The Mitten State of Mind: One Thing to See or Do in All 83 of Michigan's Counties, Pt. 2

Michigan is full of majesty, mystery, and might, each of which comes in many forms. This three-part series highlights just some of what the Mitten State has to offer, county by county. Welcome to Part Two, which covers 32 counties alphabetically, from Hillsdale to Muskegon.

MichiganLogan T. HansenJuly 29, 2022travel, Michigan, travel advice, travel guide, travel guidance, travelspiration, travel inspiration, travel ideas, Great Lakes State, Turnip Rock, Great Lakes, The Mitten State, mitten state, Hillsdale County, Tri-State Marker, Billingstown Ohio, La Tierra Sanctuary, hiking, hiking trails, Houghton, Houghton County, Mont Ripley, Upper Peninsula, Upper Peninsula Tours, Copper Harbor, Copper Country Falls Tour, Michigan Tech, Michigan Technological University, Portage Lake, The Portage, skiing, snowboarding, winter sports, the great outdoors, outdoor adventure, outdoor recreation, winter travel, winter getaway, summer travel, kayaking, canoeing, Mackinac Island, Huron County, Port Austin, Port Austin Kayak, Port Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Thumb, Ingham County, Michigan State Capitol, National Historic Landmark, self-guided tour, lighthouse, Ionia County, Saranac, Iosco County, Tawas Point, Tawas Point Lighthouse, Tawas Point State Park, fishing, Midwest Cape Cod, Lower Peninsula, migratory birds, bird watching, swimming, camping, Iron County, Ski Brule, Nordic trails, Wisconsin, sleigh rides, family trip, family-friendly, family vacation, Isabella County, Mount Pleasant, Soaring Eagle Casino, Bucks Run Golf Club, Jerry Matthews, Quarry Grill, Bucks Run Putting Island, Golf Digest, Golf Digest's Places to Play, Jackson County, Falling Waters Trail, Aaron Dimick, People for the Parks & Trails of Jackson Michigan, Cascades Waterfall, Kalamazoo County, Air Zoo, Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum, Portage, Flight Innovation Center, amusement park, Michigan's Adventure, Wildwater Adventure Park, Kalkaska County, Skegemog Lake, Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area, Torch River, biking, mountain biking, Kent County, Grand Rapids, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Frederik Meijer, Japanese rock garden, The New York Times, 52 Places to Go in 2016, 52 Places, 52 Places to Go, Auguste Rodin, Ai Weiwei, West Michigan, Keweenaw Peninsula, Keweenaw County, Isle Royale, Isle Royale National Park, Manistee National Forest, Huron-Manistee National Forest, Lake County, Bear Track, Old Grade, Gleason's Landing, Bowman Bridge, Shrine of the Pines, Pere Marquette River, Lapeer County, Lake Inn, Lake Nepessing, Lapeer Country Club, craft beer, Up North, Northern Michigan, Leelanau County, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Fishtown, Leland, Lenawee County, Michigan International Speedway, Faster Horses, MHSAA, NASCAR, NASCAR Cup Series, Livingston County, Schell Family Farm, Parshallville Cider Mill, Spicer Orchards, cider mill, Ghostly Grove, Lansing, Detroit, Fenton, Pinckney, Tahquamenon River, Tahquamenon Falls, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Oswald's Bear Ranch, Newberry, black bears, Upper Falls, Lower Falls, Grand Hotel, Arch Rock, Macomb County, Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Ford House, Albert Kahn, Lake St. Clair, Cotswolds, National Register of Historic Places, Grosse Pointe Shores, Manistee County, Sleighbell Weekend, Sleighbell Parade, Ramsdell Theatre, Victorian Sleighbell Parade, beach, beach life, beach day, beach getaway, Secret Garden, Aaron Burden, Marquette, Marquette County, Sugarloaf Mountain, michigan.org, Pure Michigan, Yooper, Mason County, Ludington, Ludington State Park, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Stefon, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Big Sable Point, Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Nordhouse Dunes, Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area, MTV, Dan Cortese, Mecosta County, Ferris State University, 13th, Ava DuVernary, Jim Crow Museum, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Menominee County, J Wells State Park, Green Bay, Menominee, Cedar River, Midland County, Herbert Dow, Dow Gardens, canopy walk, forest canopy walk, Pines Home, Missaukee County, Lake City, Airbnb, Lake City Family Diner, The Patio on Main, Rustic Hog Barbecue, Rustic Hog BBQ, Monroe County, Sterling State Park, Toledo Ohio, University of Michigan, walleye fishing, James Monroe, Montcalm County, Frugthaven Farm, Klackle Orchards, Klackle doughnuts, Thunder Bay Resort, Montmorency County, Hillman, elk preserve, murder mystery weekends, golf, golf course, Muskegon County, USS Silversides Submarine Museum, Hackley and Hume, Hackley and Hume Historic Site, Shivering Timbers, rollercoaster, theme park, waterpark, two parks for the price of one, White Lake, Whitehall, Muskegon, day trip, daytripping, day tripping, day tripsComment

Ada: Scenes From a Small West Michigan Town in Early November

Many people mourn the end summer — especially those who live in colder parts of the country — but I’ve been convinced for a long time that autumn is the best season of the year, and there’s nothing you could say to me that would make me believe otherwise. Fall means football, the leaves putting on their color-changing parade, and the start of the holiday season.

