Cadillac, Michigan: State Park, Dining, Brewery

June 2022, 2 nights, weekdays

Views from campsite 36 in William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac
Tent above is on campsite 40

William Mitchell State Park, Campsite 36

We have stayed in this campground many times before, and you can find more park details in my previous posts by typing the park name in the search box, or clicking on one of the labels at the bottom of this post. We made our reservation last minute, and initially booked campsite 11, as there were not many sites left. When we arrived, we asked about open sites, drove through the park, and then changed to campsite 36. We had a decent view of the lake our first evening, as there was only one campsite taken between us and the lake. 

Campsites 38 (tent on left) and 36 in William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac

Grayling, Michigan: Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground, Hanson Hills Recreation Area, Local Breweries

May 2022, 3 nights, weekdays-weekend

Picnic/beach area from road in Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground

Arrival at Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground, campsite 5

This campground is about 1½ miles off M-72 west of Grayling. The picnic and beach area is located across from the check-in spot before the campsites.

Campground map of Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground

The campground has three loops. If this is your first visit, I suggest stopping at the check-in board to view the map (photo above) to see how the park is laid out, because there are no sign posts with lot numbers or info at the drives in. The only signs at the campsite loop entrances and exits are one-way signs. This was our first visit, and fortunately, our instincts took us to the last loop in, and the first waterfront site was vacant.

Campsite 5 in Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground

Northwest Michigan Experiences: Hiking Nature Preserves, along with Beer, Wine, and Spirit Stops

 March 2021, Weekday - weekend

Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve

Hiking

We hiked a couple of new trails this trip: Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve in Arcadia, and Misty Acres Trail in Benzonia. 

Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve

Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve is an easy and beautiful boardwalk hike. The entire walk, out and back again, was just a little over 1½ miles. We parked in the parking area on M-22. There is also a parking area at the east end of the boardwalk on St. Pierre Rd. There are several benches and viewing platforms along the boardwalk. We observed signs showing three different types of trout in the waters, although we did not see anyone fishing. We saw swans, birds, and muskrats.

Misty Acres Trail

Misty Acres Trail is on the north side of N. Manistee County Line Road/M602 in Benzonia. This hike is a hard packed dirt trail, which is slightly hilly. Even so, it was still an easy hike of about ¾ of a mile. We caught a couple of small glimpses of Betsie River down the hill near the start of the loop portion of the trail. 

We passed many preserve and trail signs this trip: Green Point Dunes, Arcadia Dunes Nature Preserve, Upper Herring Lake Nature Preserve, and more. We missed hiking two trails where we had planned to stop because my husband and I both had extreme fatigue symptoms following our COVID-19 vaccination the day before this trip: Arcadia Dunes Baldy Trail in Arcadia, and Fruithaven Nature Preserve south of Frankfort. I had read that the Baldy Trail overlook has a great view of Lake Michigan. These are just a few of the many beautiful outside areas in Manistee and Benzie counties!

Pickle Chips at North Channel Brewing Co. 

Northern Michigan Breweries and Activities

February 2021, Weekdays and Weekend

We try to go out on less busy days, so most of the following visits were on weekdays. Our Saturday visits were earlier in the day when places are usually less busy (with the exception of Walloon Lake at the bottom of this post).

Grayling, Michigan

We visited three breweries in Grayling: Paddle Hard Brewing, Rolling Oak Brewing Company, and Dead Bear Brewing. All of these locations are within walking distance of the Bed & Breakfast where we were staying, although I would not recommend walking to Dead Bear Brewing after dark in the snow. That location is on a busier stretch of road, whereas, the other two are in the downtown area.

Rolling Oak Brewing Co

This was our first visit to Rolling Oak Brewing Company, which also happened to be our favorite of these three locations. We learned about this brewery because they are in the Hop Passport. We liked all of their beers, and if we had known they were having discounted growler fills ($12), we probably would have stopped in the car to fill ours. They have inside and outside seating. We got the last table inside, we thought, until we went to the bathroom. The bathrooms are located down a couple of steps near the entrance. There is a fireplace and a couple of tables in this area before the restrooms. 

