Anonymous wrote:Silver Lake Sand Dunes on Lake Michigan. Only place east of the Mississippi you can drive your own private vehicle on sand dunes.

Agreed! But you do want your own private vehicle to be a 4x4. There are also rental places where you can rent a jeep if you don't want to drive your own car on the dunes. We rent a hotel room at Sierra Sands hotel once a year for a week and don't drive vehicles on the dunes and still have enough to do every year.


I posted the really long list of recommendations here last summer:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/570083.page#9215952

Saugatuck/Holland

Silver Lake Sand Dunes on Lake Michigan. Only place east of the Mississippi you can drive your own private vehicle on sand dunes.

We've spent time at both Glen Lake and Crystal Lake, neither of which would be quite as far of a drive as Traverse City. They are lovely lakes for boating and swimming (chilly, but not so cold as Lake Michigan, I think). Both locations are accessible to Sleeping Bear Dunes, which is beautiful (https://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm). Frankfort is a charming little town, and Point Betsie Lighthouse there is a pretty place to visit for a rock-collecting expedition.

We have a wedding in Chicago this summer and are considering extending the trip. I know that western Michigan is a vacation destination but know nothing else. I don't know if we'll be able to go as far north as Traverse City.

Tips, advice, etc. on the area (where to go, what to do,) would be appreciated.

Thank you.