Michigan Attractions Guide

Detroit

• Motown Museum (Hitsville U.S.A.) — the original house where Berry Gordy built Motown Records; Studio A is preserved exactly as the Supremes and Marvin Gaye left it.
• Detroit Institute of Arts — a world-class collection anchored by Diego Rivera's monumental Detroit Industry Murals.
• Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (Dearborn) — 250 acres of Americana, from the Rosa Parks bus to the Wright brothers' bicycle shop and Ford's first factory.
• Belle Isle Park — a 982-acre island park in the Detroit River with an aquarium, conservatory, and the Great Lakes' best skyline picnic spot.
• Heidelberg Project — Tyree Guyton's long-running outdoor art installation turning vacant houses into polka-dotted neighborhood art.

Mackinac Island

• Fort Mackinac — an 18th-century British fort on the bluffs above the harbor, with costumed reenactors and a cannon firing daily.
• Mackinac Island State Park — 70% of the island is preserved parkland, with 70 miles of trails and carriage roads (no cars allowed anywhere on the island).
• Grand Hotel — the 1887 resort with the world's longest porch (660 feet) and a dress code that still holds for dinner and dancing.
• Arch Rock — a natural limestone arch 146 feet above Lake Huron, formed by glacial erosion and reached by a short hike or bike ride.
• Mackinac Island Butterfly House — a tropical conservatory where hundreds of butterflies land on visitors among waterfalls and orchids.

Traverse City Area

• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — 450-foot sand dunes towering over Lake Michigan, with the famous Dune Climb at the base.
• Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive — a 7.4-mile loop through forest and dunes with pullouts overlooking the lake, including the Lake Michigan Overlook.
• Empire Bluff Trail — a 1.5-mile round-trip hike to boardwalk overlooks with panoramic views of South Bar Lake and Lake Michigan.
• Old Mission Peninsula — a 19-mile wine trail along the 45th parallel, with a dozen wineries between Traverse City and the Old Mission Point Lighthouse.

Ann Arbor

• University of Michigan Campus — the historic "Diag" and Law Quad anchor one of America's great college towns; the campus art and architecture are open to all.
• Matthaei Botanical Gardens — 300+ acres of trails, gardens, and a conservatory with tropical and desert houses, free to enter.
• Michigan Stadium ("The Big House") — the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere (107,000+ seats); tours run when there's no game.
• Nichols Arboretum — 123 acres along the Huron River, famous for spring peony blooms and the prairie restoration.

Pictured Rocks / Munising

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — 15 miles of 200-foot sandstone cliffs streaked in mineral reds and greens along Lake Superior.
• Pictured Rocks Cruises — the classic way to see the cliffs, with guided boat tours from Munising past Miners Castle and Chapel Rock.
• Miners Castle — the most photographed rock formation in the park, accessible by a short trail from the parking area.
• Chapel Falls — a 60-foot waterfall reached by a 1.5-mile trail through old-growth forest, one of the park's quietest spots.

Practical Tips

• Best season to visit: June through September for the islands and the Upper Peninsula; fall color peaks in late September–October around Sleeping Bear and the North Country. Detroit is year-round.
• Getting around: You need a car for everything except the Mackinac Island ferry area — the island itself is car-free (bikes and horses only). Ferries depart from Mackinaw City and St. Ignace; book ahead in summer.

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