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Travel Note

Nearby Activities

Silver Lake Buggy Rentals 8288 West Hazel Road, Mears, MI 49436 (231) 873-8833 www.silverlakebuggys.com Rent Buggys, Teryx, ATV/Quads, Dune Rovers to ride on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes nearby. Must be 21+ to rent Mac Wood’s Dune Rides 629 N. 18th Avenue, Mears, MI 49436 (231) 873-2817 Go on a ~40 minute dune ride through Silver Lake. Great for all ages! We went last year and the kids loved it. Jazz Blueberry Farms 7223 Grant Road, Shelby, MI 49455 (734) 649-6351 Pick your own blueberries! Little Sable Point Lighthouse 287 N. Lighthouse Drive Mears, MI 49436 If you continue up N. Lighthouse Drive (instead of turning right into our neighborhood), you will end up at Little Sable Point Lighthouse. If Lake Michigan is low enough then you can just walk south from our beach and you end up at the lighthouse. We love walking up the beach and playing in the water by the lighthouse. The lighthouse is typically open from 10 AM to 5 PM from May to September. Craig’s Cruisers 8343 Hazel Road, Silver Lake, MI 49436 (231) 873-2511 Craig’s Cruisers is my kid’s personal favorite place to go. They have go karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, swan boat rides, a zipline, and an arcade. For little kids, they offer go karts and bumper boats that they can ride on with an adult. The Silver Lake Chicken Shack is in the same strip mall as Craig’s Cruisers Dune Duds Weekend Wear 8281 West Hazel Road, Mears, MI 49436 (231) 783-7083 If you are looking for a Silver Lake t-shirt, sweatshirt, or baseball hat, this is a great souvenir shop. The prices are reasonable and they have a good variety to choose from. This is in the same shopping center as Craig’s Cruisers and the Silver Lake Chicken Shack.

Travel Note

Nearby Activities

Country Dairy 3476 South 80th Avenue, New Era, MI 49446 (231) 861-4636 Country Dairy is a local dairy farm located about 25 minutes from the house. At Country Dairy, you can enjoy a fun tour of the farm and then eat a delicious lunch. On the tour, you will be able to take a wagon ride, see and pet calves and young stock, see the robotic milking system, and observe the cows in the barns. The tours last 60-85 minutes. My kids love going on this tour! Lunch is always delicious with options like soups, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, fresh ice cream, and chocolate milk. There is also a small playground for kids to enjoy. Lewis Farms 4180 West M-20, New Era MI, 49446 (231) 861-5730 This is a family favorite for kids of all ages (and adults, too!). Lewis Farms is a very large petting zoo with a variety of animals that you can feed including camels, goats, cows, chickens, prairie dogs, deer, ducks, donkeys, miniature horses, and more. They have a bird feeding area where you can purchase peanut butter sticks and have the birds eat right from your hand. There are many kids activities there as well including large slides, play structures, trampolines, farm activities and a large splash pad. We easily spend three hours each time that we go. It is close to Country Dairy (both about 25 minutes from the house), so it could be a fun day to go to Lewis Farms and then head over to Country Dairy for lunch. Michigan’s Adventure Amusement and Water Park 1198 W Riley-Thompson Rd., Muskegon, MI 49445 https://www.miadventure.com/ 40$ Daily Ticket Great for Kids- lots of small attractions for kids, as well as some rollercoasters! Also has a separate waterpark!

Travel Note

Nearby Food

Ice Cream Shops There are two popular ice cream shops in Silver Lake that we like to go to: Dune Dippity-8281 West Hazel Road, Mears, MI 49436. This is next door to Craig’s Cruisers and Dune Duds Weekend Gear. Whippy Dip-591 North 18th Avenue, Mears, MI 49436. This is next door to Mac Wood’s Dune Rides.

Travel Note

Nearby Cities

Ludington Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, Sterns Park and Manistee National Forest, Ludington Waterfront Park, Pere Marquette River Beaches and Hiking trails Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Ludington Nor5th Breakwater Light Muskegon Food: Western Ave has bars, Rad Dad’s Tacos Pier Marquette beach, Lake Michigan Pier and Boardwalk, Lake Harbor Park, Hoffmaster Park (hikes), Museum with submarine and Coastguard ship, Monet Garden, Hackley Park, Michigan Adventure Park

Travel Note

Activities Throughout Michigan

Mackinac Island Bike M-185, an 8.2 highway around the island that is the only highway in the US to not allow car traffic. Visit the Mackinac Fort. Partake in the bounteous fudge. Take a ride in a horse and carriage. Have a meal at the Historic Grand Hotel. Traverse City Visit the Mission Point Lighthouse. Great Lakes Children’s Museum. Swim or Kayak at Clinch Park. Multiple Wineries around Traverse City. World’s Largest Cherry Pie!!! Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Holland Saugatuck Dunes National Lakeshore Hike Mount Pisgah New Holland Brewery Nelis’ Dutch Village in Holland Grand Rapids Frederik Meijer garden. Gerald R Ford Museum John Ball Zoo Grand Rapids Children’s Museum Ann Arbor Arboretum is amazing! Innertube down Huron river. Which goes down 7 mini waterfalls University of Michigan Gerald R Ford Presidential Library Detroit Detroit Zoo, Detroit Institute of Arts, The Fisher Building Eastern Market and walking/biking the Dequindre Cut and waterfront Frankenmuth- “Little Bavaria” Walk on the Avenue Eat at Bavarian Inn Rest, Prost Wine Bar, Frankenmuth Brewery Petoskey Find Petoskey stones at Petoskey state park Downtown Petosky-Lots of Shops and little diners Upper Peninsula Hiawatha National Forest Kitch-Iti-Kipi Pictured Rocks Nat’l Lakeshore Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Isle Royal Nat’l Park Tahquamenon Falls