Charlevoix the Beautiful

Leaving the Straits of Mackinac at the tip of northern Michigan, we turned to port and began the 300-mile journey down Lake Michigan to Chicago. Although we will not "cross our wake" in Columbus, MS until mid-October, something about heading south for the first time in ten months felt like we had entered the home stretch of our Loop. But adventures remain and we don't want to rush.

Freighter in the Straits of Mackinac Near Mackinac Bridge

Prime cruising season on Lake Michigan falls between July 1 and Labor Day, and Loopers have the option of cruising either the Michigan coast on the east side of the lake or the Wisconsin coast on the west. We chose the Michigan side because we wanted to visit friends in Charlevoix, Bill and Diane DuPont, who own the local independent bookstore. Called "Charlevoix the Beautiful" by its 2500 doting residents, the town is filled with charming shops and restaurants just steps from the harbor, making it a favorite of Loopers and other boaters. One of our favorite discoveries was the local Cherry Republic store which features all sorts of goodies made locally from Michigan's delicious cherries.

Charlevoix Historic Home

Garden Prayer

Charlevoix is known for the 31 unique "mushroom houses" built beginning in the 1930s by Earl Young, a local resident. The house we visited had a thatched roof that gave it a hobbit-like quality which made us smile. The town's public library is housed in an old school whose interior was beautifully renovated in the Frank Lloyd Wright style, making it a perfect place to curl up and read a book.

Mushroom House with Thatched Roof

Charlevoix Public Library

Our time in Charlevoix concluded with a delicious walleye fish dinner, the best we've had, followed by an outdoor concert by the local town band, whose musicians were all about our age. How I wish I had brought my saxophone!

Concert on the Harbor Green