Michigan Vacation help needed!

[floridafam]

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I don't want to hijack this thread -- it's basically a beautiful love poem to the State of MI and that should continue -- but I'm curious as to (i) why you're still in FL, and (ii) why you'd like to move back to MI.

Full disclosure: I'm also from GR. Moved to FL after grad school (married a Floridian) but we got back here four years ago and haven't looked back. FL is crazy. WDW is amazing. But FL is nuts.

I’ve never really fully acclimated to Florida. I miss Fall and the change of seasons. I can’t stand the hot summers. Florida is part of the south and I’m just not a southern girl. It’s hot, you can’t sit on the grass and have a picnic, bugs, etc.

We were living in East Lansing when we moved here and I miss everything about it. It was just so different than small town Florida.

Luckily, our oldest is 24 and our middle child graduates from college next year. We are a little more flexible now if we want to move.

I agree. Florida is nuts.

 

[Rob Huff]

"I’ve never really fully acclimated to Florida. I miss Fall and the change of seasons. I can’t stand the hot summers. Florida is part of the south and I’m just not a southern girl. It’s hot, you can’t sit on the grass and have a picnic, bugs, etc."

--- I truly couldn't have said it better myself (swap "guy" for "girl"). It's so, so different. During COVID, we've eaten almost every lunch/dinner outside. This time of year in Florida, we barely left the house/office.

 

[bearzabout]

Snowbirds really do have the best life. Michigan is great 8 months out of the year, but it is great to escape our gray skies in the winter. They are really depressing!

 

[570traveler]

Well tomorrow we leave to start our trip! Hoping things remain steady and we don’t need to return home early.
Thanks again for all the recommendations! I’ll be sure to post some of the highlights.

 

[dancergirlsmom]

I live in Michigan on the border with Canada. Last year when I had family over from England I took them on a road trip. We left our home town and headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park on the West Side of the State, from there we went into Traverse City and spent the night. The next morning we drove up the shore and stopped in Charlevoix and Petoskey heading to Mackinaw City. We then stayed in Mackinaw City for a couple of nights. We made a day trip over the Mackinaw Bridge and up to Sault Ste. Marie and watched the freighters in the Soo Locks (Amazing). There is also a museum in a freighter there that you can go to. Depending on time, there are quite a few beautiful places to visit in the Upper Penninsula. We spent a day on Mackinaw Island and a day in Mackinaw City before heading home. We stopped in Frankenmuth on the way home. Michigan is a beautiful state and has a lot to see. Hope you have a wonderful trip with whichever one you take. We are actually heading to Disney next week.

 

[floridafam]

I was telling my kids how we used to cross the border into Canada when we were 19 and not yet 21 and go to the bars. They were horrified.

 

[dancergirlsmom]

I was telling my kids how we used to cross the border into Canada when we were 19 and not yet 21 and go to the bars. They were horrified.

t

Yep. Quite common here. My DD who is 20 went over with her friend and friends mom and grandma when they turned 19.

 

[bearzabout]

FYI - the state’s mask requirements changed 4 days ago. Now masks must be worn indoors in any public space. They can be removed once seated at a dining table in a restaurant. Businesses that do not enforce the new mask requirement can loose their business license.

Masks must be worn outside when social distancing is not possible. They can be removed if others are more than 6’ away.

They instituted a $500 fine for non compliance, but enforcement varies by county.

Only 3.5% of tests are coming back positive. Most new cases are related to large parties and very few people are hospitalized, so you most likely will be fine.

It is going to be hot. Bring a swimsuit and take a dip in the warm waters of Lake Michigan. The lakes are really heating up!

I apologize in advance for our terrible roads. I think we have the most potholes of any state. You will notice the difference as soon as you cross into the state.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[floridafam]

FYI - the state’s mask requirements changed 4 days ago. Now masks must be worn indoors in any public space. They can be removed once seated at a dining table in a restaurant. Businesses that do not enforce the new mask requirement can loose their business license.

Masks must be worn outside when social distancing is not possible. They can be removed if others are more than 6’ away.

They instituted a $500 fine for non compliance, but enforcement varies by county.

Only 3.5% of tests are coming back positive. Most new cases are related to large parties and very few people are hospitalized, so you most likely will be fine.

It is going to be hot. Bring a swimsuit and take a dip in the warm waters of Lake Michigan. The lakes are really heating up!

I apologize in advance for our terrible roads. I think we have the most potholes of any state. You will notice the difference as soon as you cross into the state.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

My dad has been saying how hot it’s been when we talk on the phone at night.

 

[antmaril]

Well tomorrow we leave to start our trip! Hoping things remain steady and we don’t need to return home early.
Thanks again for all the recommendations! I’ll be sure to post some of the highlights.

Have a great time! I hope you have a wonderful vacation. Please let us know how you enjoyed it when you return. My friend and I are planning a trip to Petoskey in mid-August. I have my fingers crossed that we will be able to go!

