We are so excited you are coming to celebrate Ian & Jaymie. Let me share more about Marquette. I love where I live. 46.5436° N, 87.3954° W First of all, visit TRAVEL MARQUETTE for a list of the best places to play, eat and sleep https://www.travelmarquette.com/ Where is it? On the south shore of the planet’s most remarkable Sweetwater Sea, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the U.P. People who live here are Yoopers. Remember, there are 5 GREAT Lakes, but only ONE Named SUPERIOR.) That’s the focus here. EVERYTHING revolves around this magnificent body of water. What is there to do? Lots. Mostly outside: Bring clothes for every weather. It can be really warm and swimmable but winds off the Lake change in a heartbeat and the only month without recorded snowfall in the UP is August.
Start your day with coffee from one of our great shops: 231 Patisserie, BabyCakes, Crappie Coffee, Contrast, Provisions, Third Street Bagel, Trenary Bakery. They each have different vibes and menu options. Get your latte To Go because YOU will want to cover miles.
You can walk or rent a bike. No need for a car. Shoreline is a bike path and the sandy beaches are all public. Head to the Lower Harbor Marina and use it as your guide. If you are a sunrise seeker, catch up with Bugsy Sailor. He was featured on Sunday Morning this year. Mattson Park is right there with a new KID’S COVE playground. We are all about kids in this town and you’ll get it. We also have the U.P. Children’s Museum. But what you’ll really want to do with those kiddos is teach them how to skip rocks. Heading north from Mattson Park you’ll find our Maritime Museum. Tour the Lighthouse. It’s the most photographed spot in Marquette. If anyone remembers the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (or Gordon Lightfoot’s famous song) you’ll get the back story here. Keep going to Picnic Rocks. Another playground. But pay attention to the wind and current, not the best place to go for a swim. Great walking all the way to Lambros Beach.
Keep going to Picnic Rocks. Another playground. But pay attention to the wind and current. Not the best place to go for a swim. Great walking all the way to Lambros Beach. Chances are you’ll eat at our local favorite Vango’s on Third Street. (Pizza, Gyros, Greek Salad) Clark Lambros the founder of Vango’s donated the land for the beach to the city. He also taught Ian’s Dad Ron how to drink Oozo. Ask for that story. From there you just have to cross the Dead River and you’re at the Upper Harbor. Pretty cool to watch the trains bringing Iron Ore from up the hill in Negaunee to dump in the Ore Carriers that pass through. Imagine what this process was like a century ago without automation.
Presque Isle is our Gem. In 1891 the famous landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmstead traveled to Marquette to help Peter White figure out what to do with 323 acres White wanted to donate to the city. His response -Don’t Touch It. Public Land is important to Yoopers & today folks see the same forest as Charlie Kawbawgam our Ojibwa Chief enjoyed a century ago. Hiking the perimeter & interior trails you’ll come across some of the midwest’s largest white pines (MI’s state tree) & probably some of the biggest bucks too. Antlers could be out of velvet then. For the geologists, you’ll be amazed at the variety of rock & formations. Actually some older than ME! The most famous basalt cove, Black Rocks, was formed 1.7 billion years ago. 1/4 of the way counter clockwise around Presque Isle you’ll come down a long hill. At the base is the Black Rocks Cove parking lot. You’ll tread over elephant skin looking rock until you come to a series of natural diving platforms. Highest score for back flips.
Once you’re baptized at Black Rocks, it’s tradition to follow up with a toast at Black Rocks Brewery on 3rd street. We pride ourselves on sampling craft brews while sitting down with a gang, telling stories & having a brew or two. If you’re ready for an afternoon pub crawl, you’re at the best place to start. Almost next door is one of Ian’s favorite watering holes & the BEST Bloody Mary at Third Base Bar. Hopefully Whitney is bartending. Her Bloody Mary mix will knock your socks off - it’s so notable that it’s not uncommon in town to see a T-shirt that says ”Have you had your BM Today?” Hankering for something to eat? Vango’s Pizza and Stucko’s are spittin close. The Burger Bus is often parked somewhere in between. Take a nap late afternoon if you need because life gets really good around sunset. We’re on the far edge of the Eastern Time Zone & at 46º latitude so sunset won’t happen until 9:30 and it will be light enough to play disc golf for another hour-we have some fun courses.
Food is fuel and we have lots of dinner choices to keep your energy high. We are a fishing community and you’ll taste some of the best here. The Vierling is on south Front. Elizabeth’s Chop House is next door. Both specialize in Whitefish and Lake Trout. Those two restaurants are also the priciest in town but you’ll get good service. If you don’t, let me know. Ian and Jaymie’s favorite is the Casa Calabria on 3rd street. It was also Ian’s Granny and Papa’s favorite. And his sister Eryka’s picture is still on the wall. She was a waitress there in high school. The lasagna and garlic bread are so good we have hauled it to Colorado for Christmas Eve dinner. If you haven’t tried a pasty, heed my warning. Just one will fill you up for two weeks to Tuesday. I’ll also teach you how to pronounce it—along with Sauna and Sisu. Key words in our Yooper vocabulary. The age-old meat pie was the favorite of our Miners here.
When it gets dark, head to the Lake to see the stars. Chances are you may be able to catch some Northern Lights. It will be 10 days past the Buck Moon, July’s full moon, so you should have a dark sky to see the dance. You’ll likely put your head on the pillow and say, “We’ve got to stay longer.” That’s okay. We’ll fill tomorrow with more free fun too! Hike Sugarloaf, Wetmore’s Landing, Hogback or head to a water fall. Happy to give you a map. Our ski hill is dinky but Downhill Mountain Biking at Marquette Mountain even gets a guy like Ian to wear a wide grin.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call, text or email me, Ian’s Mom, Mutsi. I love where I live and I can’t wait to have you here to celebrate this amazing couple. Frida Waara, 906-360-9765, frida@fridawaara.com