GO ESCAPE GREAT LAKES Summer 2019

GREAT LAKES S U M M E R 2 01 9

SUMMERTIME IN CHICAGO Be prepared to be wowed!

LAKESIDE ATTRACTIONS Tour region’s best coastal sites

RIDE THE RAILS IN WISCONSIN Kick back, enjoy stunning views

Explore

Epic excursions await

Paradise Cove on Lake Superior, Michigan

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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

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CONTENTS

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GREAT LAKES

MARVELOUS MACKINAC Experience island life at this charming destination steeped in history and nature

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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

CONTENTS THE REGION This is a product of

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MICHIGAN

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WISCONSIN

Full of natural beauty, this worthy destination beckons

EDITORIAL

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Scenic train rides offer glimpses of nation’s heritage

Test out your tiny-home living dreams by camping in one

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National Veterans Memorial and Museum provides dynamic space for remembrance

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ILLINOIS Chicagoans stay put during summer and enjoy their city

FAN FAVORITES Regional sports franchises celebrate special anniversaries

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CULTURAL TRAVEL

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WET & WILD

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council jcouncil@usatoday.com

mjwashington@usatoday.com

OHIO

FLYING HIGH Airport improvements making Great Lakes travel more pleasant

jbstokes@usatoday.com

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington

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UP FRONT

DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes

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MINNESOTA Hardcore wave chasers find thrills surfing Great Lakes

ISSUE EDITOR Sara Schwartz EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Tracy Scott Forson Debbie Williams ISSUE DESIGNER Lisa M. Zilka DESIGNERS Hayleigh Corkey Amira Martin Debra Moore Gina Toole Saunders CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Matt Alderton, Brian Barth, Carol Cain, Kristine Hansen, Cinnamon Janzer, Chelsey Lewis, Carol Motsinger, Kristen A. Schmitt, Sarah Sekula, Nancy Trejos, Stacey Zable, John Wisely

Museums offer exceptional ways to explore nation’s history, accomplishments

TALL SHIPS AMERICA

Aquariums, water parks and zoos merge learning with fun

ADVERTISING VP, ADVERTISING Patrick Burke | (703) 854-5914

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pburke@usatoday.com

ANCHORS AWAY Historic tall ships set to race across Great Lakes, Canada

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Justine Madden | (703) 854-5444 DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK WINERY

63 FEATURES

20 ON THE COVER Paradise Cove on Lake Superior, Mich.

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NEW YORK Sample the diverse flavors offered around the region

HIT THE HIGHWAY To truly appreciate Michigan, trade in your wings for wheels

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FINANCE Billing Coordinator Julie Marco

CANADA Visit major foodie destination Prince Edward County, an island on Lake Ontario

CULTURE CLUB Wisconsin’s creameries are eager to say cheese to visitors

jmadden@usatoday.com

LAST WORD Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore evokes brilliance and wonder

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UP FRONT | AIRPORTS

MAJOR CHANGES IN CHICAGO O’Hare International Airport begins “the largest and most expensive revamp in the airport’s history” this year, with an estimated completion by 2026. The $8.5 billion project includes completely redeveloping the terminals and concourses, with renovations to Terminals 1 and 3 and an upgrade and expansion to Terminal 5. Terminal 2 will be mostly demolished and rebuilt to include a new international arrivals facility.

A modernization program at Midway International Airport, coming close to $400 million, is expected to be completed by 2020. It includes a larger security checkpoint, more dining and shopping choices and an expanded parking garage.

ALLEGIANT AIR

INVESTING IN MICHIGAN

CHOOSE CHICAGO

Fly Away With Me Airport renovations add comfort, convenience to enhance experience

By Stacey Zable

I

F YOU FLY OFTEN, you spend a signifi-

cant amount of time in airports. Having a pleasant experience can often make or break your trip. These four are working to make the adventure traveler-friendly:

Allegiant Air is expanding its operations and adding flights at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids.

Allegiant will add service to Nashville, Tenn., and Savannah, Ga. The airline currently serves 11 nonstop flights from Michigan, including those from Grand Rapids and Bishop International Airport in Flint.

DANE COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT TORONTO PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

WISCONSIN REBOOT ONTARIO UPGRADES Terminal upgrades, including renovated lounges and new dining and retail outlets, were completed at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport late last year. Toronto Pearson International Airport has finished significant upgrades to Terminal 1 with more improvements expected throughout the year. Travelers will see new restaurants, retail outlets and enhanced amenities, as well as upgraded security lines.

Dane County Regional Airport in Madison is beginning a multiyear expansion and upgrade plan that includes replacing aircraft boarding bridges. The airport will get new gate seating areas, restrooms, security, safety and access systems, and new environmentally friendly heating and cooling systems.

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UP FRONT | STADIUMS

Game Plan Teams mark the year with special anniversaries and events

By Stacey Zable

F

OR THE SERIOUS SPORTS

fan, nothing beats the thrill of learning more about your favorite teams. Here are four ways to celebrate the history of iconic Great Lakes franchises:

PROVIDED BY THE GREEN BAY PACKERS (2)

LEIGH TAYLOR

It’s the 150th anniversary of the Cincinnati Reds, and they are planning a big party at the Great American Ball Park on July 5. Celebrations include a chance for fans to meet current and former players, as well as food and entertainment. Prior to the team’s 2019 opening day, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is slated to reopen at the ballpark following a four-month upgrade. Throughout the season, the Reds will pay tribute to the past with 15 throwback uniforms. Look for dugout-style benches throughout the city. ▶ mlb.com/reds/one-fifty

CHICAGO BEARS

The Chicago Bears are commemorating their centennial with a special Bears100 Celebration Weekend, June 7-9, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Fans can join the 2019 team and staff, along with Bears Hall of Famers that include legendary players Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and other alumni for a weekend of autograph sessions, photo opportunities and panels. Look for memorabilia, plenty of merchandise, interactive games, family-friendly activities and a walk-through Bears history exhibit. ▶ chicagobears.com/celebrationweekend

The Green Bay Packers 100 Seasons is a 16-month event celebrating the team’s centennial. It will culminate on the franchise’s 100th birthday on Aug. 11 with activities in the Lambeau Field Atrium. Fans can visit the 15,000-square-foot, two-level Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame where the special 100 Seasons Exhibit looks at the team’s history, including the birth of the franchise, its inaugural season, original players and a replica of Vince Lombardi’s office.

Visitors also get a chance to view the original Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, the former traveling prize that used to be awarded to NFL champions from 1934 to 1969. ▶ packers.com/100-seasons

CODY YORK/FOR THISISCLEVELAND.COM

The Cincinnati Reds aren’t the only team celebrating a milestone in Ohio this summer. The Cleveland Indians are hosting the 90th anniversary of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at the recently renovated Progressive Field on July 9. Look for live musical performances, zip lines and food trucks. The Reds last hosted the All-Star Game in 1997, when then-first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a home run.

In addition, the interactive festival, Play Ball Park, runs July 5-9 at Cleveland’s Huntington Convention Center. ▶ www.mlb.com/indians/fans/all-star-game

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UP FRONT | MUSEUMS

MICHIGAN

Admit Fun Museums offer exceptional ways to explore nation’s diversity

By Stacey Zable THE HENRY FORD

W

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation offers a whole lot more than just cars. Visitors can see the rocking chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot in 1865, eat an authentic 1830sera lunch and view the bus seat that Rosa Parks refused to give up to a white man in 1955. In Greenfield Village, next to the museum, visitors can purchase a pass for unlimited rides on a restored Model T, horse-drawn vehicles, the carousel and a Model AA Bus. The multivenue attraction in Dearborn, Mich., celebrates its 90th anniversary this year by reflecting on Ford’s extensive collections. ▶ thehenryford.org

HETHER YOU’RE LOOKING TO

dive into the history of Alexander Hamilton or learn how to create a cloud, these four museums provide endless learning and fun:

PHIL GROSHONG

OHIO Cincinnati Museum Center reopened its Museum of Natural History & Science in late 2018 after a nearly three-year restoration. Among the new gallery offerings is Dinosaur Hall, featuring six massive dinosaur skeletons. In March, the Science Interactives Gallery expanded, offering a bevy of hands-on opportunities. Visitors can watch clouds form and rise to the ceiling and use a system of pulleys to lift themselves up to 11 feet in the air.

The museum’s popular exhibit, The Cave, also reopened. The 500-foot, two-level replica limestone cave features waterfalls and stalagmite formations. This fall, the Space Exploration Gallery will open, featuring a 360-degree theater and artifacts celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. ▶ cincymuseum.org/sciencemuseum

CHICAGO

MIKE ROEMER/WISCONSIN MARITIME MUSEUM

WISCONSIN The Wisconsin Maritime Museum at Manitowoc, a Smithsonian-affiliated facility, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Among its treasures are a fully-restored World War II submarine and replica 19th-century shipbuilding town. Head there during SubFest, July 12-14, for music, food, self-guided submarine tours, a lighted boat parade and fireworks. ▶ wisconsinmaritime.org

DAVID KORINS

Hamilton: The Exhibition makes its world premiere April 27 through Sept. 8 in Chicago. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, collaborated on this 360-degree immersive traveling exhibit housed in a temporary building on Northerly Island. The exhibit explores the American Revolution and the creation of an independent United States, and traces Alexander Hamilton from his childhood in St. Croix to his 1804 death following a duel with rival Aaron Burr. ▶ hamiltonexhibition.com

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UP FRONT | ATTRACTIONS

Wet & Wild Adventure destinations deliver warm-weather thrills

By Stacey Zable

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HESE POPULAR ZOOS, AQUARIUMS and water parks

have added even more ways to have fun. You’ll find special events, new exhibits and entertaining attractions that will have the entire family smiling.

