Day 1
Stretching 200 miles from Mackinaw City to Standish, the lighthouse-lined Heritage Route includes small towns, forests and more than 150 sites celebrating history, art and culture.
Kiteboarders skim the waves at Tawas Point State Park.
Rainbow Charter Service leads six-hour fishing expeditions in search of king salmon, steelhead and trout from Oscoda, where Tait’s Bill of Fare serves fresh perch and walleye.
Glass-bottom boats voyage to bay waters for peeks at shipwrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
In Alpena, bright and inventive flavors infuse entrees at Fresh Palate, where you’ll find the excellent Art in the Loft gallery upstairs.
Just 2.5 miles south of Oscoda, the Huron House Bed and Breakfast has resort-style amenities and gorgeous views.
Day 2
Take a side trip on the 22-mile River Road Scenic Byway along the Au Sable River, a dream for paddlers.
Or continue farther up the coast to small Presque Isle, home to two lighthouses.
See the remnants of the 1871 steamer Joseph S. Fay behind 40 Mile Point Lighthouse in Rogers City, where Chicory Cafe serves smoked whitefish.
More information: us23heritageroute.org
Wow moment!
Spiral up the stairs at the squat 30-foot-tall 1840 Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, one of Michigan's oldest (nominal fee). Less than a mile away is the 113-foot-tall New Presque Isle Lighthouse, built in 1870. presqueislelighthouses.org
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse