Planes, Trains & Autos

Hey Guys!

I am really getting behind on my blogging….I still have about 5 more trips to blog about once I am finished with this one! So, it’s been hard trying to keep up!

Let’s get back to exploring the 5 Great Lakes! I have two more days left to blog about!!

We are currently in Port Huron, MI but today we will be heading to our next hotel in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.

Before leaving our hotel in Port Huron, we started our morning with a free breakfast at the hotel.

They had lots to choose from!

After making our plates, we headed to a table that had views of the lake.

I wasn’t impressed with the food at all….it tasted like it had been sitting out for hours!

After breakfast, we headed back to our room where we enjoyed a few minutes of relaxation on our small patio.

At around 9:30, we began the drive to our first stop of the day. The drive would take approximately 3.5 hours.

We had to cross over the Blue Water Bridge into Canada and we couldn’t believe how long the line was to go through!

Tip: Be sure to have your passports ready to show the border patrol agent

After driving for about 3 hours, we made our first stop in Grimsby, ON so we could get our feet wet in Lake Ontario!

We found a small park called Grimsby Beach Park that sat right on the shore of Lake Ontario so that’s where we headed.

It was a tiny park in the middle of a residential area but we were able to find a small parking area so we parked and headed down to the lake.

A shot of the beach area

There was an informational plaque that talked about the history of Grimsby Beach.

Grimsby Beach was used by Euro-Canadian settlers as a religious gathering place in the mid-19th century, which became known as a Methodist Campground.

By the 1870s, canvas and post tents were being replaced with wood-frame cottages, known as permanent tents.

Several of those “cottages” are still standing today…..here’s a shot of one of them.

Walking the path to the lakeshore

We couldn’t get over how clear the water was at all of these lakes ….I never imagined them looking like they do! I mean, in some areas, they looked like Caribbean water!

Of course, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to have our picture taken in front of the lake.

I told my husband I wished we had made little signs for each lake and held them up in our photos. It would have made it so much easier to remember which lake we were standing in front of when we looked back through our pictures later.

We found so many cool rocks while we were here!

After spending a few minutes at the lake, we decided it was time to find something for lunch.

We found a restaurant about 15 mins from the park called the Lake House. 

The restaurant sat right on the shores of Lake Ontario and they had outdoor seating with views of the lake!

After getting seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

I ordered the fish tacos and the hubby ordered his usual burger.

The food was delicious and the service was great!….and you couldn’t beat the views!

Read reviews here

After lunch, we continued our drive to our next stop which would be in Buffalo, NY.

We made a quick stop when we spotted some cherry trees on the side of the road!

The area we were in was called St. Catharines, ON.

Tip: To see the cherry blossoms in bloom, click here

As we continued our drive, we entered into the town of Niagara Falls, ON.

We then crossed over the Peace Bridge to make our way back into the United States.

Tip: Once again, have those passports ready to show the border agent

Once you cross over the bridge, you will now be in New York.

At this point, we continued the short drive to Buffalo.

The drive from Port Huron to Buffalo is 4 hours.

Our first stop in Buffalo was the Forest Lawn Cemetery. 

I’m sure some of you may think it’s a bit strange for someone wanting to visit a cemetery while on vacation but this isn’t just some old cemetery, this cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic places due to its stunning landscape architecture and significant monuments.

This 269 acre cemetery was designed after a famous cemetery in Paris called the Père-Lachais.

Opened in 1804, Père Lachaise in Paris is the world’s most visited cemetery. Its 70,000 ornate tombs of the rich and famous form a verdant, 108-acre sculpture garden in the city’s 20th arrondissement.

The Père-Lachais cemetery encouraged people to walk the grounds, admire the funerary art, and commune with nature so the creator of Forest Lawn followed the design of the Père-Lachais.

This cemetery was created in 1849 and the first burial was held in 1850. There are now more than 165,000 burial sites here.

There are also more than 3,500 trees in Forest Lawn, representing 100 different species and varieties and making the cemetery an important arboretum.

Charles Clark, the Buffalo, NY lawyer who created the cemetery, started a policy of providing interesting and appropriate sculptures to the natural setting of Forest Lawn – a continuing policy that has made the cemetery a significant outdoor sculpture museum today.

Read about the history of the cemetery here & click here to download a map of the cemetery

There are so many unique sculptures and headstones ….you could literally spend hours here!

We spent about an hour here checking out as many headstones and sculptures as we could!

Tip: You can also book a tour of the cemetery and they will show you where all the famous people are buried. You can also download their app for a self guided tour.

One of the most impressive features in the cemetery is the Blocher Monument.

The monument was sculpted in 1884 by an Italian sculptor by the name of Frank Torrey.

It was designed by John Blocher.

The center of attention inside the tomb is Nelson Blocher, laid out for viewing, clutching a bible. Looking at his prostrate form are his parents, John and Elizabeth Blocher. Hovering above is an angel, who, some say, bears a striking resemblance to a maid employed by the Blocher family.

It’s said that Nelson died of a broken heart. Accounts of the day say that his mother, Elizabeth, goaded her husband, John into constructing the tomb as a memorial for their heartbroken son.

Where exactly are the Blochers spending eternity? They are underneath a movable slab in the floor of the mausoleum!

Since I took so many pictures, I will share a few of my favorites.

There are several famous people buried in this cemetery.

One of those is the music legend Rick James who died in 2004.

Another one is the 13th President of the US, Millard Fillmore. 

He is buried here along with his 1st and 2nd wife and his son and daughter.

Read reviews for the cemetery here

After leaving the cemetery, we headed to our next stop.

Along the way, we passed the beautiful Saint Mark Catholic Church that was established in 1908.

Our next stop was Parkside Candies.

This candy store has been a tradition in Buffalo since 1927.

Behind the storefront is the actual factory where they produce all of their yummy candy!

Walking inside the candy store felt like walking back in time.

The oval interior of the store and dining area was designed by Buffalo architect Morton Wolfe, finished in the style of the Adam’s period.

Still today, the interior features a beautiful solid walnut soda fountain, tables, and candy cases.

In the center of the store are the original three light fixtures which not only help light the store, but also assist in the heating and cooling.

The store was so beautiful!

But we were here for their yummy candy and trying to choose what to purchase proved to be a challenge for both me and my hubby!

We wanted one of everything!

They are known for their sponge candy……which is a light, airy toffee that’s made by heating sugar then adding baking soda. The baking soda makes the candy foam up, creating a sponge like crystalline structure. Once set, the foamed sugar becomes crunchy and brittle. It’s then covered in chocolate.

The sweet employee, who happened to be from Tennessee, opened a bag to let us try it….it was really good!

They also had an old fashioned soda fountain where you could purchase shakes, sodas, sundaes, cones and more.

Fun Fact: In 1983, the movie “The Natural”, starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close was filmed at the Parkside Candy Store.

After purchasing way too much chocolate, we headed to our next stop.

Read reviews for the candy store here

Our next stop would be the Martin house.

We had wanted to tour the house but it was closed the day we arrived.

Built between 1903 and 1905, the Martin House was designed by acclaimed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright as the city home for Buffalo business executive Darwin D. Martin and his family.

Wright is internationally recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th century architecture and design. His legacy is marked by his vision to create a new form of architecture based on the open landscape of the American Midwest.

Since it wasn’t opened, we just parked and took a few pictures of the outside of the house.

Book a tour here & read reviews here

There was another beautiful house that sat next to the Martin House!

After leaving here, we headed to our next stop where we passed lots of beautiful, old homes!

We also passed the beautiful St. Louis Catholic Church. The construction of the church was completed in 1889.

Shortly after leaving the Martin House, we arrived to our next stop, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.

Unfortunately the house was closed when we arrived, so we just took pictures of the outside.

This is the Ansley Wilcox House and it is where in 1901 that Theodore Roosevelt would be sworn in as the President of the United States after President William McKinley had been assassinated that day at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.

Roosevelt was Vice President at the time and was suddenly thrust into the presidency under tragic circumstances.

The oldest part of the building actually dates back to the Buffalo Barracks, a US Army post built in the 1840’s.

In the latte 1800’s the house was converted into a private residence by Ansley Wilcox and his wife Mary Grace.

The house later became a restaurant before being threatened by commercial development….but thanks to a local preservation campaign, it was declared a National Historic Site in 1966 and opened as a museum in 1971.

Read reviews here

After leaving here, we decided it was time for dinner so we headed out to find something to eat….we passed a restaurant called, Anchor Bar that said it was the home of the original Buffalo wings so we couldn’t pass that up!

After getting parked, we headed inside.

The inside was so cool!

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

I ordered the grilled chicken tenders and my hubby ordered the famous wings.

The food was really good!

After paying our bill, we walked around the restaurant checking out all of the pictures and newspaper articles that were hanging on the walls.

Lots of famous people had eaten here.

As we got ready to leave, I turned around and caught my husband kissing another woman! 😉

Read reviews here

After leaving here, we headed to our next hotel in Niagara Falls, ON.

The drive from Buffalo takes about 30 minutes.

On the drive, we passed more beautiful old houses and a church.

We had to cross back over the Peace Bridge to get into Canada.

The line was forever long to get into Canada!

After arriving to our hotel, the Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls, we were told they had to move us to the Hilton because they were having water issues.

I was not a happy camper because I had booked this hotel for the views as I had stayed in this property a year earlier when I had visited Niagara for the first time with my mom and sisters.

You can read about that trip here

We were given no compensation or anything for being moved to a different hotel. I had booked the hotel through Booking.com and will not be using them again after having consistent issues with getting the room types I book…..not to mention, they recently left a fake review for a property under my account and refused to remove it,…I had to file a complaint against them with the BBB….which nothing came out of that!

Click here to book all kinds of tours at Niagara

After arriving to the Hilton, we parked in the garage which costs us like $80 a nite and we were staying for two nights.

Once we made it up to our room, I was even more disappointed because the views were not very good at all!

At the Oakes, you had clear views of both the US falls and the Canadian falls but at the Hilton we only had a view of the US side which is much smaller than the Canadian falls!

The room we were given was nice though but I would have rather had the views I paid for at the Oakes!

Read reviews for the Hilton here & reviews for the Oakes here

After getting settled into our room, we headed back outside to check out the falls.

A shot of the Hilton….it sits across the street from the falls while the Oakes sits on the other side of the street facing the falls. The Oakes is a much closer walk to the falls than the Hilton!

The shortest route to the falls from the hotels is to purchase a ticket on the Falls incline railway.

The railway takes you right down to the Fallsview Tourist area and the Table Rock Centre.

After purchasing our tickets, we boarded the railway and were greeted with awesome views of horseshoe falls. 

After exiting the railway, we made our way through the Table Rock center and exited out the other side to get an up close view of the falls.

Niagara Falls is one of those places that photos can never do justice. Its beauty is overwhelming, and you truly have to stand beside the falls to understand their power and immensity!

Every night they light up the falls with different colored lights….it’s really cool to see!

And then, at 10:00 pm sharp, they shoot off fireworks over the falls!

You definitely don’t want to miss it….it lasts for exactly 5 mins.

Tip: You can book tours to see the falls lit up at night or see the fireworks.

After watching the fireworks, we headed back to our room where we enjoyed our yummy chocolates from Parkside Candy. 

A shot of the views from our room

Later, we called it a night!

Thanks for reading!

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here and Day 8 here

Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time exploring all 5 Great Lakes!

We are currently in Traverse City but will be making our way to Port Huron, MI which is a 4 hr drive.

Before checking out of our hotel, we took a few minutes to enjoy the views from our balcony.

A shot of the hotel

We then packed up and headed to a local  restaurant called, The Cottage for some much needed breakfast.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

I settled on an omelet with hash browns and a side of pancakes while the hubby went with the cherry covered pancakes and a side of sausage.

The food was delicious and those pancakes were out of this world!! The cherries were so good!

Read reviews here 

After breakfast, we headed out to find the world’s largest cherry pie pan!

It was about a 10 min drive from the restaurant.

This cherry pie pan was used in 1987 to make the world’s largest cherry pie!

The pie tin for the record-setting pie was 18 feet wide and 26 inches deep. It was built by the Jacklin Steel Supply Company of Traverse City.

The pie weighed a whopping 28,350 lbs!

The record was short lived ….on July 14, 1990, the city of Oliver, British Columbia, baked a 37,721 lb cherry pie and officially unseated Traverse City as the home of the “World’s Largest Cherry Pie”….however, the Canadian bakers didn’t save their pan, leaving Traverse City still the leader in the plus sized pie tins.

You can really tell just how big it is when you. stand next to it!

Read reviews here

After checking out the pie pan, we began our 4 hr drive to Port Huron.

We passed through Grayling where you will find Camp Grayling , a multi purpose training center for the National Guard and other military units and Grayling Army Airfield that includes two 5,000 ft runways that support training exercises.

Arriving to Port Huron

Our first stop in Port Huron was the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

Fort Gratiot was built in 1814 during the War of 1812 to guard the juncture of the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. Named after the engineer who supervised construction, Charles Gratiot, Fort Gratiot would be occupied on and off  by the United States Army until 1879.

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was built in 1829 to replace a tower destroyed by a storm. It is the  oldest operating lighthouse in the Great Lakes and is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Michigan.

The 86 ft light stands above the lake level in a conical stone tower, overlaid with red brick that has been painted white.

The keeper’s cottage and fog whistle house are red.

Tower climbs and tours are available during business hours for approximately $10 pp.

Near the lighthouse is the USLSS, the United States Life Saving Service that was established in 1871.

This organization was responsible for saving the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers.

In 1939, the Coast Guard merged with the Lighthouse Service and took over the operation of the lighthouse station.

Scattered around the property were plaques filled with interesting facts about the lighthouse’s history and the vital role the Coast Guard played along the coast.

One of the nearby buildings had been turned into a small gift shop…this is also where you would purchase tickets if you waned to tour the lighthouse.

Next to the lighthouse was a public beach called Lighthouse Beach..

Read reviews for the lighthouse here & click here for reviews of the beach

We then headed to the Thomas Edison Park.

Here you will find the one mile Thomas Edison Parkway Boardwalk.