JOEL MILLER/MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO

The new exhibit, Adventure Africa, opened at Milwaukee County Zoo in May featuring a 1.6-acre outdoor elephant habitat, watering hole and Elephant Care Center. This first phase of Adventure Africa also includes mixed species exhibits with bongos, a yellow-backed duiker, zebras and impalas. A new Brick Dinos exhibit is on display May 25 through Sept. 2 featuring dynamic LEGO brick dinosaur sculptures, some enhanced with lighting and sound. ▶ milwaukeezoo.org

NOAH’S ARK WATERPARK

Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., celebrates its 40th anniversary with the reopening of its 18-hole Safari Mini Golf course and special events such as Noah’s Art Chalk Art Festival on July 6-7. ▶ noahsarkwaterpark.com

BRIGHT BRICKS

AKRON ZOO

Ohio’s Akron Zoo’s largest expansion to date is adding two new areas. Opening in June, Pride of Africa boasts a larger habitat including African lions, Speke’s gazelles and white storks. Wild Asia, with augmented habitats, is expected to open in 2020. ▶ akronzoo.org

Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., holds its Brick Safari May 11 through Sept. 29. It features more than 40 life-size animal sculptures created from LEGOs. The zoo, which is also an accredited arboretum, has more than 2,000 animals and is set within a 216-acre nature park. ▶ czs.org/brookfield-zoo

RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM

Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada marks 100 years of the famed Believe It or Not! cartoonist, explorer and collector Robert Ripley with its Curious Creatures exhibit. Featuring undersea animals never-before-seen in Canada, the exhibit includes frogfish, walking batfish and glow-in-the-dark flashlight fish. ▶ ripleyaquariums.com/canada

The Buffalo Zoo in New York reopened its Reptile House in late spring with several renovated habitats and new species.

The original 1942 structure was designed

by Marlin Perkins, zoologist and host of TV’s Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.

The update retains the layout while modernizing the structure. ▶ buffalozoo. org

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UP FRONT | ATTRACTIONS

Anchors Away Tall ships race across Great Lakes, Canada

CITY OF BROCKVILLE

By Stacey Zable

I

N 1492, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

sailed the ocean blue. This year, the Nao Santa Maria, a replica of his famed ship, will sail with other majestic vessels into 11 American and Canadian ports as part of the Tall Ships Challenge Great Lakes race series.

Bearing immense sails on towering masts, these impressive ships — large, traditionally rigged sailing craft — dominated world shipping and travel industries for centuries. Although today there are far fewer of them, 15 to 20 vessels are setting sail June 29 through Sept. 1, allowing visitors to experience an enchanting sliver of history up close.

“The tall ships hearken back to a bygone era and the romanticism of sailing to exotic destinations around the world,” says Lea Parrell, co-producer of the Redpath Waterfront Festival in Toronto. “You are in awe of them, thinking about family heritage stories of CONTI NUED

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UP FRONT | ATTRACTIONS

ANDREW KIZELL

relatives coming to the New World via sailing ships.”

These race festivals are celebrated every three years and produced by Tall Ships America, a nonprofit dedicated to the education and preservation of maritime history. The Tall Ships Challenge was designed “to celebrate our rich maritime heritage and traditions and to inform the general public about the transformative power of adventure and education under sail,” says Erin Short, manager of the series.

In addition to the Nao Santa Maria, the festivals will include up to 20 participating ships which will vary by port, including: Empire Sandy, a 200-foot topsail schooner built in 1943 and converted in 1982 from a World War II rescue tugboat; and the Picton Castle, a massive 284-ton sailing ship that has made six voyages around the world over the past 15 years.

“A lot of ships are historical or based on historical rigs,” Short adds. “It’s a chance to see history come to life and to step aboard and see how people lived.”

The host cities put their own spin on each festival, but attendees can expect food, beverages, live entertainment, maritime marketplaces, family activities, ship tours and sailing excursions.

Some of the ships even serve as floating classrooms, such as the S/V Denis Sullivan, which offers educational sessions ranging from 90 minutes to multiday trips where guests can live on the ship with the crew between ports.

ANDREW KIZELL

PARADE OF SAIL Many ports celebrate the arrival of the tall ships with a “Parade of Sail,” and some of the vessels, including the S/V Denis Sullivan, offer a chance to sail aboard during the event. “When you put all your sails up and you have 5,000 square feet of sails and 10 sails and you are amongst other tall ships having all or most of their sails up, it is amazing,” says Tiffany J. Krihwan, senior captain and director of marine operations for S/V Denis Sullivan. “It is something since the invention of steam engines and the demise of sailing ships that doesn’t happen other than during the Tall Ships Challenge.” For more information, visit tallshipschallenge.com.

— Stacey Zable

Many of the tall ships festivals are held in conjunction with other major events. Launching the series event is Toronto’s Redpath Waterfront Festival (towaterfrontfest.com), presented by Billy Bishop Airport, and filled with its own nautical fun including a maritime market and sail-training activities.

North America’s War of 1812 Grand Tactical — The Battle of Georgian Bay (battleofgeorgianbay.com) at Discovery Harbour (discoveryharbour.on.ca) in Penetanguishene, Ontario, will feature two tall ships: HMS Tecumseth and HMS Bee. This fictional War of 1812 re-enactment will include land and naval battles, a grand encampment and close to 1,000 period re-enactors.

Though music will be a part of many of the festivities, the International Maritime Music festival, featuring “songs of the sea” from musicians from around the world, is a highlight during the Challenge in Bay City, Mich. Sarnia, Ontario, is offering three festivals, adding the Bluewater Borderfest Music Festival (bluewaterborderfest. ca) and ARTZscape by the Bay (artzscapebythebay.weebly.com) to its Sarnia-Lambton Tall Ships Celebration.

New in Brockville, Ontario’s Challenge festival is a partnership with the Red Hot & Blue Rockability Weekend (rhbweekend.ca), providing more ways to enjoy a visit to the city.

Check festival websites for updates, ticket prices, ship lineups and racing schedules.

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Michigan See the state that made the automobile from inside of one

Motorcar

By Matt Alderton

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O AMERICANS ON THE East and

West coasts, Michigan is often considered flyover country — a mitten-shaped mass waving from below as they shuttle from one side of the country to the other. To truly appreciate Michigan, however, one must see it from the ground. And that means trading wings for wheels.

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“You can take the highway from point A to point B, and you’ll eventually have a great time wherever you’re going.”

— DAVE LORENZ, vice president of Travel Michigan

Henry and Clara Ford’s historic estate

as arts and cultural sites that Detroiters take great pride in,” says Bob Sadler, communications manager for Detroit’s MotorCities National Heritage Area. “It quite literally is the spine of Detroit and always has been.”

Woodward Avenue, or M-1, spans approximately 20 miles and can be driven in less than an hour with no stops. But stops are a must. In Midtown, see the Detroit Historical Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts. The former’s America’s Motor City exhibit tells the city’s automotive story while the latter houses Diego Rivera’s famous Detroit Industry Murals depicting local autoworkers. Farther north are the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, where the first Model T was built, and the Ford Highland Park Plant, birthplace of the moving assembly line. Although the latter is closed, the former offers guided tours year-round.

For a historic sleep, stay at The Inn on Ferry Street, a boutique hotel comprising several restored Victorian-era homes.

And if you’re hungry, make a pit stop at Vinsetta Garage, a kitschy eatery located in what it claims is the oldest garage east of the Mississippi River.

US-12 HERITAGE TRAIL TANYA MOUTZALIAS/THE ANN ARBOR NEWS-MLIVE.COM DETROIT VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS; GETTY IMAGES

Michigan is beautiful, certainly. But there’s another reason to drive through it instead of fly over it: When you do, you experience something of America’s soul, suggests Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan.

“A lot of our guests want to explore the real America, and this is where you find it,” he says. “Every community has a story to tell, and when you hear that story it can sometimes be a life-changing experience for you as a traveler.”

Michigan’s story is especially compelling. The birthplace of Henry Ford, it’s where the captain of American industry built his first “horseless carriage” in 1896, and where he subsequently established the Ford Motor Co. and mass-produced the Model T — changing transportation and manufacturing forever.

“Michigan is the historic car capital of the world,” says Patty O’Donnell, North Region transportation planner at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

Clearly, Michigan was made for driving ... ideally, in a 1966 Ford Mustang; although, any vehicle will do. What matters more than what you drive is where, according to Lorenz. “You can take the highway from point A to point B, and you’ll eventually have a great time wherever you’re going,” he says. “But what have you missed along the way?”

