Road-trip stops in Michigan

Isle Royale National Park

Keweenaw National Historical Park

North Country National Scenic Trail

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

River Raisin National Battlefield Park

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Best Western Mackinaw City

Clean rooms, indoor pool, and close enough to the bridge that your kids will ask you to explain suspension cables seventeen times before bed. Free breakfast in the morning means you're on the road by 8am without a single drive-through argument.

Birch Run Premium Outlets

Your spouse has been eyeing this exit sign since Grayling. Just pull over. The 45 minutes you spend here will buy you six hours of goodwill. Plus the kids need to use a bathroom that isn't a gas station, and you need to walk around something that isn't a rest area.

Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn

Frankenmuth is Michigan's Little Bavaria, which is exactly as delightful and confusing as it sounds. The Bavarian Inn serves all-you-can-eat chicken dinners that your kids will demolish like they've never been fed. The whole town looks like a German Christmas village, there's a year-round Christmas store the size of a Costco, and your family will need to be physically removed from the premises. Allow two hours minimum. You've been warned.

Mackinaw Crossings

If you're starting from the top of the mitten, Mackinaw City is your victory lap before the real drive begins. Let the kids burn energy at the shops while you stand on the shore and stare at the Mackinac Bridge like it personally owes you something. Grab some fudge — you'll need the sugar by hour three.

Michigan's Adventure

Michigan's own theme park and waterpark combo, about an hour west of I-75 off US-31. Not as big as Cedar Point but way less crowded, and the waterpark — WildWater Adventure — is included with admission. If your family is leaving Michigan and heading south, this is the send-off day. One last Michigan hurrah before the highway takes over. The Shivering Timbers wooden coaster is genuinely great.

Tony's I-75 Restaurant

Tony's has been feeding road-trippers since before your minivan was a blueprint. Classic diner, huge portions, and the kind of pie that makes you briefly consider moving to Pinconning. This is the Michigan equivalent of your grandma's kitchen, assuming your grandma could seat forty people and had strong opinions about gravy.