The “boardwalk”, which is a paved walkway, runs along the St Clair River.

From the boardwalk you will have views of the Blue Water Bridge ….on the other side of the bridge is Canada.

Port Huron sits on Lake Huron at the southern end where it connects to the St. Clair River. The city is located on the U.S. side of the border, directly across the river from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

We came here to see the Huron Lightship Museum.

Lightships are floating lighthouses that are anchored in areas where it was too deep, expensive, or impractical to construct a lighthouse. Lightships displayed a light at the top of a mast and, in areas of fog, also sounded a fog signal and radio beacon.

The Huron Lightship was the last operating lightship on the Great Lakes, and served for over 50 years when she was retired in 1970. She was permanently moored in sand, along the banks of the St. Clair River.

The museum has an extensive collection of artifacts, including many model ships. It was dedicated in 1990 as a National Historic Landmark.

The cost to tour the ship was $12 pp.

The tour was a guided tour but we got stuck with a young boy who didn’t seem to know very much about the ship.

He took us all through the ship and showed us the living quarters, kitchen, bathrooms, steam room and much more.

It was very interesting.

The family of Robert J Gullickson had donated some of his belongings to be showcased on the ship.

Mr. Gullickson was lost at sea in 1958 when the boat he and another sailor were riding in was capsized by a wave as the two were delivering mail to the Huron Lightship.

The lightship was stationed in Lake Huron about two miles offshore.

The two sailors held hands and talked in the water before a wave separated them. Mr. Gullickson tried to swim to shore but never made it. His body was never recovered.

He was the only crewman lost during the 35 years the Huron was in operation.

A few more shots of the ship.

Read reviews here

After the tour, we continued our walk along the boardwalk.

We spotted this heart shaped art installation and couldn’t pass on having our pictures taken in front of it! 😉

We then noticed a huge freight liner going up under the Blue Water Bridge so we walked over to take a few pictures.

The bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, and Point Edward, Ontario, Canada.

The first bridge was fully opened to traffic on October 10, 1938 and the second three-lane bridge, just south of the first bridge, opened on July 22, 1997.

The Blue Water Bridges are jointly owned and maintained by Canada and the United States.

There are many statues scattered along the boardwalk with one of those being of Thomas Edison.

Thomas Edison and his family had moved to Port Huron in 1854 when he was about 7 years old. He spent much of his formative years here. His family settled in Port Huron after his father’s lumber business in Ohio had failed.

Our next stop was just a few minutes walk from the statue called the Thomas Edison Depot Museum.

The Grand Trunk depot is where 12 year old Thomas Edison departed daily on the Port Huron-Detroit run.

The museum occupies the historic railway depot originally built in 1858 by the Grand Trunk Railway.

This building is the actual depot where young Thomas worked from 1859 to 1863.

In 1859, the railroad’s first year of operation, Thomas persuaded the company to let him sell newspapers and confections on the daily trips.

He became so successful that he soon placed two newsboys on other Grand Trunk runs to Detroit. He made enough money to support himself.

After paying our $12 admission fee, we started our self guided tour.

Thomas Edison had attended school briefly in Port Huron but was largely homeschooled by his mother after being labeled “difficult” by his teachers.

At around 12 yrs old, he started working as a newsboy and candy vendor on the Grand Trunk Railroad. He even created his own small publication, The Grand Trunk Herald, which he printed in the baggage car.

He set up a small chemical lab and printing press in the baggage car of the train and also conducted experiments in the basement of his home. These early scientific experiments laid the foundation for this future work as an inventor.

The museum was so interesting….it told about Edison’s early life story, his family move from Ohio to Port Huron, his homeschooling, his youthful curiosity, his early jobs, and how those years laid the groundwork for his future inventions.

Shots of the inside of the museum

There was a restored baggage car that recreated Edison’s mobile chemistry lab and printing shop.

There were hands on and interactive displays throughout the museum.

Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents in his name…he also held several hundred international patents, bringing his total number of patents worldwide to well over 1500!

Some of the things he invented were incandescent light bulb (not the first but the most practical and commercially viable), electric power distribution system, electric meter, phonograph, kinetoscope (early motion picture viewer), alkaline storage batteries, and so much more!

The museum was very educational and engaging.

Read reviews here

After visiting the museum, we decided to go check into our hotel.

We would be staying at the DoubleTree and unbeknownst to us, we could have walked there from the museum!

After getting checked in, we headed to our room.

The room was very nice and spacious.

We had a small patio with views of the bridge!

Read reviews here

After getting settled into our room, we decided to head back out to find something for dinner.

My hubby had found a place in the nearby town of Marine City, MI called Marine City Fish Company.…so, we decided to try it out.

Tip: The restaurant was a 30 min drive from our hotel in Port Huron.

Driving through downtown Port Huron

The downtown district was full of old, colorful buildings!

We then drove through Old Town Port Huron and spotted lots of beautiful, historic homes!

The whole drive was basically a parade of gorgeous old houses….total eye candy for architecture lovers!

Arriving to Marine City

Where we spotted even more incredible homes!

After getting parked, we made our way to the restaurant.

The restaurant has a prime river front setting on the St. Clair River …it offers an upstairs with indoor/outdoor seating and a patio that offers scenic views.

Its building has historical roots—-from log construction tied to the 1800’s lumber trade…which definitely adds to the charm of the restaurant.

The restaurant was really cool on the inside!

We asked to be seated on the second floor so we could have views of the river.

The views were awesome!

Their menu focuses on fresh local fish and seafood plus smoked specialties, sandwiches, pastas and steaks.

We started out with an appetizer of smoked fish & cheeses…..it was really good!

Then came our salads and bread…..that bread was so delicious!

For our main entrees, we both ordered the cedar planked white fish….the fish comes right out of Lake Superior!

The food, service and views were all excellent!

Read reviews here

As we were eating dinner, we spotted a huge freight liner passing by.

After dinner, we decided to walk through the town and check out the nearby lighthouse that we had spotted from the balcony of the restaurant.

The Peche Island Lighthouse was a historic lighthouse “off Peche Island in the entrance to the Detroit River from Lake St. Clair. Located in American waters just north of the border to Canada. It was moved to Marine City, Michigan upon its deactivation.

Erected on a crib in open water, by 1908 it had developed a severe list to one side, and in 1983, the 60ft tall lighhouse was replaced with a skeletal tower. The old tower was installed in lighthouse Park in Marine City where it still stands.

Marine City is a charming small town that offers unique blend of French heritage, maritime history and small-town charm.

It was founded by French settlers in the late 18th century and was originally known as Yankee Point due to its early American settlers.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Marine City became a hub for shipbuilding, with many wooden ships constructed here for the Great Lakes.

The town’s maritime heritage is evident in the grand architecture of homes once owned by shipbuilders and captains .

Click here for things to do in Marine City

One of the attractions is the Riverwalk & Parks.….Marine City boasts eight parks along Water Street that offer scenic views of the river.

After spotting this massive chair, leaving without a picture was simply not an option! 😉

Continuing our walk through town

We loved all of the old, historic buildings!

After checking out the town, we decided it was time to head back to Port Huron.

More historic homes that we passed along the way

We passed the historic Wilbur Davidson home.  The house was built in 1890 for Wilbur Davidson who was born in 1852. He had established a dry goods store in Port Huron around 1882. In 1883, his store installed the first electric light plant. He lived in this house until his death in 1913. His daughter lived here until 1951.

Driving through the Desmond District in Port Huron.

We passed this old Firestone building…the building was constructed in the 1950’s.

After arriving back to Port Huron, we decided to park and walk the boardwalk at the Thomas Edison Park….the park we had been at earlier in the day.

Passing the Thomas Edison Museum

We took a few minutes to check out the nearby statues and historical plaques that were scattered along the boardwalk.

A shot of the bridge

After spending a few minutes walking the boardwalk, we decided to head to the hotel and call it a night.

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 9!

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here & Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

 

 

 

 

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!

Read reviews here & here

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our journey exploring the amazing Great Lakes.

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here & Day 5 here.…Click here to see links to all of my blog posts since 2018!

We are currently in the cute little town of Sault Ste Marie, MI but today we’ll be heading to Mackinaw City, MI to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island.

After checking out of the Lockview Hotel, we began our one hour drive to Mackinaw City, MI.

About 45 mins into the drive, we arrived to St. Ignace, MI. This is another place where you can catch the ferry to Mackinac Island.

The ferry service here is called Arnold Transit Co. and it’s usually not as crowded as the ferry in Mackinaw City. An adult ticket on the traditional ferry costs about $40 pp.

Purchase your ticket for this ferry, here  & Read reviews here

As we were driving through St. Ignace, we passed Castle Rock. 

Castle Rock is considered to be one of the oldest lookout points near the city of St. Ignace, and was known as Pontiac’s Lookout by the Ojibwa Tribe.

Clarence Eby opened Castle Rock for tourists in 1929 and it has remained a popular tourist destination ever since.

The rock rises 195 ft above water level and about 183 ft above I-75. It offers amazing views of Mackinac Island, Lake Huron and the city of St. Ignace.

Read reviews here

To continue our drive to Mackinaw City, we had to cross over the famous Mackinac Bridge.

We had to pay a toll of $4 to cross the bridge.

The Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long and is currently the seventh-longest suspension bridge in the world by total suspended length, and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.

The total cost to construct the bridge was almost 100 million dollars! The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.

Starting our drive across the bridge

And driving over the bridge

Shortly after crossing the bridge, we spotted this hotdog restaurant called, Wienerlicous. 

Atop the restaurant sits a 63 ft hot dog sculpture!

Read reviews here

Arriving to the cute town of Mackinaw City

Since we had arrived about 45 mins before our ferry reservation, we decided to drive around and check out the town.

We passed the Bridgeview Diner that was home to the “Worlds Best Burger”….we had to stop when we saw a huge burger sculpture sitting next to the restaurant.

If it hadn’t been so early in the morning, my hubby would have definitely wanted to try out their world’s best burger! 😉

Read reviews here

We then passed the statue of Hattie Stimpson.…she was one of the founding members of the Womans Mackinaw Club that was formed in 1912.

We decided to check out a nearby lighthouse called, Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse.

The lighthouse was constructed in 1892 along the Straits of Mackinac at the junction of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It was deactivated in 1957 and currently serves as a museum.

From the lighthouse, you will have views of the Mackinac Bridge.

Besides the lighthouse, you can also tour the keeper’s home, fog signal building, oil house and more.

Read reviews here & purchase tickets here (they are $10.75 for adults)

The tower of the lighthouse stands 58 ft tall.

After checking out the lighthouse, we walked down to the water to take pictures of the Mackinac Bridge.

And of course, we couldn’t leave without taking our pictures in front of the famous bridge!

We then headed back to the dock to board the ferry to Mackinac Island.

The ferry service in Mackinaw City is ran by Sheplers and their basic roundtrip ticket costs approx. $40 pp for an adult.

However, after arriving, we were told we could only park at the dock if we were staying overnight on Mackinac Island!

We had to drive to a nearby parking lot and be shuttled back to the dock.

Click here to read about where to park for the Shepler’s Ferry & Click here to read about where to park if you catch the ferry in St. Ignace.  Read reviews here for Shepler’s Ferry.

Tip: There is a fee to park at the dock and at their offsite parking lot. If you park at the offsite parking, you can purchase your parking ticket online, or at the lot via a QR code using your smartphone or at the kiosk. Click here to read all about parking, ferry tickets and more.

After arriving to the lot and paying our parking fee via the QR code, we boarded the shuttle.

We were back at the dock in less than 15 mins from the parking lot.

Tip: The shuttles run every 15 mins and the ferries run every 15 to 30 mins depending on the season

I had pre purchased the enhanced ferry tickets for $50 pp. This allowed us to skip the regular ferry line and board before other ferry passengers.

We were literally the first passengers on the boat….so, we could sit anywhere we wanted!

We decided to sit inside.

After a few minutes, we were on our way to Mackinac Island!

The ride takes approx. 20-30 mins.

On the way, they take you under the Mackinac Bridge.

The views of the bridge from the boat were awesome!

As we neared the island, we spotted the historic, Grand Hotel!

I’ll talk more about this iconic place a bit later in my blog.

Views of Mackinac Island from the boat

As you near the dock in Mackinac Island, you will pass the Round Island Passage Lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built in 1947 and replaced the original Rock Island Light that was built in 1895.

Sitting near the Round Island Lighthouse, is the original Round Island Lighthouse.

Arriving to Mackinac Island

A shot of one of the ferries

After exiting the boat, you will walk a short distance and get your first view of the iconic streets of Mackinac Island.

As you know, there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island.

Only bikes and horses are allowed here!

So, after arriving, we headed to the nearest bike rental company to rent bikes for the day.

Click here for best things to do on the island

The nearest place we spotted was Ryba’s Bicycle Rental.

They offered several different kinds of bikes…we decided on the singles bike for $55 each for the day.

Tip: You will hold your bikes with a credit card but aren’t charged until you return because you may decide to only keep your bike 2 hrs or decide to keep it all day…the hourly rate is $12 for a single.

After getting our bikes, they gave us a map of the island. 

I hadn’t ridden a bike in years so I was a bit apprehensive at first but the anxiety faded quickly after I realized how easy it was…..it hardly took any effort at all!

One of the employees at Ryba kindly pointed us in the direction of the bike path that circles the island –M-185, the only state highway in the US where motor vehicles are banned. The bike path is 8.2 miles.

We passed so many gorgeous historic homes along the way.

There are several paths that you can take but we chose the one that runs alongside the lake.

The views were so beautiful!

This was definitely one of our most favorite things we did on our trip!

There are plenty of spots along the path where you can pull over and snap some stunning photos of the island’s scenic views.

One spot we stopped off at was called the Devil’s Kitchen.

The Devil’s Kitchen is a group of small sea caves and are the youngest rock formations on Mackinac Island.

According to the nearby plaque, this large mass of limestone was formed about 350 million years ago.

Continuing our ride along the path

Later, we passed these beautiful houses!

Although a light drizzle started to fall, we didn’t let it slow us down ….we just threw on our rain jackets and kept riding.

Views along the bike path

After a few minutes of riding, we came across a beautiful beach and decided to stop for some photos.

