Though I grew up in Michigan, I knew next to nothing about the northeast coast of the lower peninsula until I started working on the US-23 Heritage Route website a few years ago. That's a shame, because this part of Michigan really has some amazing things to behold.
The route runs from Standish just north of Bay City all the way up the coast to Mackinaw City. I must admit I still haven't seen enough of the whole Heritage Route. But it is first a great story of region building: Starting as a disparate group of folks mostly mostly interested in the local, it has grown into a region with verve and character and common interests.
And it has a lot to offer. One of my favorites is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which offers many accessible shipwrecks along with a great view into the Great Lakes long maritime history. The museum there, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, has some amazing exhibits, including a full size schooner on which you can ride out a storm!
The Heritage Route ends at the Straits of Mackinac, including Mackinac Island. A sometimes overlooked part of Mackinac State Historic Parks (at least by me) is Historic Mill Creek, featured in the video below. I got to visit this site in its infancy when I was doing archaeology in St. Ignace. It is really an amazing piece of living history now.
Check out the sunrise side!
The route runs from Standish just north of Bay City all the way up the coast to Mackinaw City. I must admit I still haven't seen enough of the whole Heritage Route. But it is first a great story of region building: Starting as a disparate group of folks mostly mostly interested in the local, it has grown into a region with verve and character and common interests.
And it has a lot to offer. One of my favorites is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which offers many accessible shipwrecks along with a great view into the Great Lakes long maritime history. The museum there, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, has some amazing exhibits, including a full size schooner on which you can ride out a storm!
The Heritage Route ends at the Straits of Mackinac, including Mackinac Island. A sometimes overlooked part of Mackinac State Historic Parks (at least by me) is Historic Mill Creek, featured in the video below. I got to visit this site in its infancy when I was doing archaeology in St. Ignace. It is really an amazing piece of living history now.
Check out the sunrise side!
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