Lake Michigan

Chicago, IL

Illinois, Inland Rivers, Lake Michigan, The Great Loop

What fun! Three Sons docked at DuSable Marina for 6 days in downtown Chicago. It was a perfect location to take in all the sights. But the best, most wonderful part is Zach flew in and toured the city with us!

Racine, WI & Waukegan, IL

Illinois, Lake Michigan, The Great Loop

Quick stops in small towns and they each had live music and a brewery!

Milwaukee, WI

Lake Michigan, The Great Loop, Wisconsin

Leaving Door County, we were excited to get to our next big stop, Milwaukee! Since it is best know for breweries, beer and Laverne and Shirley, this stop was made for us. Milwaukee is a 117 Nautical Mile cruise from Sturgeon Bay. Since Three Sons cruises at 7 knots, it took us 3 days, stopping at Manitowoc for a night and then Port Washington for a night.

Door County, WI

Lake Michigan, The Great Loop, Wisconsin

Door County is a region in the ‘left thumb’ of Wisconsin. The skinny peninsula’s west shore abuts Green Bay and the eastern shore is runs into Lake Michigan. Door County stretches from the southern point of Sturgeon Bay to Washington Island in the north. The area’s name is from the rough water that can erupt quicky during a storm, in the strait south of Washington Island where Green Bay and Lake Michigan meet. Early explorers referred to this piece of water as “Death’s Door” and it is still know by that name today.

Fayette, MI

Lake Michigan, MIchigan, The Great Loop

We switched sides! Once on Lake Michigan, boaters have two options to get to Chicago. One route takes the east side of Lake Michigan, exploring the west shore of Michigan; the other is the west side of the lake, exploring the east short of Wisconsin. Both sides have much to offer, but they are different in flavor. Michigan is more touristy with safe harbors and cute little towns every 30 or so miles. Wisconsin has a mix or remote stops in park like settings, big cities and some cute little towns.

Charlevoix, MI

Lake Michigan, MIchigan, The Great Loop

We only stayed one day in this quaint, little town but we hit it hard!

Petosky, MI

Lake Michigan, MIchigan, The Great Loop

We had a great four days playing tourist in Upper Michigan!

Mackinac Island, MI

Lake Michigan, MIchigan, The Great Loop

Mackinac Island will rank high on our favorite stops list, if for the only reason being it’s uniqueness. Beautiful, historic Mackinac Island sits on Lake Huron between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas and is world famous for its homemade fudge and poop smell. Mackinac Island State Park is filled with trails, woods and limestone covering most of the island. The island combines natural beauty, rich history, top notch architecture, award-winning gardens, and very good restaurants and shops. But, the most interesting feature is NO cars are allowed on the island. The only transportation is horse drawn carriages/wagon (hence the poop smell) and bikes.