In his famous poem The Road Not

Detroit Historical Museum

CARLOS OSORIO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Taken, the late American poet and University of Michigan Fellow in Letters Robert Frost boasts of the road less traveled. To help travelers discover the road less traveled, Lorenz’s office partnered with MDOT to create the Pure Michigan Byways program, established in 1993 to designate Michigan roadways as heritage routes for the purpose of preserving their historic, cultural and recreational value. The 23 byways that constitute the program are a literal and figural map for the perfect Michigan road trip. Here are a few favorites that are best measured in memories, not miles:

WOODWARD AVENUE What once was a Native American trail from Detroit to Pontiac became the carotid artery of the American auto industry in 1909 when a mile-long section between Six Mile and Seven Mile roads became the nation’s first-ever concrete-paved roadway. A sign and plaque mark the spot, which you can visit while retracing the route of post-World War II drivers whose favorite pastime was cruising up and down Woodward Avenue in hot rods and muscle cars.

“Along Woodward, you’re going to pass a lot of significant automotive as well

The US-12 Heritage Trail traverses southern Michigan from downtown Detroit to New Buffalo, transecting eight counties across more than 200 miles.

“US-12 is one of the state’s oldest highways,” according to Kris Martin, associate planner at the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, who says the route began as a Native American trail, was used by slaves traveling the Underground Railroad and eventually became a railway corridor.

Today, it meanders through small towns and big cities with both historical and recreational highlights.

Heading west from Detroit, a good first stop is Dearborn, home to automotive attractions like the Automotive Hall of Fame; Fair Lane, Henry and Clara Ford’s historic estate; and The Henry Ford complex, comprising the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

Farther west is Inkster — birthplace of Geraldine Doyle, whose likeness appears on World War II-era posters as “Rosie the Riveter” — followed by Ypsilanti, where notable sites include the Huron River Water Trail for kayaking, Arbor Brewing Company for craft beer and the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum for still more automotive history.

Continuing west, other worthwhile stops include the Southern Michigan CONTI NUED

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Railroad Society railway museum in Clinton; W.J. Hayes State Park in Onsted; the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn; the Capri Drive-In Theater in Coldwater; Pears Mill in Buchanan; Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks and New Buffalo Beach in New Buffalo, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

“There are faster ways to get where you’re going, but this is a really great way to soak up the sites without having to deal with interstate traffic,” Martin says. “You’re going to see everything from forests and farms to rivers and lakes.”

WEST MICHIGAN PIKE The West Michigan Pike connects New Buffalo in the south to Ludington in the north.

“The West Michigan Pike is a spur of the Dixie Highway, one of the first paved north-south highways in the United States,” says Bob Lukens, community development director at Visit Muskegon in Muskegon County. “It originally was a tourist road built to bring people from Chicago to Michigan’s west coast so they could escape the hot city in the summertime.”

The Pike is still an ideal escape route.

Spanning numerous roads instead of a single highway, it connects West Michigan beach towns while hugging 184 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. To the south is St. Joseph, home to the Silver Beach Carousel and an ideal home base from which to explore wineries along the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail.

North are South Haven, with a self-guided Harbor Walk that traverses the city’s historic Maritime District, including the Michigan Maritime Museum; Saugatuck and Douglas, sister communities known for their prolific art galleries; and Holland, renowned for De Zwaan — the only authentic, working Dutch windmill in the U.S. — as well as more than 6 million tulips.

The Pike’s northernmost communities include Grand Haven, home to a 2.5-mile boardwalk and the Grand Haven Musical Fountain, a synchronized water and light show that takes place nightly during the summer; Muskegon, where you can tour Victorian-era homes at the Hackley & Hume Historic Site or ride rollercoasters at the 250-acre Michigan’s Adventure amusement park; and Hart, where Silver Lake Sand Dunes encompasses 2,000 acres of dunes.

“Almost all of these communities have historic lighthouses,” Lukens says. “And, of course, beaches. We’re known for our beautiful, sandy beaches.”

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Keep the motor running So you’ve already driven M-1, US-12 and the West Michigan Pike.

Step on it to one of these other three Pure Michigan Byway routes: M-22 M-22 traces the Leelanau Peninsula — the “little finger” on Michigan’s mitten — from Manistee County to Traverse City. “‘Going Round the Horn’ was the nickname for the original scenic loop … which is now M-22,” explains Patty O’Donnell, North Region transportation planner at the Michigan Department of Transportation, who says the orchard- and vineyard-rich area is known for its fruit stands, wineries and cideries.

Don’t miss driving through quaint Arcadia and stopping by the Arcadia Overlook.

Arcadia Overlook

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Mackinac Bridge

Tunnel of Trees

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MOLLY BAKER VELING/HARBOR SPRINGS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

US-2 TOP OF THE LAKE SCENIC BYWAY US-2 is a bridge into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — literally, because it commences at the foot of the world-famous Mackinac Bridge. The road follows Lake Michigan’s remote northern shore for 92 miles from St. Ignace to Thompson, west of Manistique. Don’t miss the historic Heath M. Robinson Memorial Cut River Bridge between Brevort and Epoufette, which towers over a deep gorge into which visitors can descend a 231-step staircase.

TUNNEL OF TREES North of M-22 is the Tunnel of Trees, which follows Lake Michigan’s coast for 20 miles from Harbor Springs to Cross Village. “The trees arch over the road, reaching for the sun,” says Molly Baker Veling, associate director of the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce. “There are breaks in the trees, and views of Lake Michigan are stunning.” Don’t miss Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs, a working farm with its own winery, brewery, café, market and greenhouses.

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M A R V E L O U S

By Kristen A. Schmitt

Step into history, nature and relaxation

T

he honk of the ferry horn, clop of horse hooves and heady aroma of lilacs mixed with chocolate signal that you’ve arrived on Mackinac Island.

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Located in Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, the island is a destination steeped in history, nature and relaxation. M-185, the two-lane blacktop highway looping the island, is the only state highway where cars are forbidden; only horses and bicycles are allowed. The road runs parallel to a bustling harbor filled with hundreds of visitors who disembark ferries every hour; some visiting for the day, others for longer, especially if they’ve made a reservation at one of the many bed-and-breakfasts that line the bustling downtown resplendent with historic monuments, gift shops, restaurants and fudge shops.

Visitors who turn left down Main Street as they exit the hub-bub of the ferry dock will wander past Doud’s Market (a familyowned grocery since 1884), Fort Mackinac (a military outpost established in 1780) and the Mackinac Island Yacht Club (founded in 1937 and home of the annual yacht races) before arriving at the family-owned Haan’s 1830 Inn. “It’s honestly always been my dream to run it even before I inherited it,” says owner Shannon Westblade, who had previously worked in the hospitality industry in Montana. “I love helping people have a great vacation.”

Haan’s opened in 1980 after Westblade’s grandparents, Vernon and Joyce Haan, decided to buy and remodel the home. In 1988, the business transitioned to Westblade’s parents, Nick and Nancy Haan, who ran the nine-room inn for about 30 years, before Westblade inherited it in 2017. Now, she

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is busy remodeling bathrooms and updating décor before the primary tourist season officially begins in mid-May. “We want to keep that historical charm, but want to keep things clean and updated,” notes Westblade, adding that rooms are booked nearly 100 percent of the time during the main season, which ends in mid-October.

For Westblade, “breakfast is the highlight of the day.

That’s when the guests come in and you get to chat and learn about them. I remember one time we had the lighthouse keepers. They lived in an actual lighthouse.

You really get people from all

over the world.”

After breakfast, Westblade gets into the nitty-gritty of running a bed-and-breakfast: dishes, baking, laundry, reservations and fitting in errands like the post office or bank — while also juggling a toddler whom she wants to raise to appreciate Mackinac Island like she did as a kid.

“Mackinac Island is a great place to grow up,” Westblade says. “It feels more like heaven than other places.

When you’re on a walk in the woods you’re connected to the hundreds of years of history, knowing that there were French fur trappers also walking that trail in the woods a couple hundred years ago.”

PROVIDED BY SHANNON WESTBLADE

Shannon Westblade inherited the Haan’s 1830 Inn from her family, which has been operating the bed-and-breakfast since 1980. The popular spot is booked nearly all the time during the main season.

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Live the Island Life Want to experience Mackinac Island like a true islander? Here are a few suggestions from local bed-and-breakfast owner Shannon Westblade:

EAT DINNER IN THE WOODS “I love the whole experience of The Woods (restaurant)” says Westblade. “Getting in the taxi, having the horses take you up through the woods to get to the restaurant. … I love the whole package that The Woods provides.” The restaurant is housed in a Tudor mansion in the center of Mackinac Island, surrounded by nature. It’s an upscale but casual eatery where guests can bowl before or after dinner in one of America’s oldest operating duckpin alleys.

GO OFF THE BEATEN PATH “A lot of people don’t know that mountain biking is a thing on the island, but you could spend all day on single-track trails. It can be pretty challenging.” While the island is not a mountain, Westblade says that “we have great hills and really technical trails with roots, rocks, cliffs and trees.” If you don’t want to bring your own bike, there are several places on the island to rent bikes by the hour or for the day.

BUY SOMETHING FUN

SLOW DOWN AND WATCH THE WORLD GO BY Many visitors are there to see the sights, but Westblade recommends other ways to experience the real gift of the island. “I really try to sell sitting in (Marquette Park in front of Fort Mackinac) and looking at the marina or sitting on the porch and watching people and horses go by. ... Going for a walk and looking at everyone’s gardens doesn’t sound like something you’d put on your list, but it’s something I always recommend.”