It was so peaceful. This would be a great place for a picnic lunch.

After taking our pictures, we continued our ride.

Just a few minutes later, we arrived to the very popular Arch Rock stop.

Arch Rock is the most famous of the rock formations on the island.

More informational signs near the rock

We parked our bike and began our walk up the steep staircase leading to the rock….there are 207 steps! There are a few benches along the way in case you need to rest.

Tip: You can also reach the rock by foot or bike by using Arch Rock road or even by a horse drawn carriage tour.

After reaching the top, we got our first view of the massive arch rock.

The rock towers 146 feet above the shoreline of Lake Huron and spans 50 ft.

Arch Rock is a natural limestone formation sculpted by centuries of wind, waves and erosion.

In 1875, Mackinac Island became the second national park in the US (after Yellowstone), and Arch Rock was one of the first protected landmarks.

Views of the lake from Arch Rock

Read reviews here

Tip: Also located near the rock is the Milliken Nature Center. You will find restrooms located in the nature center.

Parked near the nature center was a carriage tour being pulled by these beautiful horses!

Heading back down the stairs

Shortly after leaving Arch Rock, we were back in town where we passed old historic churches and buildings.

Read the history of the island here and Read reviews for the bike path here & here

We decided it was time for lunch so we headed downtown where most of the restaurants are located.

This area is the most crowded area on the island!

We parked our bikes and began our search for somewhere to eat.

Everything was super crowded….however, we ended up finding a burger joint called Verde’s Smash Burger that could seat us right away so we decided to eat here.

We were seated at a table with views of the lake.

Trying to decide what to order….so many choices!

I decided on the steak tacos and the hubby ordered his usual burger.

The food was delicious!

Read reviews here & Click here to see more restaurants on the island

After lunch, we walked around town to look for our usual souvenirs.

We then grabbed our bikes and continued our ride through town.

We passed this house that had the most beautiful garden I had ever seen!

Who wouldn’t love to have something like this in their back yard?!

We then passed this gorgeous stone church.

This is the Little Stone Church. The church was built in 1904.

We passed the historical marker for the Bonga Tavern…the tavern was the first hotel on Mackinac Island.

We were on our way to the incredible, historic Grand Hotel.

Tip: There are so many things to do on this island! I would highly recommend you spend a 2-3 days here if you can.

Arriving to the hotel

The hotel is surrounded by gorgeous flowers!

The Grand Hotel opened its doors on July 10, 1887, after just 93 days of construction!

The cost to stay here at the time was between $3 & $5 a night! It had 5 stories and 286 guest rooms.

The most iconic feature of this hotel is the 660 ft front porch — the longest in the world!

More pics of the hotel and grounds

After taking 897 pictures of the hotel and grounds, we headed to the front porch.

You have to pay $12 pp just to access the front porch and hotel.

Tip: Your admission includes a self-guided brochure with QR codes that link to videos to learn more about the areas you can visit. You can also have lunch and/or tea and access their retail stores.

The famous front porch!

Thomas Edison gave the first phonograph demonstrations here, Mark Twain lectured in the hotel’s casino in 1895 and the hotel has hosted several US Presidents including Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F Kennedy, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The hotel was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1957, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989!

The hotel starred in the 1947 musical This Time for Keeps starring Esther Williams and was also the setting for the movie Somewhere in Time in 1980.

After checking out the front porch, we headed inside to look around.

Wow was it bougie! This place will cost you anywhere from $600 to over $1000 a night to stay here!

The furniture and decor were so beautiful!

All of the rooms were painted different colors.

They had a picture of John Oliver Plank hanging on the wall….he had the Grand Hotel built.

One of the dining rooms

After checking out the inside, we headed back outside to the porch and grabbed a rocking chair to take in the breathtaking views.

Of course, we couldn’t leave without having our picture taken sitting on the front porch! 😉

Read reviews for the hotel here

After leaving here, we hopped back on our bikes and headed back towards town.

We passed the Stuart House City Museum, the Market Street historical marker, & the historic American Fur Co. Store.

When we spotted the historic Trinity Church, we decided to stop and go inside.

The church was built in 1882.

Its furnishings include an altar of hand carved walnut and two chancel chairs that were made by soldiers at the nearby fort.

The church had beautiful stained glass windows.

Read reviews here

Next, we decided to visit Fort Mackinac. 

After purchasing our tickets ($17 pp), we were given a map of the fort.

There was a list of scheduled events hanging by the ticket booth.

We had to climb 27 stairs to the entrance of the fort.

Once you were at the top, you had sweeping views of Mackinac Island.

Fort Mackinac was built by the British around 1780-82. It was constructed atop a bluff to replace the vulnerable Fort Michilimackinac. Its position secured control over the Straits of Mackinac and the fur trade routes on the Great Lakes.

In 1796, American forces peacefully took control of the fort. The fort then became one of the first battlegrounds of the War of 1812 when British and Native allies captured it in July of 1812.

Despite an American attempt to retake it during the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island, the British held firm until after the war concluded.

The fort transitioned into the site of Mackinac National Park in 1875 and became Michigan’s first state park in 1895. It officially reopened in 1959 as a living history museum.

There are 14 original buildings that can. be explored including Michigan’s oldest…the Officers’ Stone Quarters built in 1780.

The interior has been restored to depict their original functions: barracks, hospital, guardhouse, and more.

On site there are consumed interpreters that bring the past alive with musket drills, cannon firings, guard monitoring ceremonies, and stories about military and family life at the fort.

Tip: Visitors ages 13 and older can register to fire the fort’s historic cannon in the morning and experience the process first hand.

There is so much to see and do at the fort that you could literally spend all day….from short films, to demonstrations, to shopping at the Sutler’s Museum store and even having lunch at the Fort Mackinac Tea Room.

One of my favorite buildings was the bath house…it was so cool!

The bathhouse was completed in the early 1880’s and was the last building erected at the fort.

The bathhouse contained six private bathing chambers each fitted with its own tub. It was mandated that each soldier took a bath once a week!

After spending about an hour at the fort, we headed back to the downtown area.

On the way, we passed the Missionary Bark Chapel.

This chapel is a reconstruction of the first Catholic chapel built by Jesuit missionaries during their 1670-71 mission on Mackinac Island.

It is made from birch bark and is a simple hut like construction that was commonly used by missionaries in the remote Great Lakes regions.

We then passed the St. Ann’s Church, so we decided to go inside and check it out.

The church was built in 1874. The inside was very simple but beautiful.

Read reviews here

Once we made it back to downtown, we spotted Sanders chocolate store so we couldn’t pass up purchasing some delicious chocolates. 😉

Sanders was founded in Detroit in 1875 by Fred Sanders, starting with a barrel of borrowed sugar, a leased shop and a confectioner’s dream.

Over time, the brand grew to more than 57 stores in the Great Lakes region. In 2002, the Sanders name and recipes were acquired by Morley Candy Makers, Inc, which continues to preserve the tradition and flavor.

Well, I was in candy heaven….the store offered a variety of candies, fudge, ice cream, and lots more!

Now how do you choose with all of this calling your name?!

You can even watch their sweet treats being made right in the store.

One thing I never do, walk into a candy store and not order chocolate covered caramel ….so, I ordered those and lots more!

It was so good!

Read reviews here

Tip: From what I’ve read, the “not to be missed” sweet treat on Mackinac Island is the fudge.

After eating our sweet treats, we turned in our bikes and headed for the ferry.

Heading back to Mackinaw City on the ferry.

We once again passed the Round Island Passage Lighthouse.

Once we had been shuttled back to our car, we headed to our hotel.

I had booked a little cabin on the lake at the Beach House Lakeside Cottages.

After getting checked in, we drove a short distance to our cabin….number 27.

The cabin was so cute!

It was sitting right on the shores of beautiful Lake Huron.

The cabin had two queen beds, a sofa, bathroom and kitchen and a table with 3 chairs in the kitchen.

Read reviews here

After getting settled into our room, we headed back out to find something to eat.

We decided to eat at one of the places my hubby had on the list called, Scalawags. 

Their menu is limited but they are known for their whitefish dinners so we both decided on the two piece whitefish dinner with fries.

After ordering, we headed outside to find a table.

The service was slow but the food was delicious!

Read reviews here

After dinner, we headed back to our little cottage where we spent time walking along the shores of Lake Huron.

Later, we settled into the chairs on our little front porch and watched the sun slowly dip behind the horizon, casting a golden light across the calm waters of Lake Huron.

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 7!

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time exploring the beautiful Great Lakes!

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here & Day 4 here.…Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

We checked out of our hotel, the Comfort Inn in Manistique, MI, and headed to Munising, MI for a boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Shoreline.

The drive from Manistique to Munising takes approximately 50 minutes.

Once we arrived to Munising, we headed to check in for our boat tour.

We had booked the 10 am cruise but had to arrive 30 mins prior to departure to check in. You will want to arrive early if you want a good seat on the boat!

Tip: The parking here is very limited…..arrive early for your tour!

On the way, we passed this informational plaque talking about the historical waterfront.

Tip: We had to go through the Pictured Rocks Interpretive Center to check in as the main building was under renovation. Purchase your tickets here.

I had pre purchased our tickets prior to leaving for our trip because these tours can sell out quickly. The cost was $54 pp.

We spotted another informational plaque that talked about the history of the boat cruises.

The first tours to operate along the Pictured Rocks Cliffs was in the 1920’s. The tour ran every Sunday.

A shot of the Pictured Rocks boat

After waiting for a few minutes, we boarded the boat.

I had read that the right side of the boat would give you the best views so we went upstairs and sat outside on the right side.

Tip: Dress warm! It’s cold on the water!

We were prepared for that cold weather! 😉

This cruise lasts approximately 2 hours and I highly recommend it! This area is beautiful and you will not want to miss it!

Tip: You can also do a kayak tour instead of taking the boat…..read reviews here.

There are four different boat tours to choose from but we chose the Spray Falls Cruise which includes seeing the 70 ft Spray Falls waterfall that plunges into the lake.

Click here to see the different tours that are offered

When you take one of these cruises, you will be rewarded with spectacular close-up views of sandstone cliffs that lie within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Not long after we pulled away from the dock in Munising, the sandstone cliffs began to rise in the distance.

The views were unreal—massive walls of mineral streaked rock in oranges, greens, reds and purples.

The onboard narration gave context to the geology, history and the names of the formations —like Lover’s Leap, Miners Castle, and Grand Portal Point.

After cruising past countless natural sculptures and caves, we finally reached the highlight: Spray Falls!

The 70 ft waterfall poured directly off the cliff into the vast, deep-blue water of Lake Superior.

The boat slowed down so everyone could get a picture of the beautiful waterfall.

On the way, we passed the iconic Chapel Rock……aka the Tree of Life.

The tree grows atop Chapel Rock, a sandstone pillar located near the shore.

The tree’s roots stretch across open air to the mainland, where they draw nutrients from the forest soil creating a surreal natural “bridge” of life.

Read reviews here

Tip: You can also see this tree by hiking the Chapel Loop Trail …however, it’s 6-10 miles roundtrip depending on your route.

I decided to head downstairs to get some pictures from the back of the boat on the lower deck.

The views were incredible!

A few more pictures of the sandstone cliffs

As we neared the marina in Munising, we spotted an old wooden lighthouse.

The lighthouse is called East Channel Lighthouse.

It was built in 1868. It is one of the few remaining wooden lighthouses on Lake Superior.

It is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula. It is no longer an active lighthouse and it’s privately owned and not opened to the public.

Tip: The boat offers a few snacks, soda and water but it’s cash only. There are restrooms on board as well. No pets are allowed on the boats. You can bring food on the boat.

After arriving back to the dock, we exited the boat and headed back to our car where we had our leftover pizza for lunch.

We had also picked up some of these delicious chips at the gift shop after exiting the boat!

Read reviews here for Pictured Rocks Lakeshore & here for the Spray Falls boat tour

Tip: There is also. a shipwreck boat tour that you can do here…read reviews here.

After lunch, we headed to our next stop.

The town of Munising is so cute!  The population is around 2,000 people.

Click here for things to do in Munising & here for things to see/do in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Our next stop was Miners Falls.….it was a 20 min drive from the boat dock.

Click here & here for a list of waterfalls in this area

The hike to Miners falls is only 1 mile roundtrip.

We saw lots of fungi growing on the trees along the trailhead.

The walk to the falls was really beautiful…..everything was so green and lush!

Once we neared the falls, there were approx. 77 steps that led down to a wooden observation deck where you could view the falls.

Miners Falls is one of the most scenic waterfalls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

It’s tucked away in a forested corner of Pictured Rocks. The waterfall plunges about 50 ft over a rugged sandstone outcrop into a rocky gorge below.

Tip: You can hike the full Miners Loop and see the falls, Castle rock and beach.

Read reviews here

After leaving the falls, we drove to our next stop.

There is an admission fee for this area…..it was $25 for a vehicle or $15 per person if you walked in….both are valid for 7 days with your receipt.

Click here & here for things to see and do in Pictured Rocks

After paying our admission fee, we headed to the miners castle overlook.

The views were incredible!

Miners Castle rises 75 ft above Lake Superior.

A nearby informational plaque

There were two other overlooks located here but we missed those.

I will say, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was one of our favorite places we visited on our trip and I would highly recommend spending at least 2-3 full days here….there’s just so much to see here…from waterfalls, to hiking trails to cool tours! I hate that we missed a lot of it!

After leaving here, we headed to Miners Beach.

The drive to Miners Beach from the overlook is only 5 minutes.

After getting parked, we had to walk a short distance on a wooden boardwalk to reach the beach.

Wow! We couldn’t believe the color of the lake!

I definitely was not expecting to see a lake that looked like Caribbean waters!

This beach was breathtakingly beautiful!

The sand was so clean and white….I would have sworn that I had been transported to somewhere in the Caribbean!

The beach stretches for about one mile along the Lake Superior shoreline and is framed by rocky outcrops and cedar forests.

Tip: Click here for hiking trails in this area

Not only was the beach beautiful, but there was hardly anyone around! It was so peaceful.

