Attraction
Arch Rock
A natural limestone arch on Mackinac Island's east side, 146 feet above the water. You can see it from the shore road or from the bluff above.
Many of the region’s best days out suit families: beach time, short dune walks, forts and lighthouses, and summer festivals.
Places for family activities
Historic site
Colonial Michilimackinac
Mackinaw City's 18th-century fort and fur trading village, rebuilt from historic maps and one of the longest-running archaeological digs in the country.
Historic site
Fort Mackinac
The fort on the bluff above Mackinac Island's harbor, founded by the British in 1780 and now a living history museum with fourteen restored buildings.
State park
Grand Haven State Park
A 48-acre sand beach park where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan, with a swim beach, a modern campground and views of the pier lighthouses.
Trail
Little Traverse Wheelway
A paved, non-motorized trail along Little Traverse Bay linking Charlevoix, Petoskey and Harbor Springs, much of it with open views of the water.
State park
Ludington State Park
A big dune park between Hamlin Lake and 7 miles of Lake Michigan shore, with three campgrounds, 21 miles of trails and the walk to Big Sable Point Lighthouse.
Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The five-mile suspension bridge that carries I-75 across the Straits of Mackinac between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, open since November 1, 1957.
State park
Mackinac Island State Park
Michigan's first state park covers more than 80 percent of Mackinac Island: forest, limestone formations, historic sites and 70-plus miles of roads and trails.
State park
Petoskey State Park
A mile of Lake Michigan beach on Little Traverse Bay between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, with wooded dunes and the climb up Old Baldy.
Attraction
S.S. Badger
A 1953 coal-fired steamship and National Historic Landmark that carries passengers and vehicles across Lake Michigan between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Trail
Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
A mostly paved trail of about 22 miles through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, linking Empire, the Dune Climb, Glen Haven, Glen Arbor and Port Oneida.
Trail
TART Trails
Traverse City's trail network, built around the 10.5-mile paved TART along the bay and linked to the Leelanau Trail, Boardman Lake Loop and VASA Pathway.
Attraction
The Dune Climb
A steep, open sand dune on M-109 in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with a picnic area at its base and a hard trail over the dunes to Lake Michigan.
Beach
Arcadia Beach Natural Area
Arcadia's public Lake Michigan beach at the west end of Lake Street, with parking, restrooms, picnic tables and a playground. An easy family beach day.
Trail
Betsie Valley Trail
A 22-mile rail trail from Frankfort past Crystal Lake and Beulah, paved at the west end and aggregate beyond, with snowmobiling on the east part in winter.
Museum
Bottle House Museum
A house built in 1941 from about 60,000 glass bottles, now the Kaleva Historical Society's museum of local Finnish-American history.
Ski area
Boyne Mountain
A big resort at Boyne Falls with 65 trails on 415 skiable acres, 35 km of cross-country trails, and SkyBridge Michigan and bike trails in the warm months.
State park
Charles Mears State Park
A small Lake Michigan beach park at the edge of Pentwater, with a buoyed swim beach by the harbor pier, a campground and a trail up Old Baldy.
Beach
Clinch Park
Traverse City's downtown beach on West Grand Traverse Bay, with a splash pad, playground, city marina and the TART trail running through.
Ski area
Crystal Mountain
A four-season resort in Thompsonville with 59 downhill runs, 25 km of Nordic trails and groomed winter bike trails, plus singletrack and golf in summer.
Museum
Dennos Museum Center
Traverse City's art museum on the Northwestern Michigan College campus, known for its Inuit art collection, with a hands-on Discovery Gallery.
Beach
First Street Beach
One of Manistee's three city beaches on Lake Michigan, with sugar sand, a free family disc golf course and parking for the riverwalk.
Attraction
Glen Arbor Arts Center
Glen Arbor's community arts center on Lake Street, with free gallery exhibits, classes for adults and kids, and Plein Air Weekend in August.
Ski area
Hickory Hills
Traverse City's own ski hill since 1952, with 16 runs, Nordic trails including a lighted loop and an FIS-certified course, and disc golf in summer.
Attraction
Interlochen Center for the Arts
The arts camp and boarding school founded in 1928 between two lakes south of Traverse City, with student and guest-artist concerts open to the public.
