Four Varieties of Great Lakes Vacations

Cedar Point, Isle Royale Help Showcase the Region's Variety

Jul 22, 2009

At last! It's summer on the Great Lakes. This area's thousands of vacation spots are uniformly beautiful, yet boast diverse charms and offer a variety of experiences.

After a long wait the best season of the year is finally here, and every mile of Great Lakes coastline is celebrating it.

This scenic region of North America includes 95,000 square miles of surface water. The five freshwater lakes form most of the southern boundary of the wide province of Ontario, and lake waters lap at the edges of eight U. S. states.

The 10,000 miles of coastline offer thousands of vacation destinations, and each shares these characteristics: vistas over an ocean-like expanse of water, excellent sunsets, beach life, and boating. But each destination also boasts unique charms.

These popular destinations will satisfy four distinct ideas of what a vacation should be.

Enjoy an Amusement Park Vacation at Cedar Point

Cedar Point on Lake Erie is a well-known destination for thrill ride adventurers. If the 420-foot high, 120 miles-per-hour Top Thrill Dragster, doesn't satisfy every need of the roller coaster adventure-seeker, a day and night riding as many as possible of the park's 68 other thrill rides surely will.

The rides at Cedar Point aren't for everyone - just the majority of the 3,000,000 visitors who come every year. Some though, probably come along to be good sports for family and friends who thrive on this kind of adventure. These guests will also find plenty to like about this beautiful location, including:

Cedar Point has been delighting the public since the first excursioners arrived at the new public bathing beach in 1870. The park opened its first roller coaster, The Switchback Railway, (25 feet high, able to reach a spead of 10 mph), in 1892, and its future was secured.

Head for the Wilderness of Isle Royale

Now for something completely different: an unforgettable backcountry experience in a moose and wolf-inhabited island wilderness. This is the kind of vacation associated more with the mountain west than the upper midwest.

Yet Isle Royal National Park is almost as accessible as any other Great Lakes destination. It is a bit more remote, but getting there is part of the fun. There will be the ferry ride across Lake Superior - 3 to 6 hours depending on which of the three ferries are used. Two leave from the lovely Keweenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan, and a third from Grand Portage, MN.

There are no roads on the island, Once there, visitors can stay at Rock Harbor Lodge, a motel-style building at water's edge. Or they can head out into the back country. Hiking the length of the island on the Greenstone Ridge Trail - with views of the island's rugged shoreline and pristine lakes - can take up to 5 days to complete. There are six designated camping sites spaced along the trail.

Return to the Victorian Era on Historic Mackinac Island

Like Isle Royale, getting to Mackinac Island requires a ferry ride, and no cars are ever allowed onto the island. There the similarities end.

While civilization remains far away from Isle Royal, life on Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) returns the visitor to horse and buggy days. Even so, the pace in this living Victorian village is bustling, with horses, carriages and bicycles competing with pedestrians for the right of way. A slower pace can be found outside the village, where most of the island is designated a Michigan State Park.

The island sits like a small, but powerful sentinel in the Straits of Mackinac between Upper and Lower Michigan. It has figured prominently in the history of the region from the time of native peoples, through the European explorers, the fur traders, up to Victorian times, which gave the island its renowned Grand Hotel and dozens of Victorian style summer homes on the bluff.

Door County Peninsula

The Door County Peninsula, jutting north eastward into Lake Michigan, boasts a rugged shoreline with bays and hidden harbors - an invitation to all kinds of boaters, kayakers and canoeists. Inland the back roads beckon cyclists.

The five state parks in the county offer a variety of campground experiences, including primitive camping. The numerous small communities throughout the peninsula offer abundant lodging and dining opportunities for the many who come here to enjoy the art and music festivals.

The list of Door County pleasures is a long one. Two to highlight are its tradition of fishboils, and its cherry orchards with adjacent farm markets offering homemade cherry pies to take home.

The copyright of the article Four Varieties of Great Lakes Vacations in Wisconsin Travel is owned by Kathlin F. Sickel. Permission to republish Four Varieties of Great Lakes Vacations in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.