Tip: This is a popular launch point for kayakers heading toward Mosquito Beach, Lovers Leap and Grand Portal Point.  There is also a small waterfall at the eastern end of the beach during wetter weather.

There was a gravel path that ran next to the shoreline, offering scenic views.

Views along the trail.

After walking the trail for a while, we decided to walk down to the beach.

The water was so clear!

It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be….it was actually very refreshing.

The water temperature of the lake is usually around 60+ degrees.

We decided to sit on a piece of driftwood and just relax and enjoy the views.

We could have spent a lot more time here but we had lots more places to see!

Read reviews for the beach here

So, we headed back to our car and drove back into Munising …..the drive took about 25 mins from the beach.

Our next stop was the Munising Front Range Lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built in 1908 and is located right in the town of Munising.

The lighthouse is set amid a historic park setting, with an adjacent 1 1/2 story brick building that was the former keeper’s quarters.

The grounds are open to the public but the lighthouse is not open to visitors.

It stands 58 ft tall and is still an active lighthouse that has a continuous red light.

Read reviews here & Click here for more lighthouses in this area

After leaving here, we decided to look for some coffee.

We had not seen many coffee shops on our travels thus far….I searched coffee shops in Google maps and found one called, Rustic Grounds Coffee.

It was a short drive from the lighthouse.

The unique coffee shop operated out of a vintage trailer…it was so cute!

They had so many options to choose from!

I ordered the honey lavender latte and I can’t remember what the hubby ordered.

Unfortunately, the coffee was so sweet that I couldn’t finish drinking it. It had a great flavor if only it hadn’t been so sweet.  🙁

Read reviews here

After getting our coffee, we headed to our next stop which would be Tahquamenon Falls State Park.

We passed through the cute town of Newberry on the way to our next stop.

One of the most popular things to do here is the Oswald’s Bear Ranch.

After driving for 1 hr 40 mins, we finally arrived to the state park.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park encompasses approximately 50,000 acres. The park is Michigan’s second largest state park.  The nearest town to the park is Paradise.

We were here to see the Tahquamenon Falls.

So, after getting parked, we walked a short distance to an observation deck to see the falls.

The falls is a 50 ft drop that spans 200 ft across ranking it as one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River!

At peak spring runoff, it surges with up to 50,000 gallons per second, averaging around 7,000 gallons a second annually!

Read all about the falls and the park here

The falls is also known as “Root Beer Falls” due to its color.

The amber brown hue and frothy white foam come from tannins leached from cedar and hemlock swamps upstream.

Tip: There are over 20-35 miles of trails in the park...see a map here. There are also moose, bear, otters, beavers and 125+ bird species that can be found here.

Since the views here were partially obscured by trees, we decided to walk to another observation area.

As we were walking the trail, we spotted this cool looking fungi growing on a tree.

The gorge view observation deck required walking down 181 stairs! That also meant walking back up 181 stairs…..glad I had been working out for 4 mons prior to this trip! 😉

The boardwalk felt endless!

Finally arriving to the observation deck.

This location definitely gave you better views of the waterfall.

Of course, we had to take our picture if front of the falls. 🙂

The park has access to the Upper Falls and the lower falls.

The lower falls is located about 4 miles downstream and has a series of five cascades that wrap around an island. It is accessible from the new Ronald A. Olson pedestrian bridge…..or you can rent a rowboat and visit the island that way.

Tip: The park features a restaurant called Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub, campgrounds, a gift shop and a lodging cabin.

A few more shots of the falls

If you’re looking for something unique to do, the park offers the iconic Tonnerville Trolley train & riverboat tour where they take you on a 21 mile ride downriver to a secluded vantage point near the Upper Falls. – UPDATE: sadly this is closed now.

As we were walking back to our car, we spotted this exhibit that included a black bear and some informational signs that told about the park.

Read reviews for the park here

Next up on our Great Lakes adventure was the place we’d be calling home for the night, Sault Ste. Marie.

It was located approximately 1 hr 20 mins from the park.

We drove through the small town of Paradise on the way.

I actually had tried to book a cabin here because this area has a high concentration of moose but the cabin I wanted had a 3 night minimum.

Tip: Just 10 mins north of Paradise lies the historic WhiteFish Point Light Station, the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior along with the Great Lakes Shipwreck museum and the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory.

Paradise holds the title as Michigan’s wild blueberry capital so every August the town holds a Wild blueberry festival.

The town also has a logging museum that you can visit. It features vintage tools, a recreated logging camp and live demonstrations.

Tip: For best restaurants in Paradise, try the Berry Patch UP North Diner, Brown’s Fish House or the Wheelhouse Diner.

If you stay in Sault Ste Marie, make sure you book a hotel in the right country as one is located in the US and the other is across the bridge in Canada.

Arriving to Sault St Marie, Michigan.

This town is so cute!

Arriving to our hotel, the Lockview Motel.

There were very few hotel options in this area and the Lockview was perfectly situated near the historic Soo Locks so that’s one reason I booked this hotel.

After getting parked, I headed inside to check in.

A map of Sault Ste Marie

After getting checked in, we headed to our little cottage.

Our room had two queen beds, a sitting area, and a small bathroom.

It was an older property but it was clean and they had kept it up so we were fine with it.

Read reviews here

If you stay here, you get a 10% discount if you eat at the restaurant next door called, Lockview Restaurant.

We were hungry so we didn’t care where we ate at…..we walked next door to the restaurant and got seated right away.

The restaurant has been opened since 1945.

It was really big on the inside and had a second floor as well.

We took a few minutes to look over the menu.

I came so close to ordering the popular U.P Pastie because I told my hubby I had read about them during my research. The pasties are dough that has been filled with ground beef, pork and vegetables and then baked to a golden brown.

My hubby convinced me not to order it since I could get those anywhere so we both ended up ordering the Lake Superior Whitefish dinner.

The whitefish comes from Lake Superior and is bought fresh each day from a local fisherman.

We also ordered a side of the cheese curds.

The food and the service were excellent!

Read reviews here & Click here for things to see/do in Sault Ste Marie

After dinner, we walked across the street to the Canal Park to see the historic Soo Locks.

Shots of the cute town

Click here for historic homes you can see in this area

The park is free to visit but we had to be checked by a security guard before we could enter….she even had to look in my purse.

Near the entrance, they had these cool replicas of the locks.

The Soo Locks are a series of parallel locks that enable ships to avoid the treacherous rapids (a 21 ft drop) on the St. Mary’s River — allowing for safe passage.

The Locks have been operating since 1855.

These incredible locks connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron, allowing massive freighters to safely bypass the 21 foot drop in the St. Mary’s River.

The Soo Locks are vital to the US economy, moving 86 million tons of cargo annually, including 95% of the nation’s iron ore. The locks help facilitate navigation for around 10,000 vessels annually, except during the winter closure when maintenance takes place which is Jan. 15 – March 25th.

During World War II, the locks were especially critical – transporting 90% of the country’s iron ore between 1941 and 1943.

The locks were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

They are managed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

There is a visitor center located here and it’s opened from May through October….it was closed by the time we arrived.

Tip: Every year on the last Friday in June, the public gains rare access to walk between the MacArthur and Poe Locks, offering unmatched up-close experiences….we missed it by 2 days!!

You can take a boat tour that lets you cruise alongside passing freighters while guides share tales of the lock’s past and present.

Tip: A massive new lock is under construction and should be open by 2030.

Walking the grounds of the park

There is a very nice observation deck that has 2-3 levels where you can view the locks.

It gave you great views!

You can also call this number and see when the next ship will be going through the locks….we asked a park ranger and he said it would be midnight so we had to pass on that! 😉

In this picture you can see where the water is lower….

How does a 1000 ft ship fit through this?!

Read reviews here 

After checking out the locks, we decided to walk around the cute little town.

It was full of old, colorful buildings.

Read the history of the town here

We spotted Bigfoot and my hubby insisted on having his picture with him! 😉

We spotted this cute mural on the side of a building and of course, since my shirt matched the flowers, I had to have my picture taken in front of it. 🙂

We decided to walk to the end of town and see the Sault Ste. Marie International bridge.

The bridge was opened in 1962 and sees an average of 7-10k vehicles crossing this border bridge every day.

This is the bridge you would drive to cross over into Canada….the town across the bridge in Canada is also named, Sault Ste Marie.

The sun was setting so it made for some nice shots.

As we were walking back to our hotel, we spotted another Bigfoot. 😉

We spotted this old, historic VFW.

Once we were back at our hotel, I spotted the old historic sign that used to sit in front of the hotel so I had to have my picture with the sign! They should have never removed this sign…it’s so cool!

I think the hotel first opened in the late 60’s or around 1970.

Walking to our cabin

After making it back to our room, we called it a night!

Read reviews for our hotel, here

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 6!

Here’s a shot of my itinerary….as you can see, we had more things on the list that we never got to.

I’m going to go back to my other posts that I’ve already published and add my itinerary to those days as well so you can see what our itinerary actually looked like!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time exploring all 5 Great Lakes.

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here & Day 3 here.…Click here to see links to all of my posts

As I mentioned in my last post, we were staying in Bayfield, WI at the Le Chateau.

The Le Chateau is an old historic mansion that has been converted into a bed and breakfast.

So, we decided to start our morning with a delicious breakfast at the main house called the Rittenhouse.

It is recommended that you make reservations for breakfast, lunch and dinner so, before we left on our trip, I emailed them and made reservations for breakfast.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

Tip: The breakfast is included with your stay but if you eat lunch or dinner here, there’s an additional cost for that.

I decided on the special of the day which was an omelet and I chose the bacon as my side. The hubby ordered the pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and served with pure Wisconsin maple syrup.

They also brought out fresh homemade blueberry muffins.

The food was so good!

Read reviews here 

After breakfast, we took a few pictures of the outside of the house.

The Rittenhouse Inn was built in 1890 by former Civil War General Allen C. Fuller.

The house has 12 guest rooms and a restaurant.

After taking our pictures, we drove back to the Le Chateau to pack up our things and head to our next destination.

Read reviews for the Inn here

We had several stops on our itinerary that we had to mark off our list due to the time it was going to take to drive to our next hotel.

We had the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park & a few places in Marquette, MI but our drive from Bayfield, WI to Manistique, MI was going to take 5 hrs without stops so we had to mark them off the list.

On our drive to Manistique, we passed a few things of interest. One being this cool mural on the side of building in Ashland, WI.

We also passed this beautiful, historic church in Ashland called, St Agnes Roman Catholic Church.

The church was built in the 1888.

Later, we passed this cool looking McDonald’s in Ironwood, MI.

We passed the Trinity Lutheran church in Covington, MI. The church was built in 1908.

Tip: Covington is known for it’s waterfalls like Agate and Canyon Falls

If you keep up with my blog, you know that I love photographing old churches!

This church traces its roots back to 1900, when Finish Lutheran settlers established the original congregation.

In 1950, the church was renamed Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, which continues to serve as active congregation to this day.

Next, we passed the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, MI.

Ishpeming is widely recognized as the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States.

The museum’s mission is to honor and celebrate American athletes, pioneers and visionaries in skiing and snowboarding by preserving their legacies and showcasing historic memorabilia.

The museum was established in 1954 and the current building that you see here today was opened in 1991.

Visitors can explore artifacts ranging from a 4,000 year old ski replica to early snow gear, military equipment, and displays of Olympic and pioneer achievements.

Driving alongside Lake Superior

Around 2 pm, we were getting hungry and the only place we could find was a McDonalds…..yuck.

I do not like eating fast food but sometimes it’s the only option!

After driving for 5 hours, we finally arrived to our first stop of the day, Kitch-iti-kipi located in Palms Book State Park.

After getting parked, we headed to find Kitch-iti-kipi.

The park had a really nice gift shop that also served food.

We spotted a sign that pointed us to Kitch-iti-kipi.

There were informational signs along the very short paved trail.

I’m sure you are wondering what in the world is Kitch-iti-kipi.

Well, here it is.

It is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring.

It measures 200 ft across and has a depth of about 40 ft.

The spring constantly discharges more than 10,000 gallons of crystal clear water per minute from fissures in the underlying limestone.

The water temperature holds steady at around 45 degrees fahrenheit year round.

When visiting Kitch-iti-kipi, also known as The Big Spring, you can board a self-propelled observation raft that will take you across the spring and back.

The water is so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom!

You will see a variety of fish swimming in the spring such as lake trout, brown trout, brook trout and the occasional yellow perch.

After waiting several minutes, we finally boarded the wooden raft.

The raft glides across the spring via a cable system.

It also features a glass bottom window for viewing the underwater world where you. can see ancient tree trunks, limestone coated branches, swirling sand and fish.

In the 1920’s, local merchant John L. Bellaire discovered the spring, then overgrown and used as a logging dump. In an attempt to preserve the spring, he negotiated the sale of 90 acres of land with the spring to the State of Michigan for just $10 under the stipulation that it remain a public park.

The park officially opened in 1929 and sees more than 60,000 visitors a year.

It reminded me of the springs in Florida.

After our boat ride, we headed back to our car where we passed this sign that listed Michigan’s state parks.

Read reviews for this park here

We then headed to our hotel where we spotted the historic Manistique Water Tower so we decided to pullover and take some pictures.

The octagonal red brick tower was constructed in 1921 and stands 137 ft tall.

It was originally built as the city’s water tower and pumping station, designed to modernize Manistique’s water supply and improve access for residential, industrial and firefighting needs.

It functioned as a water tower from 1922 to 1966.

It now houses a museum and serves as part of the Schoolcraft County Historical Park.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Sitting beside the tower is an old log cabin.

Read reviews here

After leaving here, we drove 25 mins to the Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built in 1895 and stands 77 ft tall.

It’s attached to a two story keeper’s house that was designed by famed lighthouse engineer Orlando M. Poe.

The lighthouse is now equipped with an airport style beacon that emits a white flash every 6 seconds and is visible for 16 nautical miles.

The site is open to the public from Memorial Day through mid October. You can climb 96 steps to the top of the lighthouse, see the fog signal building (now a museum), a boat house exhibit, a gift shop, a theater and even a genealogy library.

Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we arrived.

