Good day friends!
Jealous of your friends who’ve booked a spring break vacation in Florida? Why? The state of Michigan offers so much to do and has many restful places to visit all year round! Why not combat the late winter cabin fever and take advantage of a great Groupon Deal or Airbnb in a town you’ve never been to before? While mother nature keeps playing around, weather is not an excuse to avoid an adventure. The current weather in West Michigan reminds me of last April when Tony and I took our first weekend getaway to Charlevoix. It was very cold when we went, but we made so many unforgettable memories taking in Charlevoix’s unique sights.
Each of my posts will feature a summary of the trip we took, as well as details and photo’s about what we experienced. I’ll also include a Google map tagging each location we stopped at. For trips lasting longer than a day, the tags are color coded. Feel free to use or share the maps for your personal use.
~ Trip Summary ~
Type: Weekend away
Where: Charlevoix
When: First weekend of April 2016
Why: ***We took a weekend getaway rather than a day trip due to a longer travel time given the season (unpredictable weather and shorter days) ***Highly recommended town for a getaway ***Unique architecture ***Lake Charlevoix is pretty ***Could take in a couple sights on way home
Time Traveled (one way): 3 hours from Downtown Grand Rapids with an hour stop for dinner
Time spent at destination: one full day, 2 nights, 4 stops along the way home
Budget: hotel, gas (about 3 fills ups), 4 meals for 2, and a souvenir for each of us… about $400 total
What We Did:
Friday evening: Dinner at Timbers in Cadillac
Saturday: Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse, Earl Young’s mushroom houses, downtown shops, Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company, Goodwill, Stafford’s Weathervane, Lake Charlevoix
Sunday: World’s largest cherry pie, 45th parallel, Village of Elk Rapids, Traverse Bay, Gypsy Nickel Lounge in Big Rapids
Other Opportunities to Explore: Castle Farms, Susan’s Creek Nature Preserve, Fisherman’s Island State Park, Charlevoix Depot Museum, North Point Nature Preserve, Mt. McSauba Disc Golf Course, Breakfast or brunch at a local restaurant such as Smoke on the Water; during the warmer months – boat watch at the marina, visit the farmers market, Venetian Festival each July, dine at Kelsey’s Lakeside Grill on Lake Charlevoix
~ Trip Details ~
It’s that time of year in Michigan when cabin fever starts to get out of control. It’s especially bad this year because we’ve been having very unusual weather throughout February and early March that’s not normal for Michigan. Some days the temperatures reached the high 50s/ low 60s tempting my body to think it’s late April rather than February. Alas, the meteorologists tell us that winter is not over yet, and we are expecting more snow this weekend. If that’s the case, this reminds me of early last April when Tony and I took our first weekend trip to Charlevoix.
We took advantage of a Groupon deal that offered an extra percent off on travel deals and booked two nights at the Charlevoix Inn and Suites. Rather than spend just a day, we booked a weekend so we could allow ourselves extra time to stop by roadside attractions on our way home. Since it was cold and snowy, the thought of being in the cold during the day, then warming up in the hot tub at the hotel sounded refreshing. Plus there were quite a few attractions we wanted to check out, such as the lighthouse, Earl Young’s mushroom houses, Lake Charlevoix, and Castle Farms.
We left Grand Rapids on Friday after work at around 5:30 and started driving north on 131. (Side note: It was snowing until we passed Rockford so we took a little extra time). For dinner, we stopped in Cadillac at Timbers Inn. I saw it online with its warm, cozy bear and log cabin theme and knew we had it try it out. It served American fare – burgers and various sandwiches but the ambiance was the true takeaway!
Once we finished eating, we continued straight to Charlevoix. By the time we reached, it was around 10pm and too late to explore. Driving through the city to our hotel, a couple things stood out to me – the worlds largest cherry pie, and the Stafford’s Weathervane Restaurant’s architecture. Once we check into the hotel, we decided to hit the hay to start exploring tomorrow.
Saturday morning came, and after the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we headed to the lighthouse. Tony and I always had a shared interest in lighthouses. Tony grew up on Mombasa island in Kenya and lived a couple blocks from Mombasa’s lighthouse. I’ve seen a number of different lighthouses while visiting different beaches around Michigan growing up. I noticed each lighthouse looked unique so whenever Tony and I are nearby a place with a lighthouse, we try to visit those we can. Did you know at one point, there were close to 250 lighthouses in Michigan at one point? While today there are only about 100 lighthouses, no two are alike so it would be cool to see as many as we can! To learn more about Michigan’s lighthouses and plan an adventure to check one out in person, I recommend http://www.michigan.org/lighthouses
On the day we visited the South Pier Lighthouse it was extremely cold and a little windy despite the sun! We went up close to the working lighthouse and snapped some photos until we couldn’t feel our faces. This lighthouse was built in 1948 and uses the original lens and lantern salvaged from Charlevoix’s first lighthouse. The design of Charlevoix’s current lighthouse was inspired by the Alpena Light in Alpena, MI – built in 1914.
After warming up a bit in the car, we drove a short distance to the block of houses built by Charlevoix’s unique, self taught architect, Earl Young. These cute, hobbit like houses are known as mushroom houses and use stone sourced from Northern Michigan. Earl Young was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, who interestingly enough, created a bathing pavilion on 12615 Pa Ba Shan Lane in 1909, but it burned down around 1922/23. Young believed the houses he built should blend in with their environment. In total, Young built 31 homes in Charlevoix – many can be found around Park Ave, Grant St, and Clinton St. We know there are more in Charlevoix, however we did not see those.
