This August I took my first trip up to Michigan, (or as my boyfriend calls it, “America’s High-Five”) and after 4 days, I was ready pack up all my stuff and move.
I was fairly hesitant to visit after my boyfriend had talked so highly of their beaches and the overall difference in the communities. I was worried I would have to tell him he had built it up too much but I quickly realized he was right, at least about the community, jury is still out on the beaches.
We flew into Grand Rapids and then began caravanning our way up to Pentwater, where the rental house was located. However, before we made it to our destination, we needed to stop and stretch our legs. We stopped at the first place we could which happened to give me one of my favorite experiences of the trip. The place where we had stopped happened to be a farm with over 700 acres of adorable animals, pretty sunflower patches, and a plethora of fruit orchards and lush vegetable gardens.
I am a sucker for any experience with animals whether it be domesticated, farm or wild animals. So there was no containing my excitement when I saw the sign that said “Petting Zoo”. My boyfriend and I each paid our $10 entrance fee and went through the door. I was so surprised to find that it wasn’t the standard petting zoo, with a small fenced in area that had a few goats to pet. Nope, not this place. This place had camels, wallabies, deer, donkeys and goats. All of which were accessible in one way or another. I could have been entertained for hours, by the petting zoo alone, but the Lewis Farm and Petting Zoo provided so many more activities.
Once I could pull myself away from the animals I took a look around and really experienced everything the farm had to offer. They had fresh baked goods, in their market, and a beautiful farm venue that happened to be hosting a wedding while we were there.
If you are near New Era, Michigan, you have to stop in and take a look around!
After our quick detour at the farm and a bit of a drive, we arrived at our rental home, in Pentwater. After we all claimed rooms (it was a family trip) we quickly ran out back to take in the view. I have never seen such a large lake in my life. It may as well have been an ocean, but it was cleaner and much more peaceful. Due to the higher than normal water levels and an excess of rain this year, the beach wasn’t as big as we had expected but it had just enough room to play around and build terrible sand castles and made a great spot to read a book!
After spending some time in the house and getting to know the area more, we decided to take part in what I have noticed is probably the biggest rite-of-passage for the area, a Mac Woods Dune Ride! This was another first for me as I had never seen sand dunes before.
When Mac Woods opened the rides were just 25 cents, that is a lot less than the $18 they now charge. However, with that price you get to walk around their museum which includes memorabilia from decades past, the ride, beautiful photos and you learn some history about the area.
Prices circa 1965 
Our guide was funny and super knowledgable about the dunes and the business. Mac Woods started their tours in 1930 with a model A Ford that only sat 4 people and now still uses the Ford brand but their capacity has grown to about 20 people to a ride with tens of trucks on a 15 minute rotation. One of the most interesting facts was that all of the grass in the dunes was planted by a group of Boy Scouts decades ago in order to help stabilize the sand.
We took about a 40 minute ride going up and down the dunes and they let us off the truck for a few minutes to get photos and let everyone take in the scenery. It was an absolute joy to see the little ones doing their best to run down and then back up the dunes.
Due to the shifting sands, and the rising water table, the trails have to be recreated each morning. Overtime Mac’s has had to change their rides due to some areas being taken over by water.
During the ride we also learned about fulgurite which is created when lightning meets sand (like something right out of Sweet Home Alabama). You can find some of the fulgurite inside the main shop. They look like a copy of the lightning bolt that created it, it is pretty cool to see in person.
There are a lot of options to explore the dunes in but I genuinely believe you have to have the Mac Wood’s experience at least once!
Conveniently located in the same parking lot would be Whippy Dip, another rite-of-passage that everyone must experience! Rain or shine there was a crowd at this ice cream shop, and I understand why. They have so many options from flurries and sundaes to milkshakes and subs. Unfortunately, we were too busy enjoying our sugary treats to take any photos, you will just have to take my word on this one.
In between playing board games at the rental and reading books by the lake, we ventured into Pentwater and explored the quaint shopping area. We bobbed in and out of antique shops, modern boutiques and even a candy store!
I am obsessed with the hard candies that are usually only found in grandparents cookie jars. You know the strawberry ones with the hard shell and the sweet sweet liquid center? Yeah, those are my jam, but I can only find them in old school candy shops. That is why I was so happy when we stumbled upon The Cosmic Candy Company. They had every type of candy, taffy, and fudge you could think of! So I stocked up on some hard candies and we went on our merry way.
We got lucky with the weather and only had a few short summer showers during our trip. The little bit of rain cooled everything down to make it the perfect temperature for walking and even better for picture taking.
On one of our last days in Michigan we found ourselves visiting the Little Sable Point Lighthouse. It is a picturesque lighthouse that stands about 100 feet high. It was built in the 1870’s as the third lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.
Fortunately enough, it reopened its doors to the public in 2005 after being left vacant in 1954 due to the poor condition of the pavement surrounding the light house. Now anyone can enjoy the beautiful 360 degree views from the top of the lighthouse for a small fee.
As gorgeous as the beach looks, I wouldn’t plan on sticking around if you decide to visit due to the amount of biting flies. I tried reading a few chapters of my book and was too annoyed by the flies to really take any of it in.
I was so not ready to come back to reality after spending the week in Michigan and I am hoping to make it a yearly trip. Maybe next year we can explore the dunes on ATVs instead!
Guess who was born and raised on Lake Michigan..didn’t leave until Feb, of 1964.
Born 7/13/1941. Summers were spent on the beach, Hot Hot sand on bear feet.. usually two different sand bars to swim to. Every once in a while you could hand catch a perch (fish) by hand.. when we got older we would ride our bikes to the beach,,There was a amusement park at the time, and a big pavilion for roller skating and music at nite.. that is where the high school proms were held.. Naturally also where you and your steady girl would go at nite and ______.
Benton Harbor and St Joseph. Twin Cities