THE ULTIMATE MICHIGAN SUMMER CHECKLIST

Michigan summers go fast. The days are long, the sunsets explode and stretch into the evening, and before you know it, it’s already football season and the leaves are changing.

From Lake Michigan beach towns and scenic drives to waterfalls, dunes, whitefish dinners, wineries, freighters, and nights under the stars, summer in Michigan is something special.

Here are 25 can’t-miss quintessential Michigan summer experiences to help fill your calendar over the next few months.

And honestly… narrowing this list down to just 25 was nearly impossible. Let me know what I missed.

Michigan Summer Checklist

☐ Watch a Lake Michigan sunset in South Haven, Grand Haven, Ludington, or Manistee

☐ Drive M-22 through Sleeping Bear Dunes, Glen Arbor, Leland, and Traverse City

☐ Cross the Mackinac Bridge with the windows down and music up

☐ Spend a day biking around Mackinac Island

☐ Kayak beneath the cliffs at Pictured Rocks

☐ See Tahquamenon Falls

☐ Take the scenic drive through Tunnel of Trees (M-119)

☐ Grab cherries, wine, and roadside farm market snacks on the Leelanau Peninsula

☐ Spend an afternoon floating in Torch Lake

☐ Ride the dunes at Silver Lake with Mac Woods

☐ Watch the stars at Headlands International Dark Sky Park

☐ Explore Copper Harbor and Brockway Mountain Drive

☐ Hike in the Porcupine Mountains

☐ Stop at Kitch-iti-kipi in the Upper Peninsula

☐ Eat fresh whitefish somewhere north of the bridge

☐ Spend a beach day in Saugatuck, St. Joseph, or Holland

☐ Walk the Detroit Riverwalk and explore downtown Detroit

☐ Visit the Henry Ford Museum or Greenfield Village

☐ Watch freighters pass through the Soo Locks

☐ Explore Fayette Historic State Park

☐ Take a slow drive along US-2 in the UP

☐ Visit Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum

☐ Spend a weekend in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, or Charlevoix

☐ Grab ice cream and walk a small-town downtown somewhere “Up North”

☐ Watch at least one sunrise and one sunset over the Great Lakes this summer