Cover Story
Made in Michigan: Road trip edition
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you. Those are the words emblazoned, in Latin, on our state flag — and for this year’s Made in Michigan guide, we did just that. Since we cover the Motor City each week in Metro Times, we decided to set our sights on the rest of the…
Some of the best restaurants within a day’s drive of Detroit
Detroit seems to get all of the attention when it comes to conversations about all things culinary around here, but there are plenty of other great restaurants and chefs across the Great Lakes State. Here are a few of our favorites. Flint MaMang: Billed as Flint’s only southeast Asian eatery serving “Vietnamese cuisine and Taiwanese…
Some of our favorite made-in-Michigan products
Chillbean chillbean.comThough the Chillbean crew would rather be known as a “worldwide inflatable hammock brand,” the fact is that two former Charlevoix High School classmates joined forces with European friends to market something that seems distinctly Michigan: an inflatable lounge chair. It would appear to be the perfect millennial marketing maneuver, from the slangy “chill”…
Why Mackinac Island is the strangest place in Michigan
When was the last time you visited Mackinac Island? If you’re like me, it may take you a moment to recall obligatory summer vacations with family, counting years since your petulant teenage years on your fingers, using failed relationships as primary markers of time. Revered as Michigan’s most beloved tourist trap and quaint resort town,…
Port Austin is a journey to one of the natural wonders of Michigan
When people think of Port Austin, they likely conjure an image of a seemingly gravity-defying rock formation. Skinny at the bottom, wide at the top, and covered in trees — the massive rock is named for the vegetable it resembles: a turnip. And though the local chamber of commerce says some callers seem to think…
Emmet County has more than its share of the dazzling and the deranged
Most metro Detroiters heading up to Mackinaw City would take that last leg of Interstate 75 from Indian River to Big Mac at high speed, shooting up those final 28 miles in 20 minutes or less, law and common sense be damned. People have always wanted “the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great…
The Traverse City area abounds with plenty for pleasure-seekers
It’s time to head north. About three hours north of Detroit, you hop off I-75 and, for another hour, you wind west through lush shady woods, over crystal lakes, past groves of fruit trees and pastures of sleepy cows toward the tip of the pinkie — Traverse City. Though the Pure Michigan commercial mainly shows…
How Echopark guitars moved from the West Coast to set up shop in Detroit
In 2016, upon his first-ever visit to Detroit, Gabriel Currie took a late-night stroll. Actually, “stroll” doesn’t do it justice. It was an hours-long, way-past-midnight walk through downtown streets. By himself. The Los Angeles native was invited here by acquaintances who were locals, but slipped away from his hosts. “I heard all the stories for…
Flint, the Vehicle City, has plenty of reasons to toot its horn
The Vehicle City often gets a bad rap, but if you want to day-trip with your family or spend a night on the town, Flint has plenty to offer. After leaving, you can become one of the growing number of people who leave saying, “I had no idea what Flint was really like.” Here’s a…
15 reasons to love Grand Rapids
You might say that Grand Rapids is Detroit’s little brother. As the state’s second-most-populous city, the two cities have something of a rivalry, and it’s likely plenty of people will argue “the west side is the best side.” Maybe they have a point. Here are some of the places to visit when you want to…
The Upper Peninsula is pure Michigan
If you’re a “Troll” — that is, if you live downstate, or “under the Mackinac Bridge” — it can be easy to forget that Michigan has a whole other damn peninsula. Actually, it seems to happen a lot: A Facebook group, “Maps Without Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,” keeps track of maps that erroneously omit the land…
Here are some of Michigan’s top resorts
You can enjoy an exotic vacation right here in Michigan. When it comes to resorts that are quirky, charming, or luxurious, these are some of the state’s top spots. Bavarian Inn Lodge 713 S. Main St., Frankenmuth; 855-652-7200; bavarianinn.com This lodge feels like you’ve traveled to a quaint German village, with Old World architecture, horse-drawn…
