The essential guide to visiting Michigan
The art and culture of Detroit, the wide expanse of Great Lakes beaches and the Upper Peninsula’s rugged beauty are just a few highlights of a visit to Michigan. Here’s a guide to where to go, what to eat, and how to get around the Wolverine State.
If there’s a destination that offers something for everyone, Michigan is it. Detroit, the state’s largest city, teems with live music, world-class art, professional sports, and cuisine from around the world. To the north, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (commonly called the U.P.) promises wilderness hiking and camping, pristine fishing streams, and spectacular snow sports. In between, you’ll find sparkling Great Lakes beaches, award-winning wineries, arty college towns, and championship golf courses. Here’s our guide to the best of Michigan.
(Is this Michigan city the most Finnish place in the U.S.?)
Best time to visit Michigan
Spring: Farmers’ markets and flower festivals are everywhere in spring, when Michiganders celebrate the return of warmer weather. Check out Flower Day at Detroit’s Eastern Market, more than 5 million flowers at Holland’s Tulip Time festival, and the Lilac Festival on Mackinac Island.
Summer: This is high season in Michigan, which offers three national parks, 103 state parks, more than 850 golf courses, and miles of trails. Visit one of the state’s Great Lakes beaches to swim, build sandcastles, or climb a lighthouse. Favorites include Ludington, Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Petoskey.
Fall: The beauty of Michigan’s hardwoods draws travelers on annual leaf-peeping drives. Check out the Leelanau Peninsula’s M-22 or Petoskey’s Tunnel of Trees (M-119) for spectacular foliage. The wineries in Traverse City are especially popular for harvest-season winery visits.
Winter: The U.P. ranks among the snowiest spots in the US. Check out the frozen waterfalls at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, watch a dogsled race in Marquette, or ski and snowshoe the Keweenaw Peninsula, where you can warm up afterward at a Finnish sauna.
Key areas to explore
Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas are joined by the Mackinac Bridge and surrounded by four Great Lakes: Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Michigan’s largest cities, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, and the capital, Lansing, are in the Lower Peninsula. The U.P. offers a more rugged, remote escape.
Detroit and Southeast Michigan: Legendary for its live music (including Motown), automotive innovation, African American heritage, and art and culture, Detroit is also home to four professional sports teams and global cuisine. Nearby, Dearborn offers Arab American culture and food as well as the Henry Ford Museum, which began as the automaker’s personal collection.
West Michigan Beaches: The Lake Michigan shoreline is dotted with beach towns, each with its own personality. Besides great water access, you’ll find quaint B&Bs and a maritime museum in South Haven, art galleries and a LGBTQ+-friendly vibe in Saugatuck, and an authentic Dutch windmill in Holland. The gateway to and largest city in West Michigan is Grand Rapids, known for its art and culture, including the Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, and for its abundance of breweries.
The Northern Lower Peninsula: Traverse City, the region’s largest city, has Lake Michigan beaches, wineries, cherry orchards, and an extensive trail network. Petoskey is the place to search for Petoskey stones (Michigan’s state stone), and Gaylord is packed with championship golf courses. Michigan’s fascinating shipwreck history comes alive at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena
The Upper Peninsula: Lightly populated and beloved for its natural beauty, the U.P. is home to Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks National Parks and Michigan’s largest state park, the Porcupine Mountains. Head to the Keweenaw Peninsula for incredible mountain biking and winter trails, then dive into the region’s copper heritage at Keweenaw National Historical Park, where you can tour abandoned mine shafts.
(How to plan a cycling tour of Detroit's epic architecture.)
Where to stay
The Shinola Hotel may be the quintessential Detroit hotel experience: luxury rooms furnished with Detroit-made art, music, food, and beverages, within a renovated Art Deco building and an easy walk from downtown attractions. In Grand Rapids, the historic Amway Grand Plaza hotel is famous for its elegant lobby chandeliers and its location near cultural attractions and a short drive from Lake Michigan beaches.
The family-oriented Grand Beach and Sugar Beach Resorts sit side-by-side and share 300 feet of Lake Michigan beachfront in Traverse City. In the Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge rents charming four-season log cabins near Lake Superior. Built as a 1930s federal works project, the cabins are near mountain biking, paddling, golfing, and snowshoeing opportunities, and the stargazing is spectacular.
Taste of Michigan
Don’t leave Detroit without sampling its namesake pizza, a square pie unique to the city. The region’s large Arab American population serves outstanding Lebanese, Palestinian, Yemeni, and Chaldean food at family-owned restaurants. And Detroit’s large African American population contributes terrific Southern and soul food, combined with the flavors of African immigrants.
West Michigan is a prime fruit-growing region. Look for fresh peaches, blueberries, apples, pears, and cherries, or visit a U-Pick orchard like Crane’s. Craft breweries are also prevalent in West Michigan.
Throughout the state, restaurants offer fresh-caught lake trout, smelt, and whitefish. In the UP, the specialty is pasties, hot, hearty meat- and veggie-filled hand pies that originated with the region’s copper era and were particularly popular with miners.
Getting around Michigan
By Plane: Both Detroit Metro (DTW) and Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids (GRR), Michigan’s largest airports, offer daily domestic and international service. The airports also serve customers flying to Traverse City, Lansing, Marquette, Kalamazoo, Houghton, and other Michigan airports.
By car: Outside large cities, public transportation options are limited in Michigan. Key interstates include I-75 between Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie, I-94 between Detroit and Chicago, and I-96 between Detroit, Lansing, and Grand Rapids. Scenic bridge crossings join the Upper and Lower Peninsulas and link Michigan to Ontario at Detroit, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie. There is also an underwater tunnel between Michigan and Ontario in Detroit.
(In Michigan, making the outdoors more accessible to people of color.)
Know before you go
The Great Lakes are key to Michigan’s climate. Temperatures can change quickly, but are always a bit cooler in summer (average highs are in the mid-80s) and a bit warmer in winter (average highs around 30⁰ F) than in neighboring states. Expect some rain in warm-weather months and some snow in winter, with the Lake Michigan shore and the U.P. receiving the most snow. Fall colors and snow arrive much earlier in the U.P., and spring arrives much later than in the rest of the state.
How to visit Michigan sustainably
Thanks to automotive innovation in Detroit and Michigan’s commitment to environmental preservation, you’ll find EV charging stations across Michigan via resources like PlugShare. Chargers are most prevalent in urban centers and the Lower Peninsula, with a growing number elsewhere, including Michigan state parks.
Since 1976, Michigan has imposed a 10-cent bottle deposit on most carbonated beverages. Return your empty bottles for a refund and use recycling centers common in public spaces and hotels statewide.
Bike trails crisscross the entire state of Michigan. Bring your own or rent two wheels and explore the state sustainably.