From top left: Half House – 402 Park Ave, top Right and bottom: The Thatch House – 304 Park Ave
We drove around the block of mushroom houses a couple times and got out to admire the details a little closer. By visiting Charlevoix in the winter, we didn’t have to compete with any tourists to get an unobstructed photo. It is possible to rent out a couple of these houses if you’re interested in taking a very unique weekend getaway.
From Left: Streets of downtown Charlevoix; Outdoor patio area/entrance to Lake Charlevoix Brewing Co; a convenient map in town to guide you to fun!
Later we checked out the local shops downtown that were open and each purchased a pro-Michigan (the state) souvenir!
I love craft breweries! Almost all of our adventures involve a visit to a craft brewery. I use an app called Untappd where I put my Michigan made beer sampling to good use.
In the heart of downtown is Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company! While there we tried the Up North Pale Ale, Pine River Porter (chocolate porter – almost perfect score), Round Lake Red (Irish Red Ale), Love Fuel (raspberry Berliner Weisse – delicious!), Michigan Beach Blond (Blonde Ale ), and Rock Out Stout (Irish stout) In case you’re wondering how I can remember these beers and if I liked them or not, it’s definitely due to the detailed notes I took on Untappd. 😉 We also ordered a couple appetizers to enjoy a light lunch. Food was good! Drinks, excellent (and I loved their names)!
After lunch, we passed by the local Charlevoix Goodwill to do a little treasure hunting. I like to check out thrift and vintage shops whenever a town has some – great ways to find a charming and possibly practical souvenir.
To warm up after our cold day out, we returned to our hotel to relax at the pool and hot tub.
For dinner, I insisted we go to Stafford’s Weathervane Restaurant – why go anywhere else if in Charlevoix for only a weekend? It is on the pricey sign but the food and ambiance were worth it!
The hostess seated us right by a window facing the West so we could watch the sunset. The view was very pretty along the Round Lake Channel even though our sunset view was hampered by clouds. The restaurant was decorated with a nautical theme, which is fitting giving the location and Charlevoix’s importance in Michigan’s nautical history.
The food was delicious with a changing seasonal menu and daily specials. There are also burger, sandwich, soup, and salad options at reasonable prices.
I loved the fireplace which was made out of large boulders found in the region. The large key stone of the fireplace looks like the Michigan mitten!
Following dinner, we drove to Lake Charlevoix at dusk to check out the lake. It was very blue and still. We spent several minutes there walking around the lakes edge and taking in the scenery and moment. Our trips may be filled with activity and sightseeing, but we take time to pause and reflect at many of the beautiful natural sights we are blessed to have in Michigan.
After nightfall, we returned to the hotel to rest up for the trip back home.
Sunday after breakfast we passed by the World’s Largest Cherry Pie for photos and selfies! This was one random attraction I saw along the road on the way into town. For some reason, this wasn’t on the list of things to see in Charlevoix! Turns out there’s another World’s Largest Cherry Pie in Traverse City – that pie is now on my bucket list so I can judge for myself which is larger.
We then stopped for a quick photo at the 45th Parallel in Torch Lake. In Kenya, Tony and I stopped by one of the signs that said we were standing on the Equator. Now we can say we’ve also stood on the 45th Parallel. Hooray for standing on significant latitudes in each of our home countries! #winning!
Our final stop we took before my phone died was in Elk Rapids! Fun fact – I’ve been to this town a couple summer’s ago when my sister dated a guy who lived in Elk Rapids. Cute small town! After some quick photos along the Traverse Bay and clock that shows we truly were in Elk Rapids, we took off because everything was closed on Sunday!! I was bummed because I remembered an extremely unique and delicious pizza place right on the main street called Chef Charles. Seriously, check it out when you are in Elk Rapids. I last ate there 4 years ago, and it still tops my top 10 list of places for pizza.
For late lunch/early dinner, we ate at Gypsy Nickel in Big Rapids. Gypsy Nickel seems like a great place for the Ferris State crowd – it’s a bar and restaurant that isn’t very expensive. They have pool tables as well. On the Sunday we were there, they had a burger special for next to nothing so we took advantage of that! If we ever are hungry while passing through Big Rapids, we definitely will take the journey off 131 to eat at Gypsy Nickel rather than grab fast food or eat at a chain.
~Things that we did/didn’t do~
- Tony and I didn’t visit Castle Farms, which was on our list of things to do. However, I failed to look at the winter hours of operation of Castle Farms and turns out, they were closed on Sunday, which was when we were planning on visiting. If you plan to take a weekend trip to Charlevoix anytime from May through October, you can put Castle Farms on your Sunday plan because it is actually open then! The nice thing about visiting in the winter months is cheaper admission – $7 per adult compared to $15 per adult during summer.
- There are also some nature preserves and state parks nearby that we didn’t have time to explore. If you aren’t into the craft beer scene, I suggest using that time to visit one of few nature preserves in the area.
- I really love breakfast foods, but Tony and I sadly did not dine outside the hotel for breakfast this mini vacation. If we had, we would have gone to Smoke on the Water. Not only have I read their breakfasts and lunches are fantastic, but the restaurant is in the oldest building in Charlevoix.
- Finally, if visiting during the late spring/summer/early fall months, you may be able to visit during a festival! For a week in mid July, Charlevoix hosts its annual Venetian Festival which began in 1930.
It is my biggest wish that this weekend travel guide inspires you and your families to plan your own weekend getaway this spring to explore a destination you’ve never been to before. If you’re in Michigan and looking for suggestions for a weekend in Charlevoix, I hope this comes in handy. Please comment or reach out to me to discuss if you’ve ever traveled to Charlevoix for a weekend in the winter. What did you do that was the same or different? I’m interested in hearing about fun things to do in there summertime as well. Where else in Michigan have you traveled to for a weekend?
from Michigan with Love 
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