Read reviews here

The lighthouse sits on the shore of Lake Michigan so we walked down to the lake to check it out.

After leaving here, we headed to our hotel, the Comfort Inn.

There are not many choices for hotels in this small town and since I wanted a hotel where we would have views of every lake, I chose this one.

Our room was very spacious…..it had two queen beds and a decent sized bathroom.

Read reviews here

Sitting right beside the hotel, was a Big Boy restaurant.….you sure don’t see these around anymore!

After getting settled into our room, we headed out to find something to eat.

The town is so cute.

Tip: In 2024, the estimated population in Manistique was about 2,870 people.

We passed this cool looking mural along the way.

We also passed the Mustard Seed Gift Shop….I had read that it was the best gift shop in the area. Unfortunately, it was closed. 🙁

We spotted a restaurant called Tap 21 so decided to try it out.

The place was really crowded.

It was housed in a old, historic building…the bar area was an old soda fountain.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

There were lots of tempting choices, but in the end, nothing sounded better than a good old pizza!

It was huge and so good!

Read reviews here

After dinner, we decided to go walk off some of the calories we had eaten so we drove over to the Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse.

Driving through Manistique

The lighthouse is perched at the end of a long concrete breakwater that stretches into Lake Michigan. It was the perfect way to end our night.

There was no one else walking so it was really quiet and peaceful.

Of course, we had to take our pictures in front of Lake Michigan.

The concrete breakwater spans approximately 1.8 miles roundtrip and offers stunning, panoramic views of the lake.

The Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse was built in 1916 and automated in 1969 and is still an active lighthouse.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

The sun was starting to set behind the lighthouse and it made for some gorgeous photos!

After our leisure walk to the lighthouse, we headed back to the beach.

Read reviews here

Mu hubby and I attempted one of those cute arm-heart poses.

Let’s just say it looked more like abstract art than anything heart shaped! 😉

As we were walking along the beach, I spotted a sign talking about sawdust and wood chip deposits ….so, I walked over to read it.

It said that sawdust and other wood waste deposits blanket Lake Michigan beaches near Manistique. The history of these deposits can be traced back to the beginning of the 1890s when Manistique and Thompson began to capitalize on the abundant white pine in the region.

Logs as large as 7 feet in diameter were floated in the Manistique River which were sawn into lumber and loaded aboard schooners that sailed to Chicago, New York and France.

There were 5 large lumber mills that operated in the Manistique area.

Part of the legacy of the lumbering industry was the tons of sawdust which now wash onto the shore around the Manistique area. It was estimated that over 5.1 million tons of sawdust were produced in this area between 1863 and 1912.

General milling practices were to dump unwanted sawdust into the Manistique River or transport it out on barges to dump into Lake Michigan.

Walking the beach

After spending more than an hour at the beach, we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 5!

Click here to see links to all of my posts

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time exploring the Great Lakes.

Our travel dates were June 25, 2025 – July 6th, 2025.

Read Day 1 here & Day 2 here & Click here to see links to all of my posts

Today we’re heading to Bayfield, WI, where we’ll spend the next night as part of our Great Lakes Adventure.

Click here for the 28 best things to do in Bayfield

But before we leave Duluth, we had a couple more things on our list to see.

If you’ve been following along since my first post, you’ll remember the Aerial Lift Bridge –a standout landmark and must see in Duluth.

We wanted to get a closer look at the bridge, along with the two lighthouses that sit nearby.

After checking out of our hotel, we drove over and parked near the popular Grandma’s Restaurant.

We had actually put this restaurant on our list to try, but unfortunately, we ran out of time.

Read reviews here

Tip: The weekend before we arrived they had Grandma’s marathon so don’t show up on that weekend!

After parking, we walked a short distance to the first lighthouse called, Duluth Harbor North Pier Light.

This black and white lighthouse was built in 1910.

Its lantern shines up to 16 miles in clear weather.

Yes, picture time in front of the lighthouse. 😉

The other lighthouse, the Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Outer Light, can be seen from the North Pier Lighthouse.

So, instead of making the long walk to photograph it, we decided to just take pictures from the North Pier Light.

This brick and white lighthouse, with its distinctive red roof was built in 1901.

It emits a fixed green beam that is visible for up to 17 miles.

As you are walking to these lighthouses, you will also be right next to the Aerial Lift Bridge.

There is another lighthouse that sits next to the bridge called Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light.

It was constructed to work in tandem with the Outer Light as a range light system, helping guide ships safely through the Duluth Ship Canal and under the Aerial Lift Bridge.

This lighthouse was originally built in 1900. The current skeletal-style tower that stands today was erected in 1958, replacing the original enclosed tower.

As I mentioned in my first post, the Aerial Lift Bridge is one of Duluth’s most famous and recognizable landmarks.

It was originally constructed in 1905 as an aerial transporter bridge but was converted in 1929 to a vertical lift bridge.

It is one of the few working aerial lift bridges in the world!

The center span of the bridge lifts straight up, powered by enormous counterweights.

It can rise 135 ft in about one minute. The bridge lifts about 20-30 times per day during peak shipping season.

You can walk across the bridge so we couldn’t leave until we walked at least halfway across!

It was so cool!

From the bridge, you can photograph both the North & South Pier lighthouses in a single frame.

We had a nice couple offer to take our picture while standing on the bridge.

After getting our pictures, we headed back to our car to begin our 1 hour 40 min drive to Bayfield, WI.

We passed the “Determined Mariner” sculpture in downtown Duluth.

Driving through downtown Duluth.

Crossing over another cool bridge along the way.

In Port Wing, WI, we passed a beautiful historic building that was originally constructed as a Catholic Church in 1896.

It is now being used as a quilt shop called Quilting Up North.

We later passed the Herbster Community Church that was originally built in 1916 as the Herbster Town Hall.

Arriving to Bayffield, WI.

It’s such a charming little town!

Click here for things to do in Bayfield

Tip: The population of Bayfield is around 600 people — making it the smallest incorporated city in the state.

We had booked a 3.5 hour boat tour of the Apostle Islands so that was our first stop.

After getting parked, we headed to check in for the boat tour.

We were given a map of all the islands we would be seeing on the tour.

The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands scattered in the northwestern corner of Lake Superior.

They are known for their pristine beaches, sea caves, sandstone cliffs, historic lighthouses and old growth forests.

The islands and a portion of the mainland make up the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Most of the islands are only accessible by boat, kayak or ferry.

Tip: You can also do a boat tour of the lighthouses. There are 8 historic lighthouses on 6 of the islands.

As I mentioned, the Apostle Islands are located on Lake Superior.

Lake Superior is a freshwater giant – stretching 350 miles long and plunging to depths over 1300 ft!

It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world! It holds 10% of the world’s surface freshwater! It’s bigger than South Carolina and nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon!

The Apostle Islands boat.

On the boat

Ok ya’ll, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about this boat tour because unfortunately I was bored to tears!

The captain basically just talked about the history of each island.

And they all looked the same!

The color of the water was really beautiful!

The only worthwhile things we saw on this boat tour were two historic lighthouses, two bald eagles, a historic fishing camp, and the sea caves at Devil’s Island…..where I thought the devil himself was determined to flip our boat!

You are not even guaranteed to see Devil’s Island if the water is too rough and that is the main highlight of the tour.

Tip: Make sure you take something for motion sickness because the water can get very rough!

Tip: Sit on the left side of the boat for the best views

I was never so glad to be off a boat in my life! I personally do not recommend this tour…it was way too long and there are better ways to spend your time when in Bayfield!

Read reviews here

After the boat tour, we walked through town looking for somewhere to eat.

The town is really cute and colorful!

Right along the water, we spotted a little place called Hoops Fish & Chips. With a view like that, it was an easy decision to eat there!

Their menu was very limited. They only offered, yes you guessed it, fish!

We were totally fine with that because we both love fish and it tastes even better when you have water views!

Everything was cooked fresh, right after we placed our order!

The food was hot and delicious ….and look at these views!

Read reviews here

After enjoying our lunch, we decided to go look for a t-shirt and coffee cup.

We never leave a state without purchasing a t-shirt and a coffee cup….we have now accumulated hundreds of coffee cups over the years!

Our goal is to visit every state in the US and we only have about 10 states left…well, that is after we visit New Mexico later this year!

We passed this beautiful water fountain along the way.

Click here to read about 5 waterfalls located in Bayfield County

We walked alongside the water with views of the marina.

Shopping for our souvenirs

After making our purchases, we continued our walk through town.

We spotted the Sweet & Salty Ice Cream store so we decided to stop in for a sweet treat.

This place was so cute on the inside!

We both ordered two scoops and it was so good!

It was way too much but I couldn’t stop eating it and I paid for it afterwards! I felt so sick after eating all of that ice cream! I rarely eat sweets and I think my body didn’t know how to process all of the sugar!

Read reviews here

After our ice cream, it was time to check into our hotel.

For this stay, I had booked our very first bed and breakfast stay in a historic house called the Old Rittenhouse Inn.

However, when I booked this property, I didn’t realize at the time, that they had actually booked us in their sister property. the Le Chateau.

We had to check in at the Old Rittenhouse.

The Old Rittenhouse is a historic Queen Anne Victorian mansion that was originally built in 1890 as a summer home.

It became Wisconsin’s first bed and breakfast when Mary & Jerry Phillips purchased it in 1973.

The inn’s name honors Charles Rittenhouse, an early Bayfield investor, and Rittenhouse Avenue, the town’s main street, also bears his name.

The house was gorgeous! I was only able to take a few shots of the inside since we were only checking in and not staying in this house.

After getting checked in, they gave us the keys and the directions to their sister property ….which was only like a 1/2 mile from the Rittenhouse.

While we were driving to the Le Chateau, we passed the historic Christ Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1870.

Arriivng to the Le Chateau.

In 1987 the Phillips’ purchased Le Chateau, built in 1907 by lumber baron Frank Boutin Jr.

This house was absolutely stunning!

We had never stayed in a historic home and we were so excited to stay here after seeing it!

I’m not sure sure how many square feet this house was but it was huge!

The grounds were beautiful too!

After taking pictures of the outside of the house, we headed inside to check it out.

We first headed to our room which was located on the 3rd floor.

It was beautiful!

It had a king size bed, a sofa, fireplace, garden tub and more!

There was a sitting area that had beautiful views of Lake Superior!

The bathroom was huge!

Views from the bathroom window

After getting settled into our room, we headed back downstairs to check out the house.

We couldn’t get over how gorgeous this house was!

From the moment we stepped inside, we were taken by the home’s rich character – ornate woodwork, period furnishings, and beautiful architectural details that spoke to its 19th century origins.

Every room was warm and inviting.

The huge front porch was equally as inviting!

The views from the front porch.

The home features seven guest rooms and breathtaking views of Lake Superior.

After exploring the house, we decided to take a short drive and check out some of the other homes in this area.

We love looking at homes when visiting new places.

All of the houses we saw were restored older homes ….

They were so cute!

We passed this cool looking “treehouse”…..someone had taken the stump of a dead tree and used it in the most creative way!

We also passed the Apostle Islands Visitor Center.

And another historic church called the Holy Family Catholic Church built in 1888.

We decided to drive part of the Fruit Loop.

The fruit loop is a scenic 1o mile loop that includes several family run berry farms, apple orchards, ciberiers and more.

These farms have earned Bayfield the nickname “Berry Capital of Wisconsin” thanks to its abundant production of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries and apples.

There are more than a dozen farms that offer over 40 apple varieties and a full range of berries with each orchard having its own personality — from bakery treats to cider flights to artisan markets.

During the first weekend in October, they hold an annual apple festival.

Unfortunately, the orchards were all closed by the time we were able to do the drive…it was after 6 pm.

So, we headed back to the house to enjoy some time on the front porch.

Later, after a nice soak in the garden tub, I sat in the cozy nook and enjoyed watching the sun set over Lake Superior.

After relaxing for a while, we called it a night!

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 4!

Read Day 1 here & Day 2 here ….Click here to see links to all of my blog posts.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our Great Lakes adventure!

Read Day 1 here & Click here to see links to all of my posts

We started our day with a free breakfast at the hotel.

Normally, we try to find a local restaurant for breakfast but since we had planned a long day of driving, we just decided to eat at the hotel.

After breakfast, we spent a few minutes on our outdoor patio and enjoyed the views of Lake Superior.

Later, we headed out to our first stop of the day.

We would be driving the North Shore Scenic Drive.

See a map of the drive here

The North Shore drive is a 155 mile stretch of Hwy 61 that runs along the north shore of Lake Superior from Duluth up to the Canadian border near Grand Portage.

Scenic 61 is part of the original Highway 61, following the 1899 wagon trail about 20 miles from Brighton Beach to the entrance to Two Harbors.

It is known for its spectacular views of Lake Superior, rugged cliffs, forests and waterfalls.

This is one of the most popular things to do when visiting Duluth.

Tip: Don’t miss taking a ride on the North Shore Scenic railroad

A shot of our hotel, the Park Point Marina Inn.

Driving through Duluth heading to our first stop of the day which would be the Glensheen Mansion.

After arriving, we headed to the visitor building to purchase our tickets.

Tip: There are several tours to choose from. We chose the self guided full mansion tour for a price of $32 pp. The mansion is opened daily for tours. Check their site for hours.

After purchasing our tickets, we were given a map and told to start our tour at the carriage house.

The Glensheen Mansion was built in 1905 by Chester Congdon…a lawyer turned mining and banking magnate along with his wife Clara.

When built, the estate covered 22 acres on Lake Superior’s shore and featured a 39 room mansion built from fire resistant brick, steel framing and 16 inch hollow tile ceilings. It cost $854,000 to build….that’s equivalent to $22 million dollars today!

The house now sits on 12 acres but much of the originaal site design retains its early 1900’s character.

Arriving to the carriage house.

The carriage house was constructed at the same time as the mansion and housed the family’s horses, carriages, and early automobiles in the garage area, and included spaces for dairy cows and staff quarters.

The stable wing contained 8 horse stalls and a milking parlor for dairy cows. The family kept dairy cows on-site and processed milk in the attached parlor.

After checking out the carriage house, we headed to the mansion.