Drive-In Movie Theaters Around Michigan That Would Love to See Your Face Right Now

While regular movie theaters and cinemas are going through the financial ringer during the coronavirus pandemic, drive-ins are seeing a good old-fashioned renaissance. When you consider that drive-in theaters come with social distancing essentially baked in to the movie-going experience, this makes perfect sense.

TripSavvy Says Michigan is Great for Outdoor Enthusiasts — They're Not Wrong

At the start of 2020, national travel publication TripSavvy declared Michigan an “underappreciated outdoor playground,” naming it the year’s top travel destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Provided this planet is full of all kinds of natural wonders, anyone unfamiliar with the Great Lakes State might balk slightly at such a designation. But those of us “in the know" aren’t the least bit surprised.

MichiganLogan T. HansenJanuary 24, 2020travel, travelspiration, travel inspiration, travel advice, travel guide, Michigan, Pictured Rocks, Great Lakes State, Aaron Burden, TripSavvy, Great Lakes, Upper Peninsula, U.P., M-2, Isle Royale, Belle Isle, Detroit, Kitch-iti-kipi, Turnip Rock, Port Austin, Motor City, Motown, cider, cider mill, Northern Michigan, Southeast Michigan, West Michigan, Charlevoix County, Beaver Island, Beaver Island Music Festival, Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse County, Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City, Old Mission Peninsula, daytripping, day trip, day trips, wine, winery, Leelanau County, Leelanau Peninsula, Manistee County, Little Manistee River, Little Manistee, kayaking, canoeing, outdoors, the great outdoors, Mother Nature, Oceana County, Pentwater, Wexford County, skiing, Caberfae Peaks, Saginaw County, Frankenmuth, Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, Wayne County, Greenfield Village, Holiday Nights, summertime, Alger County, Pictured Rocks Cruises, Pictured Rocks Kayaking, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Chippewa County, Sault Ste. Marie, Soo Locks, Soo Locks Boat Tours, Paradise, Tahquamenon River, Tahquamenon Falls, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Lake Superior, Houghton County, Keweenaw County, Keweenaw Peninsula, Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Fort Mackinac, Rocket League, The Gay Bar, Gay Michigan, US-2, St. Ignace, Muskegon County, White Lake, Whitehall, Ottawa County, Kirk Park, Grand Haven, Grand Haven State ParkComment

From Logan's Run to All Things Wanderful: Recapping 2019 & Ushering in 2020

There are a couple reasons it was time to move on from Logan’s Run — the primary one being so that I would no longer be competing with the 1976 film of the same name when it comes to the Google machine. Beyond that, though, I feel the new name does a much better job of capturing what this site is all about: the wonder, and the wander, of travel.

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 10, 2020travel, travel advice, travel guide, travelspiration, travel inspiration, All Things Wanderful, Logan's Run, travel blog, travel blogging, travel writing, year in review, happy new year, 2020, 2019, travel insurance, Middle East, Blake Lively, Tom DeLonge, Blink-182, Harry Potter, Detroit, Batman: The Movie, Pacific Ocean, CBS, Star Wars, Thailand, Ireland, A New Hope, The Last Jedi, a galaxy far far away, Phang Nga Bay, Chewbacca, Kashyyyk, droids, the droids you are looking for, Tunisia, Naftah, Chott el Djerid, Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Mos Espa, salt lake, Pentwater, Michigan, Northern Michigan, West Michigan, The Michigan Day Trip Tour, Little Manistee River, Soo Locks, Lake Michigan, Great Lakes, Great Lakes State, up north, Pentwater Yacht Club, Seville, Spain, Europe, tapas, Montreal Falls, Lake Superior, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Beaver Island, Beaver Island Music Festival, music festival, Falling Through April Comment

The Michigan Day Trip Tour, No. 4: Much Ado About Nashville

Perpetually out shined by a certain southern city of the same name, Nashville, Michigan, has probably never been on your radar. Like a number of other Michigan communities named after much more recognizable places (e.g. Athens, Holland, Moscow, Paris), the village, which is located in the eastern portion of Barry County, is a tiny, tiny community. But that doesn’t make it any less interesting.

The Michigan Day Trip Tour, No. 1: Ottawa County's Kirk Park

There are plenty of beaches worth a visit along Lake Michigan, not the least of which would include those found in Grand Haven, but just south of there, tucked in between some absolutely gorgeous homes on Lakeshore Avenue, is a little spot called Kirk Park.

A (Very Brief) Stop in Cincinnati, the Queen City

After working overnight and getting a scant two hours of sleep or so, I piled into my little Chevy Cruze with my brother and my son and we took off from West Michigan. Our route saw us through rural parts of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as a KFC boasting a buffet, before we arrived in the Queen City, home of the Reds, the Bengals, and the Bearcats, not to mention the American Sign Museum and the Purple People Bridge.

Fulton Street Farmers Market: One of West Michigan's Oldest Neighborhood Markets

If you find yourself in the Midwest, there's a pretty good chance you won't need to look too hard to find a farmers market during the summer season. In rural and urban areas alike, these marketplaces are generally a fixture of the community, whether they pop up in parking lots or park pavilions on the weekend or if they have a more permanent location with fairly regular hours.

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