State park
Interlochen State Park
Michigan's first state park, between Duck and Green lakes, with old-growth pines, two campgrounds and the Interlochen arts campus next door.
State park
Leelanau State Park
The state park at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, with the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, a rustic campground and the Cathead Bay trails to a sandy beach.
Trail
Leelanau Trail
A paved, flat, 17-mile trail between Traverse City and Suttons Bay through farms and woods, groomed in part for skiing and fat biking in winter.
Museum
Little Traverse History Museum
Petoskey's history museum in the 1892 railroad depot on the waterfront, with a Hemingway collection and exhibits on Native American history and lumbering.
Nature preserve
Magoon Creek Natural Area
A 97-acre Filer Township park south of Manistee with dune and forest trails, a creek, Lake Michigan shoreline and a picnic area.
Museum
Manistee County Historical Museum
Manistee's history museum in a downtown drugstore building on River Street, with period rooms, a log cabin replica and maritime exhibits.
Museum
Maritime Museum at Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station
A National Park Service museum in the 1901 Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station at Glen Haven, on lifesaving, the Coast Guard and Great Lakes shipping.
Ski area
Mt. Holiday
A small community nonprofit ski hill in East Bay Township, east of Traverse City, with snow tubing in winter and zipline tours and trails in the warmer months.
Trail
Muskegon Lakeshore Trail
About 12 paved miles along Muskegon Lake from Pere Marquette Park to the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve, with views of the channel and South Pier light.
Attraction
Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park
A year-round adventure park inside Muskegon State Park with a luge track, lighted cross-country ski trails and skating in winter, and a zip line in summer.
State park
Muskegon State Park
Three miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake, with forested dunes, two campgrounds, a CCC blockhouse and the Muskegon luge park.
Trail
North Bank Trail
A paved rail-trail of about six miles east from Spring Lake to Nunica, linked to the Lakeside Trail loop through Spring Lake and Ferrysburg.
Ski area
Nub's Nob
A family-owned ski hill near Harbor Springs with 53 runs on 248 acres, 427 feet of vertical, terrain parks and night skiing.
Lighthouse
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
The 1892 castle-style lighthouse just east of the Mackinac Bridge, with restored keepers' rooms, a tower you can climb and a shipwreck museum.
Beach
Pere Marquette Park
Muskegon's big Lake Michigan beach at the channel mouth, raked daily, with volleyball, kiteboarding, the South Breakwater Light and the Lakeshore Trail.
Historic site
S.S. City of Milwaukee
A 1931 Great Lakes rail car ferry and National Historic Landmark preserved in Manistee, with guided tours in summer and a haunted ship in October.
State park
William Mitchell State Park
Cadillac's state park between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac, with a campground, the Clam Lake Canal and the start of the White Pine Trail.
State park
Young State Park
Boyne City's state park on Lake Charlevoix, with a swimming beach, a boat launch, three modern campgrounds and 6.5 miles of trails.
On the map
Family activities: places on the map
43 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Recommended towns for family activities
Towns an independent source (such as the DNR, the National Park Service or Pure Michigan) singles out for this. Listed by town size, not ranked.
Southern Gateway
Grand Haven
A Lake Michigan beach city on the Grand River: a state park beach, a pier walk to two red lights, a riverfront boardwalk and free Musical Fountain shows.
Ludington & Manistee
Ludington
A Lake Michigan harbor town for beach and lighthouse trips, with the S.S. Badger car ferry and a big dune state park just north of town.
Mackinac & Straits
Mackinac Island
A car-free island in the Straits of Mackinac. Bike or walk from a busy harbor town to an old fort and a state park that covers most of the island.
Mackinac & Straits
Mackinaw City
The base for the Straits, beside the Mackinac Bridge at the tip of the Lower Peninsula, with a reconstructed colonial fort and ferries to Mackinac Island.
Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Traverse City
A bayfront city at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, with a walkable Front Street downtown, bay beaches, cherry orchards and two wine peninsulas close by.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear · Small town
Glen Arbor
Your base for northern Sleeping Bear Dunes: a small town between Lake Michigan and Glen Lake, about 4 miles from the Dune Climb by trail.