The mansion encompasses 39 rooms with approximately 20,000 sq ft of living space.

The Gleensheen mansion is one of the most authentically preserved historic homes in Minnesota.

Nearly all of the furnishings and items inside the house are original to the Congdon family. Approximately 98% of the mansion’s contents remain as they were when the family lived there.

Since I could do a full blog post on just the house, I will only share a few pictures of the inside because I took way too many to share them all!

Here are a few shots of the outside of the house

The most notable thing about this house is that Elisabeth Congdon, the daughter of Chester & Clara, was murdered in this house along with her nurse back in 1977.

Her step daughter’s husband, Roger Caldwell, was convicted of the murders in 1978. Her step daughter Marjorie was acquitted of all charges related to the murder but later in life, faced convictions of fraud and arson.

Tip: There is a book about the murders called, Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Gleensheen Killings.

The gardens were beautiful!

After leaving here, we continued our drive along the scenic Hwy 61.

We stopped a few times to take pictures of the views.

The next stop on our list was the Great Lakes Candy Kitchen.

The candy store was founded in 1905 by Gust Canelake. It has been passed down through generations,  with the current owners being third and fourth generation candy makers.

The shop uses original recipes developed by Gust and the candies are still made the old-fashioned way by using copper kettles, hand stirred and in small batches using quality ingredients like Grade AA butter, real whipping cream and fine chocolate.

The candy store is opened daily from April 17 to December 21 from 9 am to 5 pm.

The inside smelled delightful and was so cute!

We wanted one of everything!

I can’t remember everything we bought but we came out with a bag full of goodies and they were all delicious!

Read reviews here

As we continued our drive, we passed though the small town of Two Harbors where I snapped a picture of this cool mural.

Our next stop would be in Two Harbors….it was the Two Harbor Light Station.

The Two Harbor Light Station is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in Minnesota.

The brick lighthouse was built in 1891 and stands 49.6 feet tall.

The lighthouse was automated in 1980 ending the era of the on-site keepers.

The keepers quarters are now used as a bed & breakfast so you can’t tour that part of the lighthouse.

We headed inside the gift shop to purchase our $5 ticket to take a self guided tour of the lighthouse.

After purchasing our tickets, we headed outside to climb to the top of the lighthouse.

There were lots of informational plaques hanging inside that told you about the history of the lighthouse.

The only views that you had from the top, were from these little round holes in the brick!

The light

After checking out the lighthouse, we walked back outside to check out the assistant keepers house.

The house had exhibits of shipwrecks and local maritime history.

One more shot of the lighthouse

Read reviews for this lighthouse here

After checking out the inside of the assistant keeper’s house, we walked over to the nearby concrete jetty where another lighthouse sat at the very end.

The long concrete walkway is actually a breakwater that was built as a wave barrier. At the end of the breakwater sits the Two Harbors Breakwater Lighthouse.

The walk to the lighthouse is approximately 0.7 miles roundtrip.

Dress warm because it was really cold and windy!

This lighthouse was very small and someone had sprayed graffiti on it which ruined the looks of it.

It was built in 1905 and had replaced a gas lit post light that was erected in 1895,

The lighthouse stands 25 ft tall and emits a red flash every 6 seconds.

It wasn’t the greatest lighthouse we had ever seen but the walk itself made it worthwhile.

Read reviews here

After this stop, we were ready for lunch and we had the perfect place picked out ….the historic Betty’s Pies!

The restaurant was founded in 1956 by Betty Lessard who had transformed her parent’s fish shack into a cafe. By 1958, she started baking pies and quickly became famous for her homemade creations.

The restaurant offers too many different kinds of pies to count along with breakfast and lunch.

The place was really crowded but thankfully, we were seated right away.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

We decided to order one meal and share it so we would have room for pie!

We ordered the Stewart River Cheesesteak.

It was pretty good.

Read reviews here

After lunch, we decided to order our pie to go so we could eat it later…we ordered a slice of the 5 layered chocolate and I can’t remember the other flavor we ordered.

We then continued our drive

Soon after leaving Betty’s Pies, we drove through the Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel.

The tunnel was completed in 1994 and is approximately 1300 ft long.

It replaced a narrow, cliff hugging road that was built in the 1920’s and was perched 125 ft above Lake Superior with little barrier between the cliff edge and the lake. The road was also prone to rockfalls.

The original highway bed along the cliff is now part of the Gitchi Gami State Trail, a 0.5 mille paved path that offers stunning views of Lake Superior. Access to the trail is from a parking area just north of the tunnel.

Our next stop was Gooseberry Falls State Park.

The park was established as Minnesota’s first North Shore state park in 1937. It encompasses 1,687 acres.

The park is home to 5 waterfalls: Upper, Middle, Lower and the lesser known Fourth and Fifth Falls.

The most popular are Middle and Upper Falls and that’s the ones we were here to see.

The park has a very nice Visitor Center called the Joseph N Alexander Visitor Center that was built in 19916. It offers interpretive exhibits, a theater, a gift shop, restrooms and year round programs.

Tip: The park has a $7 parking fee if parking by the lakeshore or campground but the visitor center parking is free.

We walked passed the visitor center on our way to the waterfall.

There are a few trails that you can take here: The waterfalls walk that takes approximately 30-45 mins and visits both the Middle and Upper Falls. The Falls View Loop is a longer hike looping above all three major waterfalls and includes multiple bridges….it takes around 45-90 mins.

The Fifth Falls Trail is around 2 miles and leads to a quieter, remote waterfall with scenic river views.

The park is rich in wildlife with 225 species of birds and 46 mammal species including deer, lynx, wolves and Martens.

Tip: There are 69 non electric campsite available in the park. Trout and salmon fishing are popular during the spring and fall.

The views along the trail

It took us about 5 mins to reach the waterfall once we passed the visitor center so it’s not a very far walk at all.

The waterfall, which we think was the Middle Falls, is the most popular. The water flows over ancient basalt lave flows and has a drop of about 20 ft.

Upstream lies the Upper Falls, with a higher drop of approximately 35 ft. We missed this one and the Lower Falls.

The waterfall was really pretty but there wasn’t a lot of water flowing.

The views surrounding the falls

We couldn’t leave without having our picture taken in front of the waterfall 😉

Read reviews here

After leaving here, we headed to our next stop, the Split Rock Lighthouse.

The visitor center here is really nice.

They had a replica of the lighthouse that was built out of legos!

To access the lighthouse, we had to pay $15 each.

We were given a map of the grounds that included several historic buildings that we could tour.

The lighthouse was built in 1910 following a devastating storm in 1905 that wrecked 29 ships. These waters were known “as the most dangerous piece of water in the world.”

The lighthouse stands 54 ft tall and sits atop a 130 ft cliff.

After entering the lighthouse, we headed up the stairs to the top.

There were several windows along the way to take pictures of the views.

Once we reached the top, we photographed the fresnel lens which is the original lens.

The lens revolves on mercury with a clockwork mechanism from over 100 years ago!

Views from atop the lighthouse

Aftet spending a few minutes at the top, we then headed back downstairs.

They still used the original wood burning fireplace.

Shots of the lighthouse from the outside

Views near the lighthouse

After visiting the lighthouse, we walked over to the fog horn building.

This building was used to send signals when there was poor visibility due to fog, smoke or snow.

This building held interpretive exhibits that told about the history of the light station and ship wrecks.

We then walked over to check out one of the three houses that were built for the head lighthouse keeper, two assistant keepers and their families.

The house was set up like a museum and was full of old items from the families that once lived here.

After checking out this house, we walked a short path that would lead us to the water’s edge where we could get some shots of the lighthouse.

A map on the trail

This trail is a must as it gives you incredible views of the lighthouse!

I took so many pictures!

Of course, we had to take our pictures standing in front of the lighthouse because my hubby had seen pictures of the lighthouse years ago and had always wanted to see it!

Read reviews here 

After getting our pictures, we headed back to our car to continue to our next stop which would be a scenic overlook.

The overlook wasn’t very far from the lighthouse.  You will see a sign for a scenic overlook as you’re driving along Hwy 61.

We had to drive up a steep hill for about a mile to find the overlooks…there were 3 of them.

The first overlook gave you a view of the Northshore Mining Taconite Plant.

The mining plant was the first taconite processing facility in North America when it opened in 1956. It is the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry in North America.

The next overlooks were located on the same trail and took about 10 mins to reach.

Overlook 2 gave you views of Lake Superior & Overlook 3 gave you views of the city.

After walking to overlook 2 and not being impressed, we decided not to walk to #3.

We headed back to our car and headed to our next stop, Black Sand Beach.

The “black sand beach”is a result of taconite tailings (waste from iron ore processing) that were once discarded into Lake Superior.

From 1955 to 1980, mining companies dumped iron ore tailings into Lake Superior creating the black sand beach. Due to environmental regulations, the dumping was stopped in 1980.

The beach was so beautiful!

The mix of blues in the water against the orange lichen covered rocks and the dark sand looked like something a painter had dreamed up!

There were beautiful pink and black rocks scattered along the shoreline.

Tip: This beach is supposed to be a great place for agates.

My hubby skipping rocks…he’s such a kid at heart.

We spent a few quiet minutes taking it all in but the cold and wind cut our visit short.

Read reviews here

I can’t stress enough how important it is to pack for every season when visiting Minnesota and Michigan….it was late June and still cold!

Our next stop would be Palisade Head.

Palisade Head is a breathtaking clifftop headland along Hwy 61 that  was formed from lava flow.

The rocky cliffs tower up to 335 ft above Lake Superior.

Tip: It is a hotspot for birdwatching as peregrine falcons nest here and bald eagles are often seen here. During the summer, wild berries, especially blueberries can be found along the trails.

It is a sheer drop-off and there are no guardrails here so be careful!

It’s a popular place for rock climbers and we saw a few when we visited.

We even saw a couple having wedding pictures made!

Read reviews here

After getting back to our car, we decided it was time to try our pies from Betty’s Pies!

So delicious!

The next stop on our list was a waterfall at the Tetteguche State Park.

We had planned on hiking to High Falls however, our time was short as it was getting late so we decided to stop at the visitors center and hike a short trail to the mouth of the Baptism River.

Click here to read about the 4 waterfalls located in this park

The trail to the river was only 600 ft from the parking lot.

Click here to read about the hike to Shovel Point & read reviews here

The trail was along a wooden boardwalk and had lots of stairs!

The views were beautiful but the river was an ugly brown color.

Read reviews here

After leaving here, we continued our drive along Hwy 61 and pulled over when we spotted a small bridge that crossed over some rapids.

This area is located in the Temperance River State Park.

There was a small parking lot located here so it wasn’t hard to find parking.

One of the most interesting features in the park is the narrow Temperance River gorge with its many waterfalls. The rapidly flowing river cut deep potholes in and along the riverbed.

The park has 22 miles of hiking trails and 7 miles snowmobile trail.

There were lots of bridges that crossed over the river….

The views were definitely worth the short stop!

Read reviews here

At this point, it was already 5 pm but we decided to drive 35 mins to one more stop called Artists Point locate in Grand Marais. 

Part of the drive along Hwy 61 takes you along Lake Superior but most of the time, you have no views of the lake.

Arriving to Grand Marais 

I thought this building was so cool!

Arriving to Artist Point

Artist Point was formed by eruptions many moons ago.

It provides access to the shoreline along a narrow path of concrete.

Following it, you’ll find tide pools and rocky shores that offer incredible views!

You can take the path all the way to the lighthouse or head the other direction and visit the pine tree covered “island”.

We chose the path that led to the lighthouse.

Make sure you have on really good shoes because the path is really narrow and can be slippery!

Views of Grand Marais from the walkway

We decided to take pictures of the lighthouse from a distance because it was so cold and windy!

After our walk, we headed to find something to eat.

Read reviews here

We spotted the Fisherman’s Daughter restaurant and decided to try it out.

We loved that the restaurant sat next to the water….I love eating near the water!

The restaurant offered different combinations of baskets that included fish and chips, chicken, clams, shrimp and fish tacos.

The fish of the day was the walleye and the herring….since the herring is the local fish, we both ordered that.

You ordered at the counter and then they brought out your food.

The food was delicious!!

Read reviews here

After dinner, we headed back to Duluth.

Tip: The Canadian border is approx 50 mins from Grand Marias. In Grand Portage, MN, just 45 mins from Grand Marias is where you will find the highest waterfall in MN called the High Falls of the Pigeon River..it has a drop of 120 ft!

The drive took approximately 2 hrs 10 mins.

In Duluth, we spotted the massive SS William A Irvin.

The ship was built in 1937 in Lorain, OH as the flagship of the US Steel’s Great Lakes fleet.

The ship measures 610 ft long and is 60 ft wide. For nearly four decades, the ship hauled iron ore and coal across the Great Lakes.

The ship was retired in 1978 and today is a floating museum that is docked at Canal Park.

Tip: In 1940, the ship set a Great Lakes cargo unloading record for offloading nearly 13,856 tons of iron ore in just under three hours …a record that still stands today.

You can tour the ship May through September….purchase tickets here.

Tip: In October, the ship transforms into the Haunted Ship — complete with spooky decor, actors, etc.

Read reviews here

After arriving back to our hotel after 9 pm, we called it a night!

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 3!

Read Day 1 here & Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

We recently returned from our two week road trip exploring all 5 Great Lakes!

Our travel dates were June 25 – July 6, 2025.

If you’ve never seen any of the Great Lakes, I would highly recommend you visit at least one of them….they are truly amazing!

There’s something awe inspiring about standing at the edge of a lake so vast it feels like the ocean…now, imagine doing that five times!

From the wild cliffs of Lake Superior to the peaceful shores of Lake Ontario, we set out to visit all Five Great Lakes in one unforgettable trip.

We began our trip by flying into Minneapolis, MN, then drove 2.5 hours to reach the first of many hotel stays along our Great Lakes journey.

Tip: If you have time in Minneapolis, don’t miss Mall of America!

Our first night would be spent in the small, quaint town of Duluth, MN.

Nestled on the shores of Lake Superior, Duluth is a charming port city that perfectly blends natural beauty with industrial history. 

