Lake Michigan – the main resorts and areas, excursions and attractions, museums, reviews of tourists about Lake Michigan.
Great Lake Michigan is the largest of the freshwater lakes in the United States, its area is almost 58 thousand square kilometers.
According to toppharmacyschools, Lake Michigan means “big water” in the Ojibwa language.
Through the Mackinac Strait, Michigan is connected to Lake Huron, and the Chicago-Lockport shipping channel is connected to the Mississippi, the main river artery of North America. Around the middle of the 19th century, this lake was chosen for recreation by wealthy residents.
Today, the coast of Michigan attracts not only residents of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, on whose territory its coasts are located, but also tourists from all over the world. Still: the most luxurious sandy beaches, excellent fishing and a great opportunity for water sports, as well as wonderful picturesque surroundings, cannot leave you indifferent.
How to get there
Getting to the coast of Michigan is not difficult; quite large cities are founded on its shores, which are connected by regular flights with major US cities. These are the already mentioned Chicago, Evanston (Illinois), Highland Park, Green Bay (Wisconsin), Gary, Milwaukee, Hammond (Indiana).
In each of them there is more than one cozy hotel or campsite right on the coast, from the windows of which rooms offer an indescribably beautiful view of the majestic lake.
Fishing on Lake Michigan
Michigan is a real paradise for avid fishermen. Covered with ice for only about four months a year, the rest of the time it abounds with carp, salmon, trout, salmon, whitefish, perch, pike perch. From early spring to autumn, every weekend the coast is dotted with fishing enthusiasts. Moreover, upon arrival at the place of fishing, they receive a special “Guidelines for catching fish from Lake Michigan”, which was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. This booklet provides everything related to fish and its catching, even recommendations for expectant and nursing mothers: what kind of fish they can eat and how to cook it properly.
Michigan beaches
And, of course, since the holiday season falls mainly on the warm season (at least for most workers), one cannot fail to mention the beaches of the lake – kilometers of white sand and clear water, reminiscent of ocean rather than lake. Littering on the beaches here is a very expensive pleasure, so the cleanliness and well-groomed territory is at the highest level. Another advantage is the absence of corals and other “thorns” in shallow water, so you can enter the water without fear of injuring your legs.
There are about 30 beaches along the entire coast, but among seasoned tourists and “swimming gourmets”, Lincoln Park Beach, Saugatuck and Oak Street Beach are considered the most-most. Those who discover the coast of Michigan for the first time are advised to pay attention to the resort town of South Haven.
Accordingly, the whole range of entertainment is at the service of vacationers – riding jet skis and yachting, conquering the sand dunes on ATVs or on foot, small hikes along the coast and picnics on picturesque lawns near the water, admiring the amazing sunsets, and in stormy weather – waves, which are in no way inferior in power and majesty to the ocean ones.
Activities and Attractions in Lake Michigan
Foreign lovers of fishing, and ordinary tourists, will be interested in visiting the Michigan Shipping Museum, whose expositions reveal the history of the development of fishing, shipbuilding and shipping. Of the other attractions on the coast of one of the Great Lakes, one can note:
- 25 lighthouses scattered along the coast, among which, of course, the Old Mission lighthouse, built in 1870 exactly on the 45th parallel (middle between the North Pole and the equator), stands out;
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Wildlife Refuge is home to diverse ecosystems including sand dunes;
- Just north of Michigan, where Route 37 leads, is a valley of small lakes and beautiful exotic orchids;
- Boat excursions to the islands of North and South Manitou, Beaver, located near the Mackinac Channel, which connects Lakes Michigan and Huron.
