5 Road Trips in US That'll Bring Your Family Together
A Beautiful, Ill-Fated Coast: Marquette to Whitefish Point
When travelers start looking for areas chock full of natural wonders, The Wolverine State rarely makes it on their lists. That’s a shame, because Michigan has a lot more to offer than automobile manufacturing, frighteningly frigid winters and urban decline.
Take the stretch of Lake Superior shore known as Shipwreck Coast as an example.
This trip starts in Marquette, MI, a tidy college town where you can learn about local metalworks at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum, study science with little ones at Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, or learn a bit about the coast you’re about to drive in Marquette Maritime Museum. After that, it’s time to head east on Highway 28.
Other than gorgeous views of the lake, the route on your way to Munising offers little more than natural beauty. A detour south to Fayette will net you views of a genuine ghost town, but the real eye candy lies on the route Grand Marais as you cut through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Peer at wind-worn sandstone, scale the Grand Sable Dunes and visit the Au Sable Lighthouse.
The next stop is Grand Marais for some fresh local fish and then on to Tahquamenon Falls State Park in the town of Paradise. In addition to several campgrounds, it boasts one of the widest and tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi.
Finish up at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point where you’ll learn all about the reasons why this drive has earned its particular name.
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A Slice of Sedate Scenery: Ohio’s Amish Country Byway
Some road trips are supposed to be marathons, steady-paced affairs that eat up mile after mile. Some are sprints, speeding across dull landscapes from interesting destination to interesting destination.
Others, though, should be savored in the same way you’d enjoy a stroll, taking your time to soak up the sights. The 72-mile-long Amish Country Scenic Byway in Ohio is just such a trip.
This officially recognized National Scenic Byway (one of the over 800 in the United States) is split roughly in half, with Millersburg, Ohio, serving as a border town between them. The downtown area will have some draw for antique hounds and fans of Amish curios, but the real treat lies on the road.
Keep your eyes peeled as you travel for the ubiquitous horse-drawn black carriages and charming farmsteads framed by grassy fields.
With Millersburg serving as your jumping off point, head west on State Route 39 to Malabar Farm State Park for lots of green space, great food at an onsite restaurant, and to get hands-on with local livestock.
Doubling back on 39 will find you at Killbuck Valley Museum, a quaint single-story structure stuffed with archaeological, geological and historical curios. From there, it’s on to Eastern Amish Country.
The town of Berlin offers tours of Amish homes, horse rides through the countryside, and the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center. Suss out tons of great local eats and locally crafted goods in Walnut Creek, and discover the magic that made literary legend Sherwood Anderson memorialize Winesburg, Ohio in print.
