As a fourth-generation Michigander who has spent significant time living elsewhere, I can attest to the fact that we’re a unique bunch.
We generally have wit and a lean toward sarcasm. We also pronounce things so strangely that you’ll have to get used to our dialect. For example, you have to register your vehicle at the “Secretaryahstate” and you buy “grosheries” from the grocery store. It’s cute, you’ll get used to it.
In all seriousness, though, Michigan is a natural world wonder. It’s surrounded by and contains more than one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. Seeing an out-of-stater’s face when they witness the magnitude of the Great Lakes is priceless and swells me with pride every time. The forests here are thick and dark, and home to a variety of incredible animals, and some interesting people as well. And the cities are unique and relatively unpopulated.
Michigan is a large state with vastly different customs and cultures depending on which part of it you’re visiting. A small town in the Upper Peninsula (UP) is quite different from Marquette, the UP’s largest city, which is even more different still than Detroit, which is different from metro Detroit and even more so from the rolling vineyards of Leelanau County.
Plan the perfect trip to Michigan with these top tips on planning, etiquette and health and safety.
1. Choose the best time for your trip to Michigan
The very best time to visit Michigan is September and October. September is like a second summer, and October has the best of the autumn weather. June through August are tremendously beautiful, but with kids out of school, you’ll be hard pressed to find a campground to yourself, which isn’t a problem after Labor Day. Also, if you’ve never heard of black fly season, trust us that you don’t want to know what it is – steer clear of the UP in July and August.
Unless you absolutely detest cool, clear water, you’ll want to go swimming in Michigan’s lakes and rivers and you’ll enjoy it a lot more once the waters have had time to warm up, which is usually in August.
If you want to visit in the winter, to see actual winter, with all the snow it entails, you’ll have to plan your vacation for either the Lake Michigan coastline where…
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