If you’re looking for a souvenir, check out Little Luxuries of Mackinac Island. “I really like this store. It has really functional Island items like candles, artwork, pillows and stuff for your home,” Westblade says. Of course, if you’re up for an amusing experience while you shop, check out Caddywampus, a store filled with ironic, tongue-in-cheek items with an eco-friendly vibe. “If my husband and I are strolling down Main Street, he definitely picks this store to check out.” For any sweet-tooth hankerings, stop by Ryba’s Fudge Shop. The longadored shop uses a fudge recipe perfected decades ago and also serves saltwater taffy, brittle and caramel corn.

TAKE IN MARINA VIEWS The Pink Pony is one of the most iconic restaurants on the island, and there’s a reason why. “It will never let you down,” says Westblade. “The food’s always good, and the atmosphere is great, especially if you can get a seat out on the patio where, most nights, there’s live music.”

The restaurant’s patio overlooks the island’s marina, creating the perfect setting for enjoying a drink or two.

MACKINAC ISLAND TOURISM; GETTY IMAGES (2); THE PINK PONY

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CULTURE

Club

Wisconsin creameries churn out decadent artisanal cheeses

Door County Creamery’s goat farm ANIMAL ICONS: GETTY IMAGES; DOOR COUNTY CREAMERY

By Kristine Hansen

T

HE MOST COMMON QUESTION that Ken

Monteleone gets at his Madison, Wis., cheese shop, Fromagination, is ‘Where can I visit a creamery?’

Wisconsin is home to nearly 150 creameries producing artisanal cheese — earning about 60 percent of the awards at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest — and its cheesemakers are eager to

show off the scene to visitors.

With a few days to travel around the state, you can easily delve into veined blue cheese, award-winning Gouda and tangy chèvre while learning more about Wisconsin’s cheese industry. The Dairy State, as it’s rightfully called, isn’t limited to one style of cheese: Around 600 varieties are produced here, representing 26 percent of the nation’s cheese supply.

Here are a few Wisconsin creameries to visit:

Door County Creamery SISTER BAY Jesse and Rachael Johnson debuted their creamery in 2013. The couple offers a town-andcountry-type experience — that includes a self-guided tour of the facility in downtown Sister Bay — as well as goat yoga and cheese tastings (Sundays only) at the farm a short drive away.

Farm tours are offered in September and October. Jesse’s culinary background as a chef at nearby Waterfront Restaurant, as well as cooking in France and Italy, means to-go food served at the creamery is top-notch: goat’s milk gelato, anyone? Culinary gadgets crafted by Wisconsin artisans as well as Wisconsin wine by the glass are other staples sold in the café.

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CLOCK SHADOW CREAMERY (2)

Clock Shadow Creamery MILWAUKEE

Purple Door Ice Cream

One of a handful of urban creameries across the U.S., this creamery opened in an eco-friendly building in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood in 2012. Clock Shadow primarily sources from dairy cows but also features products from goat’s and sheep’s milk. Owner Bob Wills, who also runs Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain near Madison, opened the creamery so curds so fresh they squeak could be delivered. Peer into the world of cheese-making production through the creamery’s glass walls (tours offered Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) and be sure to sample Purple Door Ice Cream at its storefront a block away. Like many Wisconsin creameries, the ice-cream maker started here.

LANDMARK CREAMERY

Landmark Creamery PAOLI Owned by two women named Anna — Anna Landmark makes the cheese while Anna Thomas Bates operates the café — all but one of the varieties in this creamery’s cheese portfolio is crafted from sheep’s milk. (Tallgrass Reserve folds in cow’s milk from Uplands Cheese’s farmstead cows.) The first cheeses debuted in 2014. Paoli is an adorable artsy town with galleries born into barns and an historic schoolhouse. Lunch at the café features designer grilled-cheese sandwiches, such as the creamery’s Anabasque cheese with red-wine shallot confit. Don’t leave without picking up some cured sausage and jams — all with Wisconsin roots.

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LACLARE FAMILY CREAMERY

LaClare Family Creamery MALONE MARIEKE GOUDA

Cheesemaker Katie Fuhrmann’s parents have managed this goat farm since the late 1970s.

Together with three of her four siblings, it’s a true family business, with Jessica running the café, Anna overseeing the goats and Greg as plant manager.

Some of the cheese names are mashups of the children’s grandmothers’ names. Two years after Katie learned to make cheese, LaClare’s Evalon variety won Best of Show in the 2011 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, and its Chandoka placed in the top three of two classes in the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest. (Bonus: You just might find chèvre to take home for a few bucks.)

Marieke Gouda THORP Nearly everyone who loves Wisconsin cheese knows the Marieke Gouda brand. Originally from the Netherlands, Marieke Penterman crafts her line in Thorp, in the northwest part of the state. Along with her husband and five young children, the family operates the farm, handling tasks such as milking cows and serving breakfast and lunch at Café Dutchess.

Summertime means Book in the Barn, a storytelling series where grilled-cheese sandwiches are served to kids seated on hay bales. In 2013, just four months after making Gouda for the first time, Penterman’s Marieke Gouda Mature (6-9 months) was named Grand Champion of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kristine Hansen’s book, Wisconsin Cheese Cookbook: Creamy, Cheesy, Sweet, and Savory Recipes from the State’s Best Creameries (Globe Pequot) profiles 28 creameries, a mix of young entrepreneurs and third- and fourth-generation cheese-makers continuing their Swiss and Italian heritages. Recipes provided by these veteran cheesemakers range from quiches to fish tacos, with decadent eats including goat-cheese brownies and stroopwafel cookie sandwiches with Gorgonzola and grilled figs.

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THE REGION 41

MICHIGAN

National lakeshores provide a treasure trove of natural beauty

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WISCONSIN

Ride the rails and glamp in a tiny home you can buy

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OHIO

Captivating museum pays tribute to nation’s veterans

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MINNESOTA

Surfers find thrills and chills on Lake Superior

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NEW YORK

Raise a glass to the Finger Lakes Wine Country

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CANADA

Lake Ontario’s Prince Edward County is a major foodie destination

ILLINOIS Chicago shines in the summertime

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Chicago’s Skydeck in the Willis Tower offersÊ360-degree views of The Windy City.

CHOOSE CHICAGO

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MICHIGAN | EXPLORE AMERICA

Into the Wild Full of natural beauty, Michigan is worthy of a quick escape

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

By Sarah Sekula

E

MILY HINES, A MICHIGANBASED blogger (emsontheroad. com), is an expert at turning

any weekend, anywhere, into an adventure. So when she moved to Marquette, Mich., last year she didn’t waste any time exploring the area.

First on her list: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a spot on Lake Superior well-known for its multicolored sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes,

waterfalls, inland lakes, streams, forests and wildlife.

“I’d seen photos before, but they don’t do the place justice,” Hines says. “Standing beneath towering cliffs like those is a humbling experience and reminds you just how tiny you really are.”

She visited during the winter, so the sandstone cliffs were covered in spectacular ice columns. She spent the day ice climbing, but when she returns in the summertime, kayaking will be the priority.

No matter what time of year you visit, it’s impossible to be bored. “If you want to really enjoy water activities,” she says, “August is your best bet. If leaf peeping and hiking is calling you, then October is incredible. The forest is ablaze with colors and creates a beautiful juxtaposition against the deep blue of Lake Superior.”

It wasn’t long before Hines and her husband ventured over to Hiawatha National Forest, about 50 miles from Pictured Rocks. “Its footprint is so massive,” she says, “so it’s incredibly easy

to get to from anywhere in the Upper Peninsula. Once you’re there, it feels like you’re truly in the wilderness, and it’s not uncommon to have the trail to yourself during any time of year.”

Talk to any Michigander for other recommendations, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will surely come up. Trekking to the top is practically a rite of passage.

“I wouldn’t call it difficult,” says CONTI NUED

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Heather Morgan, who are overhead and lived in Michigan for looking back, you see PRO TIPS 15 years. “But the trek nothing but sand.” is a lot longer than one If you’re itching to “Having an actual might think. As you get get in the water, head map is pretty helpful,” closer to the water, you to Alpena in Northsays Michigan-based hear the waves, and eastern Michigan and blogger Emily Hines. that motivates you to rent snorkel or scuba “Cell service is not keep going. Once you gear from Thunder always reliable in the reach that final hill and Upper Peninsula when Bay Scuba. Spend the look down and see the day flipper kicking you leave town. Make sparkling blue, you your way among sure you have plenty of can’t help but find all 200 well-preserved gas, water and snacks your energy and simply shipwrecks in the before you go out run down.”

Thunder Bay National exploring. There are If you take the Dunes Marine Sanctuary. not always convenient Trail, the whole trip is Because of the cold, stores readily available.” about 3.5 miles, accordfresh water, the ing to the National Park shipwrecks have Service, and takes two remained virtually to four hours depending on your fitness unchanged for more than 150 years. level and weather conditions.

Whether you opt for diving, hiking or “The serenity of the sand dunes and nature watching, what Hines appreciLake Michigan is why people live in the ates most about Michigan is this: “With mitten,” says Morgan. “It’s so easy to get just a few minutes drive from any town, lost in the atmosphere. You’re suryou are in the wild, almost like you’re on rounded by bright blue water, the birds the edge of the world.”

Albany shipwreck DAVID RUCK

WEEKEND IN ALPENA Unlike Michigan’s flashy (and pricey) west coast, which includes well-known towns like Traverse City and Grand Haven, Alpena’s affordability, natural beauty and cultural offerings have long hovered under the radar, fully known only by residents and vacationers.