 

[havaneselover]

Just got a text from my mom in Petoskey. They got a bad storm. She said there are trees down everywhere--on the house, blocking the driveway, blocking the garage, etc. Ugh. They're 76 so they can't do much about this themselves.

 

[570traveler]

FYI - the state’s mask requirements changed 4 days ago. Now masks must be worn indoors in any public space. They can be removed once seated at a dining table in a restaurant. Businesses that do not enforce the new mask requirement can loose their business license.

Masks must be worn outside when social distancing is not possible. They can be removed if others are more than 6’ away.

They instituted a $500 fine for non compliance, but enforcement varies by county.

Only 3.5% of tests are coming back positive. Most new cases are related to large parties and very few people are hospitalized, so you most likely will be fine.

It is going to be hot. Bring a swimsuit and take a dip in the warm waters of Lake Michigan. The lakes are really heating up!

I apologize in advance for our terrible roads. I think we have the most potholes of any state. You will notice the difference as soon as you cross into the state.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

lol my husband commented that the bike paths are better taken care of than the roads.We have some pretty crappy roads in PA but I think the weeds growing in the cracks of the roads in Michigan have us beat.

 

[570traveler]

Just got a text from my mom in Petoskey. They got a bad storm. She said there are trees down everywhere--on the house, blocking the driveway, blocking the garage, etc. Ugh. They're 76 so they can't do much about this themselves.

we are in Holland right now and the sky looked pretty ominous for a bit but luckily it missed us. Just a little rain.

 

[570traveler]

First day was spent mostly on the road. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in South Bend. Nice hotel, great location. There was a youth lacrosse tournament going on so the hotel was packed with kids.
We got take out from Portillo’s....Wow was it good! We’ve had Al’s beef in Chicago and for a fast food place it was really good!
We also went over to Notre Dame. Spent way too much money in the book store...

 

[570traveler]

Today we drove to Saint Joseph. Walked around town and the farmers market.
Tried Silver Beach pizza for lunch. We weren’t fans of it. I think it was just too different from what we are use to.
Headed north and followed the Blue Star Highway for much of the trip.
Stopped in South Haven/South Beach. It was really crowded! We found a spot to park and sat under a tree on a bench. It was really hot but there was a nice breeze.
Headed to Sherman’s Dairy Bar next. Line was really long (waited over 30 minutes & it was SO HOT lol). Ice cream was good but we got cones in cups and by the time we got to the car, the ice cream was melting so much it was overflowing all over. Thank goodness we had paper towels with us!
We drove through Saugatuck and parked and walked a little. Pretty crowded there too.
Next stop Holland. We made it to Windmill Island Gardens right before they stopped selling tickets. Not everything was open but it was a nice walk around. There was a lot of flooding in the area and some of the walkways were blocked off because they were under water.
Then we drove over to Holland State Park. It took us about 30 minutes to get in. We walked around and people watched for a bit. Lots of people in the water even though there were red no swimming flags flying.
Picked up food from Goog’s Pub & Grub. Pot roast was really good as was the burger.
Staying the night in Holland and continuing north tomorrow.

 

[bearzabout]

Keep a close eye on the weather radar map tomorrow. This line of storms could get bad. It will cause large waves on Lake Michigan. Winds may be high at times throughout the week. There was damage from the storm in Petoskey today. Roads are blocked by downed trees and thousands have lost power.

Halaula has two locations near Grand Haven and serves great Hawaiian shave ice if you have never tried it before.

 

[570traveler]

Keep a close eye on the weather radar map tomorrow. This line of storms could get bad. It will cause large waves on Lake Michigan. Winds may be high at times throughout the week. There was damage from the storm in Petoskey today. Roads are blocked by downed trees and thousands have lost power.

Halaula has two locations near Grand Haven and serves great Hawaiian shave ice if you have never tried it before.

Thanks for the weather update. It’s windy and pouring here in Holland. We are holding out hoping it will at least slow a bit to get the car packed.

 

[havaneselover]

Keep a close eye on the weather radar map tomorrow. This line of storms could get bad. It will cause large waves on Lake Michigan. Winds may be high at times throughout the week. There was damage from the storm in Petoskey today. Roads are blocked by downed trees and thousands have lost power.

Halaula has two locations near Grand Haven and serves great Hawaiian shave ice if you have never tried it before.

Yep, it is a mess. This is my parents’ driveway in petoskey.

 

[570traveler]

Yep, it is a mess. This is my parents’ driveway in petoskey. View attachment 511651

Wow! That must have been a pretty big storm. Hope they are ok!

 

[havaneselover]

Wow! That must have been a pretty big storm. Hope they are ok!

Here’s their driveway down to their garage.
Thankfully they are safe. They got eight guys out today to get enough trees cut so they can get a car out of the garage. No hot water or ac but they now have one fridge and one tv working. I’m guessing they’ll spend the next month getting things back to normal. They seemed to have gotten the worst of it but they are ok.