I got the flight sampler at Dead Bear Brewing, which is a great value with the BrewVine Passport. I liked most of their beers when I got this a few years ago; however, this time I did not like any of them. They were out of their IPA, which is probably the one I would have liked best. Their bar seating area is spacious and comfortable.

Keg urinals at Paddle Hard Brewing

Boyne City and Petoskey, Michigan: Water Street Inn, Hiking, Passport Visits

October - November 2020, 2-nights, weekend

We originally had a reservation at Water Street Inn for April of this year that cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, we had planned to bring our bicycles, and were going to bike the trail from Charlevoix to Petoskey. After that trip cancelled, we rescheduled for the end of October. Part of the trail we had planned to bike had washed out from high water levels this year, and it was cooler in October, so we decided we would hike instead. We were glad we changed our plans, because it was snowing and cold when we left Sunday morning!

Deadman's Hill Overlook

Hiking/nature

We stopped at Deadman's Hill overlook on the way to Boyne City. I cannot even imagine how amazing this view is near the middle of October. It was still beautiful at the end of October, even though it was an overcast day and the leaves had already started to turn brown. The second overlook parking area is about two miles off US-131 at the end of Deadman's Hill Road. The first half of this road is paved.

Deadman's Hill Overlook
Jordan River in the distance on the left

We did not hike much at this location, as it was late in the day, and we wanted to get settled into our condo before dark. Jordan River, which we had kayaked near Mancelona and East Jordan this past summer, is barley visible in the photo above.

The Hill Nature Preserve
Lake Charlevoix in the distance

In the Boyne City area, we hiked The Hill Nature Preserve just outside of town off Charlevoix Road. This was an easy and beautiful hike, although the view was not as good as I had expected.

Avalanche Preserve viewing platform

Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan: Suttons Bay, Traverse City, Marion/Power/Bassett Island, Northport

August 2020, 8 nights 

I have previously written several posts about all of these areas with information, so this post will not have as much detail. You can click on the labels at the end of this post for areas you are interested in for more details.

Sunset from our slip at Suttons Bay facing west and east (below)

Marinas: Suttons Bay, Duncan L. Clinch (Traverse City), G. Marsten Dame (Northport)

We stayed at Suttons Bay marina for four of our eight nights, as this is our favorite marina. Great staff, great rates, well maintained, and nice beach/park next door. The rate was $2 higher per night than previous years, which is still reasonable. COVID-19 protocols were in place, and we did not encounter any issues. 

Sunset in Traverse City from our boat slip on the walkway
at Duncan L. Clinch Marina

Traverse City, Michigan: Visiting on a Budget!

January 2020, Weekday-weekend

Traverse City is not always an expensive place to visit, if you pick an off-peak date and watch for deals. We made most of our choices this trip based on discounts we found from places such as, the Visitors Center, WHATSUP, and the Michigan Brewvine Passport that we had purchased before our trip. The passport cost is $31 with tax and shipping, and there is often a passport BOGO purchase special around the holidays. The AAA rate at Hotel Indigo where we stayed, was less than $150 before taxes.

Pulled pork sandwich from Dickey's BBQ Pit in Traverse City

Dining

We had lunch one day at Dickey's Barbecue Pit because we had a coupon for BOGO pulled pork sandwich. We got the no-cost coupon from the local deals section on the AARP rewards site, and you do not need to be a member to join this site. This was probably not one of our better dining choices in Traverse City, although it was acceptable and inexpensive.

Breakfast at Green House Cafe in Traverse City

We were very pleased with our accidental breakfast choice at Green House Cafe. We had planned to have breakfast at Blue Heron with a coupon from the Visitor Center; however, this restaurant has closed. None of the restaurants we passed in town as we walked by looking for another breakfast place had menus posted, and we chose Green House Cafe totally by chance. We had been hoping to find a place that would not cost $10+ per person, and as luck would have it, Green House Cafe fit the bill! The food was delicious, and the cost for both meals was less than $10 total before tip.