That’s changing.

Among its more attractive elements is the town’s maritime history — so compelling that it attracts divers from around the world. Following the 1825 opening of the Erie Canal, Lake Huron became an interstate for westward traffic, and ships passed through a treacherous 4,300-square-mile area now known as Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Intense storms and shallow shoals caused hundreds of ships to sink from the 1800s through the mid-1900s.

Today, nearly 100 ships have been identified off the coast of Alpena, and tourists can learn about the area’s storied history by visiting Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, going on a glass-bottom boat trip with Alpena Shipwreck Tours and kayaking, snorkeling, scuba-diving and stand-up paddleboarding around the wrecks with companies like Great Lakes Divers, Thunder Bay Scuba and Alpena Adventures.

“The water is so cold and fresh that it has preserved the wrecks — especially the deep ones — so divers can see the masts of schooners from the 1850s standing upright,” says Stephanie Gandulla, the sanctuary’s maritime archaeologist.

Adventure-seekers can take to the 14-mile Bi-Path, a paved stretch that snakes along Lake Huron through wooded areas; the Chippewa Hills Pathway, a challenging trail with hills and multiple loops known to locals as “Chip;” or Paxon Spur, a retired 13.5-mile railroad route between Alpena and the village of Hillman. Bikes are available to rent at Harborside Cycle & Sport and Performance Locker.

Pictured Rocks HEATHER BENJAMIN

— Katie Morell

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WISCONSIN | EXPLORE AMERICA

LUMBERJACK STEAM TRAIN Laona The 19th-century lumber camps of Wisconsin’s Northwoods are mostly gone, but this train offers a glimpse into the remains of one. A 1916 4-spot steam locomotive pulls passengers from an 1880s depot in Laona to Camp 5, an old logging camp and site of the Lumber Company Farm. Buildings from the farm remain, including a hog barn that is now a petting zoo and a blacksmith shop. ▶ camp5museum.org

MARY RODDIS CONNOR

All Aboard Wisconsin’s scenic train rides offer glimpses of history

By Chelsey Lewis

S

CENIC DRIVES ARE GREAT, but for a more communal and historic way to see Wisconsin landscapes, there’s the old kid on the block: Scenic train

rides.

Their resurging popularity is ironic, considering Americans left passenger railroads in favor of personal automobiles

in the 1950s. With the exception of commuter and select Amtrak routes, personal train travel is a fraction of what it was during its heyday in the 19th and early 20th century.

But tourist trains are mostly thriving, drawing families and railroad enthusiasts for scenic trips aboard historic, restored cars that trigger a nostalgia for older riders and fascination with an uncommon mode of transportation for kids.

“I think they’re popular because they’re kind of like reliving history. The kids get excited about being on a train because most kids haven’t been on a real train,” says Steve Thomas, a marketing chairman department head with the East Troy Railroad Museum. He notes that 2018 ridership rose to 24,700 in 2018, about double the number of riders in 2012.

The East Troy Railroad Museum — a not-for-profit organization run by

volunteers — has more than 25 electric railroad cars, trolleys and locomotives, some dating to the 1920s. Among the collection are two of the five remaining Milwaukee streetcars. One has been refurbished and is popular with riders.

“It’s a way to experience history that has been lost and something a little different,” Thomas says.

Here are a few ways to experience the thrill:

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WISCONSIN | EXPLORE AMERICA TIFFANY BOTTOMS TRAIN Durand Bird-watchers will enjoy this 8.5-mile open-car ride through the 13,000-acre Tiffany Wildlife Area. With no major roads or developed trails through the region, the train is one of the few ways to get into a wildlife area where hundreds of bird species pass through annually. Volunteers operate the rail cars, which can carry 60 to 70 people. The remote ride is only offered a handful of times every year, mainly during prime birding season in May and September. ▶ chippewavalleymotorcarassociation.ellawisc.com

East Troy Railroad Museum PROVIDED BY EAST TROY RAILROAD MUSEUM

EAST TROY RAILROAD MUSEUM East Troy

NATIONAL RAILROAD MUSEUM Green Bay

This kid-friendly train follows the last remaining segment of the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light interurban rail system that once stretched for 130 miles in southeastern Wisconsin. A 7.5mile ride takes passengers from the East Troy Depot and Museum to the Elegant Farmer gourmet grocery store in Mukwonago.

Passengers can board at either depot, and tickets are good for unlimited rides between the two (pickups also available at Indianhead Park in Mukwonago).

Events through the year include dinner and pizza trains, Christmas trains and a beer-tasting train.

This museum is a wonderland for adults and kids, with dozens of historical rail cars and engines, including a Big Boy, the world’s largest steam locomotive, and an exhibit honoring Pullman porters. The museum offers 25-minute rides around the complex aboard vintage, full-size cars and includes information on hobo culture and the museum’s rolling stock. Popular events throughout the year include a special appearance by Thomas the Tank Engine during Day Out With Thomas in June, a pumpkin train in October and the Polar Express in December.

▶ easttroyrr.org

▶ nationalrrmuseum.org

RJ & LINDA MILLER

MID-CONTINENT RAILWAY MUSEUM North Freedom This 7-mile ride might be the most scenic, taking riders through the beautiful Baraboo Hills. It’s especially gorgeous in the fall, when the hardwood hills glow in a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and yellows. The rail cars, dating back more than a century, and the restored 1894 depot add to the experience.

MID-CONTINENT RAILWAY MUSEUM

▶ midcontinent.org

WISCONSIN GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD Spooner Spend a night in a traditional Pullman car on a bed-and-breakfast train ride with this rail line. The ride includes dinner as the train travels through the Northwoods and along the Namekagon River. It then returns to the station where guests spend the night onboard, followed by breakfast in the dining car. The railroad also offers dinner and sightseeing trains.

Big Boy at the National Railroad Museum PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL RAILROAD MUSEUM

▶ spoonertrainride.com

WISCONSIN GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD

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WISCONSIN | CHETEK

Tettegouche State Park

Big, Little Living Test out your tiny-home dreams in Wisconsin

By Sarah Sekula

T

HERE’S A LOT TO love about Chetek, Wis., a picturesque city about 100 miles from Minneapolis. There are lush forests, rolling hills straight out of a fairytale and lakes galore. Plus, easy access to adventure: hiking, fishing and kayaking in the summertime and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.

Another draw, just outside of Chetek, is one you might not expect: Canoe Bay Escape Village (escapevillages.com), a cluster of six tiny homes for rent (starting at $195 a night). All have a modern design with a heavy Frank Lloyd Wright influence and range in size from 183 to 400 square feet.

“Many of our first-time guests are curious about the tiny-home movement CONTINUED

CANOE BAY ESCAPE VILLAGE; GETTY IMAGES

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YOUR OWN TINY HOME

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CANOE BAY ESCAPE VILLAGE

and love that they can test out ... not to mention a bathroom, tiny living for a few days,” says comfy bed and kitchen with Dan Dobrowolski, founder of full-size appliances.

Escape Homes, which manages And they weren’t lacking Escape Village. in the amenities department, With all the hype around either. Next door at Canoe tiny living, it’s no surprise that Bay resort, a sister property there’s a growing number of of Prairie-style cottages after tiny-home resorts across the which the tiny homes were nation. And they modeled, there’s are popular. an impressive Just ask organic garden “If your home Amanda Kast filled with acres costs less to buy and her husof flowers, raised band, who live vegetable beds and maintain, in Sugar Grove, and fruit trees. you have the Ill., and recently Much of the promade the drive goes straight freedom to work duce to stay at Escape to the Canoe Bay Village. They can lakefront dining less and travel understand the room and is more.” appeal. “People incorporated into like tiny homes gourmet meals.

— AMANDA KAST, because they Escape Village Escape Village guest offer adventure guests have the and financial option to have freedom,” she says. “If your breakfast or lunch delivered home costs less to buy and from Canoe Bay and reserve a maintain, you have the freedom table for dinner. to work less and travel more.”

When you’re ready to venture While actually purchasing out, Chetek, about 10 miles from a diminutive dwelling doesn’t the resort, has a lot to offer. appeal to Kast and her husband, The Chetek Hydroflites Water they were pleasantly surprised Ski Show (hydroflites.com), for example, is a local favorite. that the tiny home they stayed From June through August, in felt larger than they expected, the team of waterskiers wows thanks to high ceilings and audiences with a free show on floor-to-ceiling glass windows

Lake Chetek.

Or hit the trails with a bike rental from Grinders Sports (grinders-sports.com). There are plenty of marked bike routes to choose from, many of them along the water. Chetek hasn’t dubbed itself the City of Lakes for nothing. Likewise, fishing is big in these parts. Rent gear from Rod & Gun Sport Shop (chetekrodandgun.com), and try your hand at reeling in pike, bass and perch.

After night falls, make your way to the nearby Stardust Twin drive-in theater (stardust driveinmovie.com) for a double feature under the stars (open late March/early April through October). And if you have the time for a day trip, Tettegouche State Park (dnr.state.mn.us) is well worth it. “It’s like being in Northern California, including watching the fog roll in,” says Kast. Nearly 200 miles from Escape Village, it is home to lakeside cliffs, giant pines and, if you’re lucky, you might spot a peregrine falcon.