Tip: As of July 2023, Duluth has a population of 87,860 people

One of the first things you will notice when you arrive to Duluth, is the iconic and historic Aerial Lift Bridge.

The bridge was originally constructed in 1905 as an aerial transfer bridge – one of only two ever built in the US.. It used a suspended gondola to carry people and vehicles across the Duluth Ship Canal.

In 1929, the bridge was converted into the vertical lift bridge that is capable of raising its center span 135 ft in just about one minute. This allows massive lake freighters and ships to pass through the canal while still connecting Duluth’s Canal Park to Park Point, the narrow sandbar that stretches into Lake Superior.

The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read reviews here

After getting checked into our hotel, the Park Point Marina Inn, we headed to our room.

Our room was really nice!

Read Reviews here

The room had approximately 300 sq ft with 2 queen beds, a large bathroom and a small patio that overlooked Lake Superior.

After getting settled into our room, we headed out to find something to eat.

As many of you know by now, my husband is the ultimate burger connoisseur – always on the lookout for the next great burger joint wherever we go! And of course, this trip was no exception!

From small town diners to lakeside grills, he made it his mission to scout out the best burgers and seafood along our Great Lakes route!

So, we headed to a place he had found called Burger Paradox.

Burger Paradox opened in 2023 and is located in Duluth’s Lincoln Park District.

The outside of the restaurant didn’t look like much and felt a bit grungy. I was definitely a bit hesitant about going inside.

I kept wondering if my hubby had really done his homework on this place! 😉

Walking inside, the restaurant grabbed our attention with bold graffiti murals & twinkling lights.

It had a very casual, dive bar feel to it.

After grabbing a table, we took a few minutes to look over the menu,

They offered all kinds of creative smash burgers, wings and weird sounding sides.

I decided on the Galaxy Surfer burger that came with bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese and had them leave off the pickled red onions.

The hubby ordered the Fire Ant burger that came with pepper jack cheese, bacon, deep fried jalapeños, lettuce, spicy BBQ, smoked habanero aioli and had them leave off the sautéed onions.

The burgers were amazing and so was the service!

Read reviews here

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

I’m going to stop here and continue our time in Duluth with my next blog post.

We had a late afternoon flight so we didn’t get to do much on our first day.

On our second day, we spend a full day exploring the North Shore Scenic Drive.

It was a long day, so I wanted to do a post just for that day instead of adding it to this one.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for Day 2!

UPDATE: Read Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here, Day 8 here, Day 9 here, Day 10 here & Day 11 here

Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time on the Carnival Luminosa.

Our cruise dates were May 8-15, 2025.

Read Days 1-3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here & Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

Today would be our last full day on the ship.

We had one stop left, Victoria, BC.

We wouldn’t be disembarking the ship until 8 pm and would only have 3.5 hours to spend in Victoria.

We started our day with breakfast in the dining room.

This was our first time having breakfast in the dining room and I definitely recommend it.

The food is better and you get waited on instead of having to stand in a long line to serve yourself.

I ordered a yogurt and an omelet with bacon, hash browns and toast.

The food was really good and it was nice having someone wait on us….the dining room was really nice too!

After breakfast, we walked around the ship for a while.

The weather was the nicest it had been during our entire cruise.

We laid out in the sun for a while in these really cool chairs!

Later that afternoon, we headed to the fitness center to work off all of those calories we had consumed at breakfast!

After working out, my sister and I headed to the spa to relax.

Tip: I highly recommend the 7 day spa pass…it was so worth it! Purchase it prior to your cruise as it’s much cheaper!

We then headed to Deck 9 for lunch…

This time I tried the burrito bar….it was really good!

Following lunch, we made our way to the Lido Deck to catch a fun game show put together by the activities director.

Participants had to act out different animals, dance to various songs, and tackle other silly challenges …it was absolutely hilarious to watch!

We then spent the rest of our day relaxing

Later that evening, we headed to the dining room for dinner before we had to disembark the ship at 8 pm.

I ordered fried shimp as an appetizer, a steak for my main course and a delicious slice of ice cream cake for dessert!

It was all very good!

Since it was the last time that dinner would be served, the staff put on a show in the dining room.

It was so upbeat and fun!

Then the head chef came out and spoke and  introduced all of the other chefs on the ship.

After dinner, we headed back to our rooms to gather our things in preparation for disembarking the ship.

Just as we were about to leave our rooms and head to the deck, the captain made an announcement over the intercom that we wouldn’t be able to dock in Victoria due to high winds.

I was really disappointed…. I had never been to Victoria before and was really excited about exploring the city.

So, we headed to our balcony and decided to spend the rest of the evening watching the sunset.

And the occasional cargo ship that passed by

Later that evening, we called it a night.

The next morning marked the end of our seven day cruise as we prepared to disembark the ship.

After getting out of bed, I headed to the balcony to watch the sunrise.

We were now back in Seattle.

We then headed to the dining room for one last breakfast on the ship.

I ordered the eggs Benedict with bacon and hash browns.

After breakfast, we returned to our rooms to gather our belongings. We had been assigned a designated area to wait in before disembarking the ship.

Since our flight home would not be departing Seattle until approx. 6 pm that night, we chose the latest disembarkation time….however, we ended up being able to get off of the ship before our designated time.

Tip: Carnival Cruise Line offers something called Luggage Express, also known as Port Valet for certain ports….It’s a free service that allows passengers to have their luggage transported directly from the ship to the airport. It eliminates the need of having to haul luggage off of the ship. They check it in at the airport for you and all you pay are the normal luggage fees that your airline charges. It only applies to certain ports and participating airlines (Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United)…I highly recommend it especially if you have a later flight!

Click here for any questions you may have regarding taking a cruise on Carnival

After disembarking the ship, we got a taxi to take us to downtown Seattle where we would be spending the day since we had a late flight. I think the cost was approx. $50.

Tip: There are taxis everywhere once you get off the ship

Once in downtown, we started our walk through the city.

We had already visited the popular Pike Place Market the day before our cruise so we decided we wouldn’t go back there.

We spotted the popular restaurant Ivar’s. 

It’s been opened since 1938.

Read reviews here

We then spotted a Starbucks, so I decided to go inside and get a coffee.

Starbucks got its start in Seattle and you will find the first Starbucks store located near the Pike Place Market.

A map of downtown Seattle

As we were walking, we saw this cut out located at the Crab Pot Restaurant….so, of course, we had to take our pictures! 🙂

Views near the restaurant

We were trying to think of something we could do to kill some time before we had to head to the airport.

I had suggested the Space Needle but we would have to get another taxi to take us there so we decided on a boat tour of the harbor with Salish Sea Tours.

It was located on Pier 57 near Miners Landing.

After purchasing our tickets, we headed to board the boat.

The boat was really nice! You could either sit inside or sit outiside in the stadium style seating on the front of the boat.

We chose inside because it was too cold to sit outside.

They also offered food and drinks ….

The boat tour lasted approximately 1.5 hrs and it was 1.5 hrs too long in my opinion.

They just played a recording about Seattle and the downtown area and the boat just went back and forth in front of the downtown skyline.

We did get to see a sea lion during the tour…that was the most exciting thing we saw during the tour!

As the boat was heading back to the dock, we were able to get some cool pictures of the ferris wheel!

Read reviews for the boat tour here & Click here & here for the best things to see/do in Seattle

After the boat ride, we headed back to the Crab Pot to have lunch.

After getting seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

I started out with a cup of clam chowder….so good!

For my main course, I ordered the halibut bites with fries.

One sister ordered the salmon and my mom and the other sister ordered the King Crab!

The food was delicious!

Read reviews here….they have over 11k reviews on Google!

After lunch, we walked to a nearby ice cream store called Seattle Bay Creamery...it was located on Pier 57 close to the restaurant.

They offered homemade ice cream, waffle cones and more.

I can’t remember the flavor I ordered but it was delish!

After our ice cream, we decided it was time to head to the airport.

Views from the plane

We flew Delta and I was able to watch my favorite show on the way home…..The Amazing Race!

This concludes our Alaska cruise!

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for our next adventure….a driving tour of the Great Lakes!

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our cruise through Alaska on the Carnival Luminosa.

Our cruise dates were May 8 – 15, 2025.

This morning, we would be docking in Ketchikan. 

Click here to see the cruise schedule for Ketchikan so you will know how many ships will be there when you are there

Ketchikan is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage—a network of waterways that snake through some of the most jaw-dropping beautiful wilderness in the world.

With a population at the 2020 census of 8,192, up from 8,050 in 2010, it is the sixth-most populous city in the state, and thirteenth-most populous community.

Ketchikan is best known for three things: salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture.

Our time here would be even more limited than in Juneau.

We would be docking and disembarking the ship at 7 am and leaving at 1 pm….meaning, we had to be back on the ship by 12:30.

So, we decided to spend our time shopping and having lunch as we really didn’t have time for much more than that.

Arriving to Ketchikan

Click here & here for the best things to see and do & Click here & here for best restaurants

The town was full of colorful buildings!

Before disembarking the ship, we had breakfast on deck 9.

Once we were docked, we quickly disembarked the ship.

I snapped a quick picture of the Ketchikan sign so we could remember where the main attractions were located as well as restrooms and the visitor centers…there are two.

We then began our walk through the colorful city.

Buildings were painted in bright colors to stand out in the often foggy, rainy environment …the color would help residents and sailors identify buildings easily in poor weather.

Ketchikan gets over 200 rainy days per year….so come with a rain jacket!

Our first stop in Ketchikan was for coffee at Bootleggers Creek Coffee & Tea.

The place must be fairly new as I couldn’t find a lot of information on it ….but it sits right on Creek Street.

Click here & here for coffee shops in Ketchikan

They offered a variety of coffee and pastries.

The coffee was really good!

Since we were already so close to Creek Street, that would be our next stop.

This is one of the most popular things to do in Ketchikan.

The antique boardwalk over Ketchikan Creek is home to restaurants, unique shops, the ‘Dolly’s House Museum’ & private dwellings, as well as some of the best salmon viewing areas in Ketchikan.

Creek Street is built along the shores of Ketchikan Creek. It was built over the water because it was too difficult to blast away the rocky hills surrounding the creek.

The views here are not to be missed!

Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows a short distance southeast of downtown.

Creek Street is known as Ketchikan’s old red-light district. In the mid 1920’s there were over 20 bawdy houses on Creek Street alone!

In fact, Creek Street was once home to Ketchikan’s #1 industry – prostitution.

Dolly’s House, the lime green building in this picture, is now a museum. It was once the home of Dolly Arthur, Ketchikan’s most famous “sporting woman.” From 1919 through the 1940s, it was also her place of business.

The business was shut down for good in 1954 but Dolly lived in the house until 1973, when ill health and failing eyesight required her to move into a nursing home.

Read reviews for the museum here

Creek Street was the red light district and there are many other well known prostitution homes that still stand….you will find informational plaques that tell about them on the sides of the homes.

There are also many shops and restaurants located here.

Read reviews here

While at Creek Street, don’t miss Married Man’s Trail, a staircase & wooden boardwalk that ends at Park Avenue. Married Man’s Trail goes over the river and through the woods and ends at the Salmon Ladder where you can watch the struggling salmon try to jump up the rushing waterfall and continue upstream for spawning.

Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world!

There are lots of informational signs throughout Ketchikan that tell about the history of the city.

After walking through Creek Street, we continued our walk through the city.

We spotted one of the totem poles that are scattered throughout the town.

There are many Native American Totem Poles located in the downtown, historic district, many of which are identified on the Walking Tour Map.

This totem pole is known as the Raven stealing the Sun.

Beside each totem pole, there was a sign that told about the history and the meaning.

As we continued our walk, we passed the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church.

The church was built in 1902 and is the oldest church building standing in Ketchikan.

Next, we spotted another totem pole…this one was the Chief Johnson totem pole.

The totem pole stands 55′ tall and is carved from a single western red cedar log!

Next, we walked through Whale Park. 

This is where we spotted our next totem pole called Chief Kyan.

The Chief Kyan Totem pole is a lineage pole and has three figures. The Crane, at the top, represents Chief Kyan’s wife, the next figure is a Thunderbird, Chief Kyan’s wife’s clan, and the Bear at the bottom is Chief Kyan’s family crest.

After walking through town for a while, we decided to hit up some of the shops.

One of our favorite places that we shopped at, was the Caribou Creek Company.

The store featured the work of the Alaska’s many talented artists and crafters and was the perfect place to find that one-of-a-kind gift or souvenir. I purchased a bracelet made out of moose bone and one made from lava rock.

There was another store that we shopped at that was huge and offered all kinds of great souvenirs….I think it may have been the Tongass Trading Company. 

After spending way too much money, we headed to find something for lunch.

We decided to eat at the Alaska Fish House.

This is one of the best places to eat in Ketchikan and the line of people waiting to order, was proof!

Tip: Right next to the Fish House you will find another popular restaurant called, Ketchikan Crab & Go. 

Thankfully, the line moved pretty quickly….you ordered at the counter and then you go find a table.

The restaurant specializes in fresh, local seafood and offers meals such as fish & chips, salmon chowder and halibut tacos. They also offer burgers, salads and fish & rice bowls.

The views right beside the restaurant

I ordered the two piece halibut fish and chips for a whopping price of $27.99!

My sister & mom ordered the crab legs which were $24.99 for a half pound.

The food was really good!

Read reviews here

After lunch, we decided to go find dessert!

My sister had found a place called Jellyfish Donuts so we headed that way.

The walk from the fish house to Jellyfish Donuts was approximately 15 mins.

We passed lots of historical signs along the way.

We spotted another map showing more attractions in the area

We even got to see the famous “Welcome to Ketchikan” sign!

We passed “The Rock” statue.

“The Rock” shows a vision of early Alaskan pioneers and an introduction to Ketchikan’s story.

Six of the seven sculptures represent people who helped to form Alaska’s First City. A fisherman, a miner, a logger, a bush pilot, a frontierswoman, and a Native drummer.

These figures illustrate the initial pull factors that drew people to early Ketchikan: the salmon, the gold rushes, the bountiful forests, and the wildlife.