Wolverine Flatbread at The Filling Station

We enjoyed a beer and a half-priced flatbread at The Filling Station--the discount came from the Michigan Brewvine Passport. The beer, service, and food were all excellent!

Beverages: breweries, wineries, distilleries, Happy Hour...

On Mission Peninsula, we visited Peninsula Cellars, Chateau Grand Traverse Winery, Bowers Harbor, and Jolly Pumpkin. The Brewvine Passport contains coupons for all of these locations. There was no charge for the tastings at any of the wineries we visited, and the Jolly Pumpkin coupons we used were for half off.

Jolly Pumpkin in Traverse City; Brewvine Passports on counter

Northern Michigan Road Trip ~ Breweries, Wineries, Dining, Casino

January - February 2019, Weekday and weekend visits

Winter in Michigan!
Location: Charlevoix county.

We had a Michigan Brewvine Passport with several unused discounts, which had some bearing on the places we chose to visit this trip.

Four Leaf Brewing Sampler

Clare, Michigan: Four Leaf Brewing

This was our first visit to Four Leaf Brewing, and we only learned about the brewery because of their participation in Michigan Brewvine Passport. We liked all their discounts, and chose to use the coupon for 50% off a flight with our order. My personal favorite was Tiramisu Stout. The service was excellent, and we hope to visit again soon. Pere Marquette Rail Trail runs very close behind this brewery, on the west side of Pine Street.

View behind bar at Dead Bear; photo taken during 2016 visit

Grayling, Michigan: Dead Bear Brewing Co.   

We have previously enjoyed good food and brews at Dead Bear Brewing Co., although our experience was a tad disappointing this time. We split the Rueben appetizer, which we had had before, and really liked. The appetizer had been more like an egg roll last time, and this time it was greasier. You can see a photo of this appetizer in my 2015 Grayling post. Initially, we had planned to just split a pint at Dead Bear with their $2 off coupon, and then dine at Paddle Hard Brewing; however, the morning of our departure, we learned Paddle Hard Brewing would be closed.

Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery

Petoskey, Michigan: Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery, Odawa Casino 

Mackinaw Trail is one of our favorite places to visit in Petoskey! We enjoy visiting their locations in Mackinaw City and Manistique, as well. We love their brews and wines, along with the service and atmosphere. We used their discounted tasting coupon from the Michigan Brewvine Passport, and could not leave without making at least one purchase. My husband and I both liked Hop-toskey IPA and the Imperial Stout best--both delicious! 

Frankfort, Michigan / Marinas and Town

August 2018

We usually stay at the Municipal Marina in Frankfort. This trip, we stayed at two different marinas (one being the municipal), and we learned about a third one.

Sunset from beach in Frankfort, Michigan

Frankfort Municipal Marina

We pulled up to the marina dock after we launched our boat to see about a slip for the night. This marina takes transient reservations, and they usually have a few slips open for people who do not make a reservation. The last two times we have stayed here, we were initially told they did not think they had anything, and then after some conversation, we got a slip both times. The next morning, when we asked what time we needed to be out, we were told, "11ish," as the marina was going to be full on Saturday. We stayed in the area another night after we left this marina, and the slip where we had stayed the first night was open the entire time (along with a couple of others). I am not sure why this marina always gives the impression there are no available slips. The cost for our 25' boat was $40.

Northern Michigan Dining, Breweries, Wineries, Happy Hour, and more!

August 2018

We visited Suttons Bay and Traverse City two different times in August (7 nights total). This post covers some new beverage and dining venues we discovered. I will have separate posts about recreation and other topics. We learned about some of these places from the Visitors Centers, and some from What's Up Michigan's website. I am not sure how well the What's Up Michigan site is maintained, as I also found several expired or invalid links within their site. Make sure to check dates when looking for information.

Blue Tractor Slider for $3 ~ delicious!