Regardless of what you choose to visit in this area, you’ll be rewarded with sweeping views, untouched forests and abundant wildlife. In other words, you can’t go wrong. It’s a true Northwoods experience.

For guests who fall in love with the tiny-living concept during their stay at Canoe Bay Escape Village, there is the option to buy a tiny home from the builder. Prices start at $88,350.

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OHIO | COLUMBUS

The National Veterans Memorial and Museum aims to honor, inspire, connect and educate with unique interactive experiences.

Paying Tribute National Veterans Memorial and Museum provides dynamic space for remembrance BRAD FEINKNOPF

By Carol Motsinger

A

T FIRST, IT’S JUST an echo, swirling through. Then, you hear a murmur at the entrance, muffled by 53,000 square feet of concrete and steel. It’s an unexpected sound in a museum and memorial, especially one dedicated to the sacred acts of service and sacrifice.

That noise is 25 veterans captured on video and other recordings played on a simultaneous loop at 14 exhibits exploring enlistment, training, service and homecoming.

And in Columbus, Ohio, it’s also a subtle signal of the astonishing mission

of the new National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM): That to truly remember, to truly honor those who have served and are serving, we must listen to their stories.

With exhibits created by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the firm that produced the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, these personal presentations evoke an experience that is very much dynamic, very much alive.

The exhibits elevate not only those who serve, but what inspires them and what they fear, whom they love and what breaks their hearts, what they cherish and what they want to forget.

A SENSE OF URGENCY The memorial and museum opened last year, 11 days before Veterans Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. It’s long overdue.

Some 40 million Americans are estimated to have served the country since the Revolutionary War. Today, the United States is home to 20.4 million veterans. None of those served in the first World War. Since a British soldier’s death in 2012 at the age of 110, no living WWI veterans remain.

So many stories have already been lost, but some live on in the Columbus museum’s exhibit space. As you wander through the first floor, you find them.

In one video, a soldier talks about sitting in the cafeteria at the U.S. Military Academy, listening to the names of classmates who had died that day in the Iraq War. You later see a picture of a smiling young boy as his mother says his birth inspired her to enlist. In another interview, you hold your breath as a sailor describes how a bomb in Pearl Harbor missed him by just 40 meters.

As you watch, you can see your reflection in glass screens, positioned to be at about eye-level. In these reflections, it’s as though you are next to those telling the stories.

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A large cube hangs in the central space, showcasing veterans and family members.

members and veterans from different branches, conflicts, theaters and eras.

They talked to people who served in battle and those who served in peacetime.

Although the museum now features 25 individual stories, organizers plan to include new voices, faces and stories every few years. Despite the diversity in their backgrounds, Moe discovered the veterans he met wanted two things: a chance to speak and a chance to be heard.

A FAMOUS FACE

JOHN MINCHILLO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

The National Veterans Memorial and Museum is on a sprawling 7-acre site in downtown Columbus.

THE NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM Admission: Free for all veterans, Gold Star families and active-duty military with proper ID, as well as children younger than 5.

Tickets: $10 for ages 5 to 17; $17 for adults; $15 for seniors; $12 for college students with ID. ▶ nationalvmm.org AERIAL IMPACT SOLUTIONS

You can also feel an intimate connection by looking through soldier’s personal belongings. There’s a lucky rabbit’s foot and wishbone, sent home after the sergeant carrying them died at the Battle of the Bulge. Another case displays an ice-cream carton that an Army Air Force navigator dropped from his plane en route to England over his hometown of Cleveland in 1944.

The carton, and the letter it held, was miraculously found and delivered to his family’s home.

You get to see their journeys and read their postcards. You stare at a wedding photo of Col. Thomas Moe and his wife, Christine. Their story embodies how service is a way of life for those who enlist and for those who love and support

them. In the section about leaving home, you see a photograph of the couple cutting the cake at their reception, another of them smiling from the front seat of a car. There’s one of Thomas posing against his fighter plane.

You hear them both talk about the days leading up to his deployment. How his daughter, Connie, was just 3 months old when he left for Vietnam. Christine cried on the bed while he packed, not realizing they wouldn’t see each other for six years, or that Thomas’ plane would crash in North Vietnam in 1968, and he would be a prisoner of war at what was dubbed the Hanoi Hilton, and that his cell would be next to a Navy fighter pilot named John McCain.

You next see the Moe family in a video

about homecoming. The images are from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s runway in Dayton, Ohio, on March 18, 1973. Christine’s arms are about to wrap around her husband in his dress uniform. Connie, now 5, runs alongside her mother.

Moe’s military service did not end with his return home. He retired from the Air Force in 1995. Later, he served as the state director of veterans services for Ohio.

And he was influential in gathering input and participation from veterans across the country as the veterans’ museum idea was becoming a reality.

Moe helped connect the organization with hundreds of others.

The museum worked with service

That desire to share their stories reinforced the initial mission of the museum and memorial, one that was devised by the late Sen. John Glenn, who is the reason for the institution and for the location of Columbus.

After Glenn’s time as a pioneering astronaut, he returned here, to his home state.

About six years ago, a focus group of veterans suggested the idea for the museum and memorial. After conferring with other stakeholders, Glenn agreed that expanding the scope from updating a state museum to creating a national museum focused on veterans was important.

Glenn ultimately aimed to preserve the stories of the ordinary American who has done extraordinary things — the sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, who have shaped history yet are not in the history books.

Project manager Amy Taylor says the Glenn display case might be the only thing he would not like about the finished space. He was incredibly humble, she says, and he didn’t want the attention to be turned away from others.

A recording booth and an invitation “to share your story” are set up in a corner of the lower level. These recordings will eventually appear in an archive on the museum’s official website.

On one of the floors above the recording booth, the focus turns toward sacrifice.

The windows are covered in the colored stripes that denote campaign service. At the end of the hallway, a flag that flew above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery is folded on a stand.

You stand silently for a moment in front of the flag. But it is not silent, not even there. You can still hear those voices from the exhibits below.

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ILLINOIS | CHICAGO

Our Kind of Town Chicago shows off its sunny side

Chicago’s Riverwalk PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CHOOSE CHICAGO

By Nancy Trejos

D

URING THE SUMMER, NEW

Yorkers flee the city for the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore. Bostonians leave for Martha’s Vineyard or Cape Cod. Chicagoans, they stay put.

“We have three months where it’s more difficult to go outside,” says Craig Golden, principal at Blue Star Properties, which has developed several properties around the city. “It makes you really cherish the better weather. As soon as it hits 45 degrees out here, you start seeing people walking in shorts and T-shirts. They’re ready. I think that energy translates.”

It also translates into a slew of travelers descending on this Midwestern metropolis to enjoy the many outdoor eateries, rooftop bars, parks, river cruises and beaches. And Chicago rolls out the red carpet for its visitors.

“What makes summer in Chicago so special is simply the incredible variety of special events, festivals, performances and exhibits … set in one of the most visual and stunning backdrops of public space, parks and event venues,” says David Whitaker, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism board.

Here’s what summer visitors can expect from Chicago:

DOWN BY THE RIVER One of the most popular ways to gaze at Chicago’s buildings is on a cruise down the Chicago River. First Lady Cruises, which operates in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center, offers narrated 90-minute trips with indoor and outdoor seating and a full-service bar.

Docent Kathy Kurlick tells the stories of more than 50 buildings along the river, all built in less than 100 years. “Chicago built more skyscrapers than anyone from 1934 to 1955,” she says.

Chicago’s 1.25-mile Riverwalk is an example of carefully orchestrated urban design. The downtown waterfront park and pedestrian trail runs along the south bank of the river. Its vendors present their offerings each May. The promenade has restaurants, boat rentals, theater-style seating for performances and other attractions such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza.

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CHOW DOWN

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Chicago has become such a foodie town that last year the James Beard Foundation relocated its awards ceremony from New York to the Windy City.

Home to the iconic Restaurant Row and more than 10,000 dining options (many of which are Michelin-starred), Chicago boasts such notable chefs as Stephanie Izard, Rick Bayless, Art Smith and Graham Elliot.

And then there’s Grant Achatz, whose upscale restaurant Alinea has three Michelin stars and offers highly creative 16- to 18-course menus.

The Alinea Group also operates a more casual spot.

Roister, in the West Loop, is everything Alinea is not: It serves large plates, has a rustic style and its open kitchen design creates a loud and lively environment.

For a casual dining experience, the Revival Food Hall, a 24,000-square-foot marketplace in the Loop, features vendors selling poke bowls, lobster rolls, Detroit-style pizza, gelato, wine and more.

Most people don’t think of Chicago as a beach town, but it has 26 beaches.

“Chicago’s lakefront is spectacular and sets the tone and the scene for most of everything else that happens in summer,” says Rob Zwettler, who lives in the South Loop neighborhood.

There’s a spot for every type of beachgoer in every part of the city.

When the weather warms, Oak Street Beach, off the Magnificent Mile, is often packed with people playing volleyball and Frisbee. North Avenue Beach in Lincoln Park draws visitors for yoga, volleyball, paddleboarding and kayaking. Its popular bar and grill, Castaways, offers ice cream, drink specials and live music. The 57th Street Beach in Jackson Park sits across the street from the Museum of Science and Industry, so patrons can have an educational and recreational day.