The seventh sculpture represents an actual historic figure: Chief Johnson, a Tlingit chief, symbolizing how his people were the first to make Southeast Alaska their home.

We spotted the Thundering Wings at Eagle Park totem pole.

The pole is located at the entrance to the famous tunnel, alongside Cruise Ship Dock 3.

The view around Dock 3.

Arriving to the Jellyfish Donut.

After arriving, we were told they had ran out of donuts and it would take approximately 15 mins for them to make our order!

Read reviews here

When you go inside, you will first need to grab an order sheet beside the door and mark what you want on the sheet, then write your name and take it to the register.

They offered all kinds of crazy flavors such as sour patch kid, loaded baked potato & the “famous” salmon donut! No thanks!

I stuck with the moose tracks…the cost for one donut was $5…if I’m remembering correctly.

My sister ordered the strawberry shortcake.

The donuts had a very dense, cake like consistency ….they were delicious!

After purchasing our donuts, we quickly made our way back to the ship!

Views along the way

Tip: Ketchikan was the coldest place we visited…it was cloudy and it rained for about 15 mins while we were there. So, be prepared and dress warm and bring a rain jacket!

After boarding the ship, we made our way back to our room.

But first, we had to stop and see the “Reclining Woman” statue.

The unique multi-million-dollar sculpture, 11+ feet in length and weighing ~1 ton, depicts “a female figure, daydreaming in a reclining position with a subtle and ironic facial expression.” The sculpture serves as a good luck charm to Luminosa, her crew members, and guests.

After getting back to our room, we headed to the balcony.

We loved coming back to our room every day and finding these cute little animals made out of towels!

We sat on the balcony and watched all of the sea planes fly by…it was really cool!

And the fishing boats!

Once our ship finally left Ketchikan, we sat on the balcony with our binoculars to see if we could spot any wildlife near the shore.

We started seeing Eagles….and they were everywhere!

We spotted several in the treetops!

Ketchikan is known for its abundant bald eagle population.

They are a common sight, especially during the summer months when they hunt salmon and raise their young.

Alaska has a population of approximately 30,000 bald eagles!

Ketchikan has 30 nesting sites weighing in at up to 2,000 pounds and measure 6 feet deep!

It was a good thing I had my 50x zoom lens camera with me!!

Tip: When visiting Ketchikan in May, you’ll start to see mature eagles preparing their nests. Their eggs hatch the following month, and through June and July you can watch adult eagles feeding their young in the nests.

Always be on the lookout for wildlife from the ship….we saw lots of whales & eagles during our cruise!

Later that evening, we made reservations on the Carnival Hub app to have dinner in the dining room.

Tip: As soon as you request a table on the app, you will need to be ready to go because they can notify you pretty quickly that your table is ready and they only hold your table for 10 mins.

After being seated, we looked over the menu.

Once. again, we ordered an appetizer, our main course and a dessert.

The food was very good!

After dinner, we headed to the theater to watch another musical. 

It was called Vintage Pops…it was a 20s-jazz-meets-modern-hits musical.

Tip: They also show movies every night on the lido deck and offer popcorn

The show was good but I was exhausted so my mom and I ended up leaving early and going to bed!

That’s it for our time in Ketchikan!

Stay tuned for Days 7 & 8!

Read Days 1-3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here & Day 6 here.….Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

For the best tours in Ketchikan, Click here, here & here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time in Alaska on the Carnival Luminosa.

Our cruise dates were May 8-15, 2025.

This morning our ship would be docking in Juneau.

Click here for 21 things to do in Juneau

Juneau is the capital of Alaska and can only be reached by plane or boat!

The City and Borough of Juneau has a population of approximately 32,255. This population makes it the third-largest city in Alaska, following Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Click here to see how many ships will be docked when you are there

Once again, we woke up to beautiful, snow capped mountains!

We hadn’t docked yet but we were very close since disembarkation would start at 7 am.

Our time in Juneau would be short….only 7 am to 3 pm. However, we had to be back on the ship by 2:30 pm. These ships will not wait on you unless you have booked a tour through the ship and it runs late!

We had to plan our day out carefully in order to see and do as much as we could in such a short amount of time.

I had looked for car rental places in Juneau so, we could once again rent a car, but I was only finding rental companies that were located at the airport in Juneau and that wasn’t going to work.

Tip: I have since discovered that there is an Avis that is a 20 min walk from the cruise ship. It’s seasonal and only open from late April to late Sept. There’s also Juneau Car Rental Company that will pick you at the cruise ship and take you to their rental office to pick up your car.

So, I decided to check out Turo. I had never used Turo before but I had heard a lot about them on some of the travel pages I follow on Facebook.

If you’re not familiar with Turo…it’s like VRBO or AirBnB for vehicles. You rent other people’s vehicles. Crazy isn’t it?!

So, I downloaded the app and started searching for vehicles in Juneau and several came up.

I found a 2018 Nissan Altima that had great reviews and it was only $160 for the day…and that included full insurance!

Tip: You will have to upload your driver’s license when you sign up for an account on Turo. If you book through them, you will also have to take a picture of yourself holding your driver’s license to complete the check in…this will need to be done a day before you pick up the car. The app notifies you when it’s time for check in. Turn on your notifications for the app.

Once again, we wanted to have breakfast before disembarking the ship so we headed to Deck 9.

After breakfast, we headed down to deck 2 to disembark.

Tip: The AJ Dock, where we docked, is situated one mile south of downtown. From there, passengers can walk to the center, which takes about 25 minutes, or use a shuttle service available for $5 for an all-day pass. There are currently 4 cruise ship docks in Juneau & a 5th one was just approved. This blog post will tell you everything you need to know about the ports & about Juneau.

The owner of the vehicle I had rented from, had sent me specific instructions on where to find the car. We had to walk about 15 mins to get to the car.

After finding the car, we had to take pictures and upload to the app in order to show the condition of the vehicle upon pick up.

We then loaded up and headed to our first stop of the day, the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls!

The glacier & falls were located approximately 20 mins from the cruise port.

Views along the way

After a short drive, we arrived to the parking lot….we were literally the only ones there besides a park ranger! It was awesome!

Tip: The cruise ships offer multiple tours for Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier is one of them.

Once we were parked, we started checking out some of the signs near the parking lot.

Tip: Visitors arriving at the glacier via their own transportation, will need to purchase their $5 admission at the kiosk on arrival.

There are bears in this area so be bear aware!

Our first view of the glacier from the parking lot.

Next we headed to an observation area to get our first view of Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall is the only glacier in Southeast Alaska accessible by road. The glacier is about 13.5 miles long!

The glacier has also retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles since 1500.

The views from the observation deck.

There were several informational signs near the observation area that told you about the geology and the history of the glacier.

After viewing the glacier from a distance, we decided to walk the nearby trails to get a closer look.

They had roped off some of the areas due to nesting birds.

There are several areas where you can get much better views than the observation decks.

We walked right up to the Mendenhall Lake in order to get better pictures and to take pictures of the icebergs floating in the water.

The views were spectacular!

We had another gorgeous day….clear, blue skies!

The reflections in the water captured the rugged grandeur of the snow capped mountains!

The water was so still, the reflections looked like a perfect painting come to life!

We then decided to walk to another nearby observation area.

A shot of the visitor center

After taking our pictures, we headed to the nearby trail that would lead us to Nuggets Falls.

The walk to the falls is approximately 1 mile. The trail is an easy walk on a very flat, mostly gravel trail.

The views on the trail were really beautiful with all of the moss covered trees.

There were signs warning you of bears in the area.

There were several spots along the trail where you could take pictures of the incredible views.

The views of the glacier from the trail, were awesome!

There were signs along the way that talked about the glacier and the waterfall.

More views along the trail

Arriving to the waterfall!

This spectacular waterfall plunges about 377 feet down the rugged mountainside into Mendenhall Lake about three-quarter miles south of the active face of Mendenhall Glacier.

The waterfall is fed by Nugget Creek, which is in turn fed by the Nugget Glacier, a tributary glacier on the mountainside east of Auke Bay.

Tip: Click here for the best waterfall trails in Juneau

The reflection shots here were incredible!

It was like double the beauty! 😉

You could walk right up to the base of the waterfall! That is if you wanted to get soaked!

Tip: Steep Creek at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center is one of the best spots to view the salmon run in Juneau. This area right near the visitor center is best for viewing spawning sockeye and coho salmon and black nears during July – September. Bald eagles are also frequently seen here. Click here for more spots to view the salmon runs.

I highly recommend you walk to the falls if you are visiting the Mendenhall Glacier…you will not be disappointed!

Read reviews here 

I stood at the base of the massive waterfall, utterly dwarfed by its sheer scale as the roaring water crashed down behind me!

It was one of those moments where photos just can’t capture the scale!

The moment was truly unforgettable as I stood surrounded by Alaska’s raw and powerful nature!

Sometimes I find myself more concerned with taking the perfect picture instead of taking in the sheer beauty that surrounds me. Take time to “smell the roses” instead of taking the perfect picture that you may only look at once or twice.

A shot of my sister standing near the massive waterfall

The landscape that surrounds the glacier and waterfall

My mom had etched our names in the sand near the waterfall. In the middle of such wild beauty, it was a quiet reminder of how meaningful these shared moments really are.

After taking way too many pictures, my mom and I decided to walk the Steep Creek Trail near the visitor center.

Click here to see a map of all the short walks and hikes that you can do

The trail is only about 1/2 mile loop and can be walked in about 10 minutes.

Read reviews here

On this trail, you could see bears, porcupines, beavers, eagles and more!

The boardwalk crosses Sheep Creek and marshy wetlands.

This is where you would come to watch the salmon spawn during the months of June – September.

The views from the boardwalk were really pretty.

You could even see the glacier from the boardwalk.

Sections of the trail were gravel and took you through wooded areas so be on the lookout for bears!

The trees were covered in moss….so beautiful!

After finishing our walk, we headed to the visitors center.

We had to wait around until 10 am for it to open. Their hours during the summer months (May – Sept) are 10 am to 5 pm and they are closed on Saturdays. However, the grounds surrounding the visitor center are open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight year-round.

Views of the glacier while standing at the door of the visitor center

Once the visitor center opened, we rushed inside to find a t-shirt…we only had a few minutes to spare because we had booked a whale watch tour and had to be there at 10:45 am.

Views of the glacier and waterfall from inside the visitor center

After purchasing our souvenirs, we headed to the Auke Bay Harbor for our whale watch tour.

The drive was only 10 mins away.

This is one of the most popular things to do in Juneau since there are whales that live here year round. You are pretty much guaranteed to see whales!

Many tour operators offer excursions from May through September, with peak viewing from June to Sept.

After arriving, we had to pay $5 to park.

Tip; The meters where you pay, are near the building where the restrooms are. You will need to know your license plate number in order to pay. Leave the receipt on the dashboard for proof of payment.

We booked our tour online with Harv & Marv’s because they have been around for years and had great reviews. They also offer smaller group tours.

Read reviews here

Our confirmation email had very specific instructions on where to meet our captain so we headed to that area to wait.

The area we had to wait at overlooked the marina.

Tip: If you’re interested in renting your own boat, those leave out of the Aurora Harbor.

There were lots of signs that told about the different whales & birds in the area.

While we were waiting, we spotted an eagle flying overhead!

We also spotted the “resident eagle” at the harbor…so cool!

Auke Bay Harbor is considered a hot spot for observing bald eagles. They are often seen around the docks and in nearby trees.

The captain was right on time and led us to our boat.

Since we only had one other couple booked with us, they put us on a smaller boat.

It was so nice not being surrounded by tons of tourists!

After going over a few safety precautions, we were on our way!

The views from the boat were spectacular!

On the boat, we even had bench seats with a table…it was so nice! The captain had free bottled water, sodas and snacks.

Our tour lasted approximately 2 hours and we saw orcas, humpback whales and sea lions!

The boats can only get so close to the whales so unless you have one come up to the boat, you will most likely only see them from a distance.

We saw lots of whales spouting and several whale tales but we never got to see any really close up.

Every tour is different so you never know what you will see!

The views alone are worth it!

Tip: I highly recommend that you take something for motion sickness before going on any of these tours…the water can be rough and you can really feel the motion on the smaller boats!

After our tour, we hurried back to our rental car and headed to a nearby gas station to fill up the rental car before dropping it off.

We then drove the 20 mins back to where we had picked up the rental car.

However, there was nowhere to park the car! All the spots had been taken!

I went into panic mode as we now only had about 20 mins to get back to the cruise ship and the walk back was going to take about 15 mins!

My sister suggested we drive back to where the ship was docked and look for a parking spot there so that’s what we did.

Thankfully, we found a spot where there was plenty of parking. So, I followed the instructions from Turo and locked the key back up in the lock box, took pictures of the car and uploaded them to the Turo app and checked out!

I messaged the owner through the app to let them know where we had left the car and they were perfectly fine with that!

It was definitely a stressful situation for a few minutes!

After taking care of the car, we boarded the ship where we headed straight to deck 9 to have lunch.

I opted for a burger and fries and it was really good!

Views from our table

After our late lunch, we walked around the ship for a while.

Some of the views from the ship

We passed the area where they displayed all of the pictures they take of passengers so we decided to look for our pictures.

We found a few of them….my mom ended up purchasing two different ones….I think the cost was approx. $25.

Later that evening, we headed to one of the theaters for another musical.

It was pretty good…I’m not a music person so I can take it or leave it but the performers did a really good job.

After the show, we made a reservation on the Carnival Hub app for dinner in the dining room.

The food was much better in the dining room and you had much better options than what was on Deck 9.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

Each person got an appetizer, their main course and a dessert.

For an appetizer, I ordered the stuffed mushrooms and they were delicious!

For my main course, I ordered the pepper steak. It was really good too but I thought it was odd that it came with French fries on top of it!

For dessert, I ordered some kind of chocolate pudding that came with ice cream and it was so good!

Also, if you dine in the dining room, the staff put on a short show with music…it’s really fun and upbeat!

Views from our table

After dinner, we headed to the fitness center to work off some of those calories!

Later, we called it a night!

Thanks for reading!

Read Days 1-3 here, Day 4 here & Day 5 here & Click here to see links to all of my blog posts