Dining and specials

We visited Blue Tractor Barbecue in Traverse City because we had a coupon for a free slider. We were surprised when we arrived and saw this is a restaurant/bar. For some reason, we had expected a food truck. We also ordered a Bloody Mary, and learned when we received the bill, that Bloody Marys are on special for only $1.50 on Sundays!

Blue Tractor menu

The slider was amazing, and the regular cost is only $3. We had planned to stop again during our second visit to the area; my husband wanted another BBQ, and I wanted to try the Tractor Salad. Unfortunately, things did not work out for us. The service was excellent, as well. We thought Blue Tractor Barbecue was an excellent find, definitely worth visiting again.

Petoskey, Michigan / Casino, State Park, Wineries and Breweries, Bicycle Trail

May 2018, Weekday-weekend, 3-nights

We have visited the Petoskey area several times, and this brief post does not begin to cover everything the area has to offer. You can find many more details about the area in previous blog posts; just type what you are looking for in the search box above, or click on labels of interest at the bottom of this post. Additionally, I have two Facebook albums with more Petoskey photos from 2015 and 2016.

Sunset from inside Odawa Casino

Odawa Casino

We stopped at this casino mainly for the RV parking. Although we had been here once before, I did not recall how small the casino is inside. There is so much parking space on the grounds, that I am sure patrons would not all fit inside if the spaces were more than half filled. We parked in the RV lot, and we observed two other RVs in the main parking lot. There was plenty of room in all of the lots, so the RVs parked in the main lot did not cause a problem. We did not find any good promotions at the casino--a Player's Card did not give us anything extra, other than earning points, and there were no food or beverage specials on Thursday evening. Fortunately, we broke even at the slots!

Petoskey State Park campsite #168, 2-nights

There is a lot more detail in my previous blog posts and photo albums for this campground (photo links above, and labels at  the end of this post). We stayed on campsite 168 this time, which is a grassy, spacious site. It does not face the water like site 167, although it is still a nice site. Nothing in the campground had changed since our last visit. The water level along the beach was a bit higher than previous visits, and there were many more stones on shore than usual. My husband found four Petoskey stones on the beach this year!

Crostini with Mackinaw Trail Wine Tasting

Cadillac, Michigan / Mitchell State Park, Brewvine Passport, Clam Lake Beer Company

May 2018, Weekend, 2-nights

The campground information in this post is brief, as there is already information available in my Facebook album, and in previous blog posts: May 2017, May 2016, September 2014. Scroll to the bottom of this post for information about Michigan Brewvine Passport and Clam Lake Beer Company.

Sunrise from bedroom window - 
campsite 190 at Mitchell State Park

Campsites 175, 176, 177 and 190

Campsite 177 near the boat launch looks like a fabulous site; however, there are low hanging branches at the back of this site that would hit the top of our RV. You can enlarge the photo below to read the labels by clicking on it.

Mitchell State Park campsites 175, 176, 177

Old Mission Peninsula and Beulah, Michigan / Northern Michigan Wineries & Jolly Pumpkin Brewery

November 2016

This post is a brief update with some information we learned during our last visit to a couple of northern Michigan wineries and breweries.

You can find more information about Michigan wineries and breweries in the following blog posts: May and June 2016, May 2016 (Grayling), May 2016 (Cadillac), May 2016 (Petoskey), October 2015 (Grayling), October 2015 (Petoskey), May 2015 (Tahquamenon Falls), March 2015,  and October 2010. 

Black Star Farms wine taste glasses being discontinued

Black Star Farms

We have a couple of the old style Black Star Farms wine glasses, which we purchased several years ago. The glasses came with six tastes at the time of purchase, and then we could get five free tastes every time we visited with our glasses thereafter. Keeping the glasses wrapped in a small carrier in the trunk of our car has been a good thing for us, and Black Star Farms - we always bought at least two bottles of wine every time we stopped in one of their wineries for a taste! During our most recent stop at Old Mission Tasting Room, we learned they are discontinuing complimentary tastes with these glasses at the end of 2016. The person who provided us with our sample tastes did not tell us this; when we paid for our purchases, the cashier asked us if he had told us the glasses were being discontinued.