Even dogs have space on the sand: The Montrose Dog Beach is open all year (humans are allowed, too).

Noyane rooftop lounge CONRAD HOTELS AND RESORTS; KIMPTON

UP IN THE SKY

Art Institute of Chicago

Revival Food Hall

Roister

Kimpton Gray Hotel

On the 21st floor of the Conrad Chicago hotel is Noyane rooftop lounge. Its name means “hidden roof” in Japanese, but its expansive city views and high-quality sushi and sashimi offerings have made it well known.

One floor down is Baptiste & Bottle, which offers an extensive bourbon menu of 175 kinds of whiskey and bourbon.

Not far away is Cindy’s at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, the doyenne of the rooftop set. Its terrace offers panoramic views of Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago and Lake Michigan.

The Kimpton Gray Hotel in the historic New York Life Insurance Building houses the 15th floor Boleo restaurant, which offers Latin-influenced cocktails and Peruvian fare while taking in the view.

Though it’s not a rooftop setting, the Hancock Center offers 360-degree views of the city.

Oak Street Beach GETTY IMAGES

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MINNESOTA | SURFING THE GREAT LAKES 1. A surfer poses with his board before taking on the waves on a sunny day in Castle Danger, Minn.

2. Park Point with Duluth, Minn., in the background.

3. A surfer sets up for a cutback during a Lake Superior session near the Lester River.

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4. The scene on the side of the road when a swell arrives at Stoney Point.

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Hang 10 Serious surfers find thrills, chills on Great Lakes

By Cinnamon Janzer

T

O BE SURE, SURFING the Great Lakes isn’t for the faint of heart.

Unlike oceans, which produce endless waves, lakes simply don’t have enough room to allow a proper swell to form. That is, except for the Greats, the group of five lakes that lie on the Canadian border and stretch from New York to Minnesota. And if you’re both a surfer and a CONTINUED

4 PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DAVE ROSTVOLD

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MINNESOTA | SURFING THE GREAT LAKES Minnesotan, like me, Lake Superior is your best bet.

You can surf in Minnesota yearround, but the best time is during the winter, when storms descend, moving across Lake Superior to the southeast and pushing water across the 350-mile length of the lake, creating consistently surfable swells.

I learned to surf in Nicaragua’s warm waters, so when I relocated to Minneapolis, I thought my surfing days were over — until I met a group of paddleboarders who told me that surfing Lake Superior at a spot near Duluth, Minn., was possible. So, one Saturday in November, two friends and I hoisted our boards onto the roof of a car and headed there.

The industrial-looking city situated on the western-most edge of Lake Superior is nestled halfway between the Twin Cities and Canada, surrounded by an almost mountainous terrain that includes the beginning of the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail.

We arrived at Stoney Point around 9 a.m. — the wind tends to shift and degrade the waves as the day warms up, so the earlier the better — and we joined a crowd of about 20 people and about half as many cars and campers.

We added a fresh layer of cold-water wax to our boards, pulled our wetsuits over our arms, sank our feet into neoprene booties and gloved our hands.

Taking a deep breath, we made our way across the road, down the rocks and into the 39-degree water filled with perfect waves that surfers love: A-frames — waves that peak perfectly in the middle and break on both sides, allowing surfers to simultaneously ride them in each direction.

Paddling out offered increasingly distant views of the vast, snow-covered shore, nothing short of a winter wonderland. It was cold — as cold as I’ve ever been on purpose — but it paled in comparison with the beauty outside and the adrenaline inside. I was extremely thankful that I ended up splurging on the more expensive, thicker booties. The right equipment is absolutely necessary, says Mathias Gorden, a Superior surfer.

“Some people (come out here with) too thin of a wetsuit, and they get cold,” he notes, adding that the water temperature can literally take surfers’ breath away. “(People) kind of underestimate (surfing Superior) because it’s a lake, and they think it can’t be big, but it can be. The wind and cold just make things more intense.”

5 5. Surfers wait for the right wave during a frigid winter session on Lake Superior in Toronto.

6. A surf instructor from Torontobased Surf the Greats takes a break from winter surfing on Lake Ontario in Toronto.

Surf the Greats offers workshops, lessons and community for Great Lakes surfers.

7. Taking on Georgian Bay, which stems from Lake Huron.

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7 PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LUCAS MURNAGHAN/SURF THE GREATS

While the number of surfers in the water at Stoney is sparse compared with places like California, there are still locals who surf it every chance they get, sailing through the waves with ease. We surfed down waves that many don’t know exist; rides concluding with familiar falls in uncharacteristically saline-free water.

Eventually, I noticed that my toes had become numb.

Once we reached the point when we could no longer move our mouths enough to form coherent words, we paddled back to shore. After fumbling up the rocks with frozen feet, we got into the car, peeling the layers of neoprene away and cranking the heat. While recapping our adventure, I surmised that we couldn’t possibly have been in the water for more than 20 minutes, but I was corrected: In reality, we had been out for an hour and a half.

We drove to another spot, Park Point — roughly 10 minutes from Stoney Point into Duluth proper. As we made our way to the water with our boards in tow, a mother and her son passed us, as did an older couple, both pairs exclaiming that we must be crazy and how they could never do it. I wasn’t sure that I could until this morning either, I thought to myself.

While it might seem like the conditions on Superior are too extreme for newbies, the opposite is true. “Beginners can definitely do it,” says Alex Copp, who has taught surfing lessons at Surf the Greats in Toronto. “Of course, depending on the size, every day isn’t beginner-friendly, but that’s the same in the ocean.”

For more experienced surfers who want to try the Great Lakes, one thing that’s noticeable is the closeness of the periods (the time between individual waves). Copp notes that going from a typical ocean period of around eight to 10 seconds between waves to as few as four seconds on the Greats can make getting out to the lineup — the sweet spot where surfers wait to catch rideable waves — a challenge. The difference also increases the chance of drowning.

And, just like with ocean surfing, it’s important to note what’s below you (there might be discarded construction material in the water near Toronto, for example) and to be aware of rip currents because they can happen on the lake, too. “Be aware of how to manage yourself when you get caught in a rip,” Copp stresses. “Don’t fight it: Just go with it — it’ll swirl back into shore.”

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NEW YORK | WINERIES THE BEGINNING: PLEASANT VALLEY WINE COMPANY If you want to understand the wine history of the region, start here. Founded in 1860, Pleasant Valley survived the Civil War with its production of sparkling wine — which later won an honorable mention at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1867, followed by many more European medals and other awards. Today, Pleasant Valley remains the largest producer of sparkling wines in the eastern U.S. The winery is also home to a museum focusing on the history of winemaking in the region.

THE ROOTS: DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK WINERY

Pleasant Valley Wine Company

You can’t talk about Finger Lakes wine without mentioning Dr. Konstantin Frank.

The Ukranian immigrant was a professor of plant science and moved to the region to work for the Geneva Experiment Station at Cornell University.

While many believed that the cold climate was to blame for the inability to grow European or vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes, Frank believed it was the rootstock. He developed a system that took native rootstock and grafted the European vines to it. This ignited the region’s vinifera revolution, enabling the area to become the pre-eminent cool climate wine region of North America.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE WINERIES

Coming of Age New York’s Finger Lakes Wine Country offers a region rich in history

Glenora Wine Cellars

THE ONE-STOP SHOP: GLENORA WINE CELLARS

By Carol Cain

F

OR MANY YEARS, NORTHERN New York was primarily known for producing sweet wines. In fact, the first winery in the area, Pleasant Valley Wine Company, still offers a selection of sweeter varieties, including bubbly.

But over the decades, the diversity of flavors offered around the region has grown, as has the sophistication with which wine is produced and presented, making a visit to Finger Lakes Wine Country a must for any oenophile. With more than 100 wineries, breweries and distilleries located throughout, knowing where to start your experience can seem a bit daunting.

This list of nine locations will not only help you navigate the wine trails, but also give you a bit of local history:

As the first winery on Seneca Lake, Glenora is well known in the Finger Lakes for its quality wines. It’s also one of a few wineries in the region that offers a restaurant and accommodations.

The winery has daily tastings and tours, and the 30-room inn offers guests a great place to call home during their stay in Finger Lakes. Each room overlooks the vineyards and Seneca Lake.

Glenora’s Veraisons Restaurant is one of the leading dining establishments in the region with a dedication to locally sourced, seasonally inspired menus.

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NEW YORK | WINERIES

Fulkerson Winery

Lucas Vineyards

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard

Lakewood Vineyards

THE NEXT GENERATION: FULKERSON WINERY

THE CONSERVATIONIST: HERMANN J. WIEMER VINEYARD

THE LEGACY: LAKEWOOD VINEYARDS

Steven Fulkerson is following in his father’s footsteps with a commitment to his family’s land and a love for Finger Lakes wine. No visit to Fulkerson Winery is complete without a vineyard tour. Plus, the winery is also a U-pick farm that offers asparagus in spring, cherries and peaches in summer and apples and grapes in fall.

Interested in home winemaking or homebrewing? Fulkerson is the best place to stock up on all the supplies you need, including their own freshly pressed juice.

In addition to the production of wines that highlight the local terroir, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard concentrates its efforts on techniques that rely on natural growth and production. They incorporate practices that create a healthy and natural ecosystem for their vines and use indigenous yeasts during the fermentation process to conserve the wines’ truest qualities.

