Summer Season Begins “Up North”

The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan

  More than a million Michigan residents are heading “Up North” this Memorial Day weekend to kick off another summer of outdoor fun. Swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling (the only vehicles allowed on Mackinac Island), motorcycling, or just sitting on the lake shores and beaches and enjoying the fresh air all are on the agenda. Every summer, families and friends are reunited as they return to cottages, campsites and resorts that have been traditions, in some cases, for generations. And, of course, there’s golf. Northern Michigan boasts some of the best—and most affordable golf anywhere. Boyne, Bay Harbor, Gaylord, Little Traverse Bay and Grand Traverse are just a few of the big names up there. But there are dozens of world class courses and resorts that you can take advantage of. I can think of no place I’d rather be than on a golf course “Up North”— pine tree-lined and riotiously green—on a breezy summer evening. Yes, I said evening. For at the height of summer, I have finished rounds of golf at nine o’clock at night with enough light to do a little putting afterwards. It’s absolutely unbelievable how long the days are up there. I like to start a round at six p.m., when the temperatures have cooled (I often will wear long pants), and the breezes have picked up. At the risk of sounding like an ad for the Michigan Tourist board, I recommend that you take a look at Northern Michigan for a vacation this summer. Visit Mackinac Island, Petosky (a summer home of Ernest Hemmingway), and the Grand Traverse area. You won’t be disappointed.