 entries and attended by over 300,000 people. President Gerald Ford, a Michigan native and former Congressman, led the parade as Grand Marshal.
At the festival you will find all kinds of food vendors selling all sorts of yummy dishes along with crafts, ice cream, trinkets and of course, cherries!
Of course, we had to take our our picture in front of the National Cherry Festival frame!
We first hunted down the cherry ice cream….that was our first priority!
It was so good!
After walking around for a while, we decided to order food from one of the food vendors that was selling BBQ.
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with cherry BBQ sauce and a side of beans and the hubby ordered the same sandwich with a side of Mac & cheese.
It was delicious!
After dinner, we headed to one of the cherry vendors to purchase some fresh picked cherries.
Wow, look at these prices!!
We ordered the Momma cup for $10….it was worth it!
They were so good!
The festival also offers amusement rides….
While many festival activities are free, the amusement rides have their own separate ticket or armband system. You can purchase tickets individually or buy all-day armbands for unlimited rides.
After spending about an hour at the festival, we decided to head to our hotel.
I had booked a stay at the Pointes North Beachfront Hotel.
After getting checked in, we headed to our room.
It was very spacious!
We had a king size bed, “mini kitchen”, whirlpool tub, large bathroom, couch, and more!
But the reason I booked here is because of this!
It sits right on Lake Michigan!
That evening we walked down to the “beach” area to watch the sunset.
Views of the hotel from the beach.
The sunset did not disappoint ….it was gorgeous!
I could have sat out here all night!
Later we headed back to our room to sit on our balcony for a while before calling it a night.
Read reviews here
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for Day 8!