This conservationist approach is further reflected in the refurbished 19th-century barn, which now houses their tasting room. It’s complete with views of their production facilities.

These sound growing practices and the resulting high-quality wine have led to accolades from around the world.

What was once an abandoned peach and apple orchard slowly grew to become a producer of the most diverse selection of award-winning wines.

Lakewood Vineyards’ founder, Monty Stamp, was a respected figure in the community he adored and served. He exuded a spirit of cooperation and gave back to the business he loved.

This is a legacy his family continues today with a focus on sustainable practices, as well as a presence in nonprofits and associations that help promote and grow the industry he so enjoyed.

THE TRANSPLANTS: RAVINES WINE CELLARS

Ravines Wine Cellars

Lisa and Morten Hallgren could have built their winery anywhere in the world, but chose the Finger Lakes.

Morten, a native of Copenhagen, spent years in the Provence region of France, where he honed his winemaking skills at his family’s estate, Domaine de Castel Roubine. Lisa, a San Antonio native, is a chef and foodie — and the brains behind the Ravinous Kitchen.

Morten was recruited to the Finger Lakes by Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, where he was a winemaker for six years.

In 2000, the Hallgrens bought 15 acres of land to start their winery.

Today, Ravines is one of the leading wineries in Finger Lakes.

THE CAT’S MEOW: HAZLITT 1852 VINEYARDS Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards is a must-visit destination for an evening of fun and musical entertainment with a casual vibe and award-winning wines.

The Oasis pavilion is a beautiful openair gathering area for relaxing and wine drinking with friends. Their best-selling Red Cat, a sweet catawba blend, is great for any party, but the award-winning viniferas are truly a labor of love for the Hazlitts — and you can taste it.

From the cabernet franc to the riesling, they have become a wine lover’s favorite.

THE GROUNDBREAKING WINEMAKER: LUCAS VINEYARDS Ruth Lucas first moved to the area with her family in 1974. Lucas Vineyards, Cayuga Lake’s first winery, started out small but immediately won gold and silver medals for its Cayuga White and Estate Red after its first production.

The winery, under Lucas’ leadership, was one of the first woman-owned wineries in the region. She currently runs it with her daughters, Ruthie and Stephanie.

Lucas’ vision and ambition helped to grow their wine production from hundreds of cases to tens of thousands a year. She also co-founded what is now the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail — America’s first wine trail, celebrating 36 years in 2019.

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Experience

BROCKVILLE CITY OF THE 1000 ISLANDS

WE’RE A SHORT DRIVE FROM: Alexandria Bay-25 miles Morrisburg-31 miles Syracuse-126 miles

BROCKVILLE & 1000 ISLANDS VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE Open year round 10 Market Street West, Brockville 613-342-4357 • Toll Free: 1-888-251-7676 visitorinfo@brockvillechamber.com

#BetterInBrockville

brockvilletourism.com

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CANADA | ONTARIO

Treasured Island Prince Edward County is finding its place as a food and wine mecca

By Brian Barth

P

RINCE EDWARD COUNTY, AN

island on Lake Ontario, has long been known for its miles of white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water — and enormous summer crowds. But more recently, PEC, or the County, as locals call it, has become a major foodie destination, with scores of wineries, artisanal creameries and farm-to-table restaurants. In 2017, Vogue magazine, arbiter of all things fashionable, billed it the “Hudson Valley of Canada,” a nod to the renowned food and wine hub north of New York City.

Located within a two- to four-hour drive of numerous northern cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Syracuse, N.Y., PEC has become one of the hottest vacation spots in the Lake Ontario region. Which is why autumn — when the harvest is on and the traffic jams of beachgoers have faded — is an ideal time to visit. It’s still warm enough to walk along the beaches at Sandbanks Provincial Park, and the fall bird migration along the enormous dunes is always spectacular.

A little farther inland, those same sand deposits caught the eye of a few enterprising viticulturists,

who deduced that the combination of sandy soil and the unusually mild microclimate of the area (PEC is on a peninsula, connected to the mainland of Ontario by a narrow isthmus) was a winning recipe for wine production. It’s a vision that is slowly coming to fruition.

Redtail Vineyards, which recently changed hands, has been in operation since 2004 when there were only four other wineries in the area.

Today, there are more than 40, and new owner Thomas Stallinga and renowned winemaker Thomas Bachelder are excited to be a part of the scene.

New wine-producing regions, like wine itself, take time to mature — decades, if not centuries. You won’t find many PEC wines on lists of the world’s top vintages (not yet, anyway), but that doesn’t mean you won’t find many a treasured experience along the country lanes of the PEC wine district, which is concentrated in the western end of the county around the hamlet of Hillier.

PEC wineries are largely boutique operations, geared more to the wine-tasting experience than to exporting bottles.

“The community here is what really sets it apart,” CONTI NUED

Parsons Brewing Co. JENNY THOMPSON

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THREE WAYS TO SEE PEC It takes little more than an hour to drive across Prince Edward County, though you could easily spend a week exploring the hidden jewels of each hill and hollow. Here are three fun ways to take in the sights:

1. BUS OR LIMO Wine tours abound in the county. Prince Edward County Wine Tours (pecwinetours.com) offers half and full day tours on buses and limousines to wineries, cideries, breweries, distilleries and galleries.

Kinsip Distillery on the Prince Edward County Taste Trail JENNY THOMPSON

Bachelder says. “The wine is exceptional but the climate is a struggle, and as such a new region, everyone is constantly learning, so there’s a real sense of community that comes with everyone sharing how-tos and help. It means the wine is getting better and better every year, and where great wine is, fantastic food follows, so the foodie tourism has really taken off.”

At the County Cider Company, my wife and I dined alfresco on pizza from a wood-fired oven alongside heirloom apple trees. Later that day we sipped rosé while strolling through the hillside vineyard at Waupoos Estates Winery, where we eventually found ourselves at a deck overlooking a bay. There, we befriended a few other couples who were taking in the sunset. Flocks of birds came and went, their silhouettes dancing against the backdrop of a glowing sky.

You will find more than just grapes growing along PEC backroads. More than two dozen farms that sell fresh produce on-site, including a number of pick-yourown orchards, are scattered about the hills and hollows. Down one gravel road, we

found Prince Edward County Lavender, a lavender farm complete with a giant “still” for making essential oil; and down another, we visited the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company, a solar-powered, LEED platinum-certified goat and buffalo dairy.

We came home loaded with cheese for the fridge and lavender-scented Christmas stocking stuffers.

Before the grapes came along, PEC was known for hops and barley, a bit of agricultural heritage that seems to have sparked a movement to establish craft distilleries and microbreweries in the area. There are now at least two of the former and six of the latter, including Fronterra Farm, which offers a plow-to-pint experience: Their fields of hops and barley are the source of the distinct terroir of their lagers and IPAs. (Find more inspiration from Prince Edward County’s Taste Trail at prince-edward-county.com/item/taste-trail, which highlights restaurants, wineries and small shops.)

Looking for lodging? Make like an agritourist and rest your head at one of the many farms and wineries that offer accommodations. The lavender farm has

its own bed-and-breakfast. And Fronterra Farm offers glamping in conjunction with its “brew camp,” where you’ll learn how to harvest hops and put them to use.

For an urbane, upscale option, try Drake Devonshire in the hamlet of Wellington.

The first rural location by Jeff Stober — the immeasurably hip Toronto hotelier, mixologist and food entrepreneur — the Drake Devonshire is comprised of 13 artfully appointed rooms and suites, a creekside massage hut and lakeside lounge with a fire pit for cozy autumn nights. And then there is the restaurant, easily the county’s most haute dining experience, one which rests squarely on the shoulders of local produce, meat and wine.

“We try not to overthink the food,” says executive chef Alexandra Feswick, who has forged a close relationship with Honey Wagon Farms and Blue Wheelbarrow Farm, both of which operate roadside stands just down the way. “If you are sourcing such fresh ingredients, you really don’t need to do much to the flavor — it’s already there.”

2. BIKE If you feel confident in your ability to sample a dozen wines while biking 10 miles over the course of an afternoon, the Sip and Cycle Tour (thecounty winetours.com) is for you.

3. CARRIAGE The County Carriage Company (countycarriage. com) offers the most romantic way to see the countryside. Enjoy horsedrawn tours (including winter sleigh rides) with a variety of destination themes: wineries, pub crawls, culinary destinations, fruit stands, orchards and sunsets.

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MICHIGAN | EXPLORE AMERICA

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Scenery & Solitude Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore provides magical backdrop

By John Wisely

T

HE MULTICOLORED SANDSTONE CLIFFS of

Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a national park that stretches along Lake Superior’s southeast coast, has inspired for centuries. In 1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned his epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, which mentions the “Pictured Rocks of sandstone, Looking over lake and landscape.”

Those looking for solitude can find it here. Nearly 100 miles of trails —

including the North Country National Scenic Trail, which runs adjacent to Lake Superior — offer forests, dunes and beaches to explore.

The towns of Grand Marais, Minn., and Munising, Mich., bookend the park to the east and west respectively, but the lack of development in between makes for dark skies ripe for stargazing, including an occasional show put on by the northern lights.

“The serenity and the isolation, they can still get that up here,” says Bill Smith, retired Pictured Rocks park ranger. “There are those magic moments like that.”

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