Drive Around Lake Michigan Tour

The Lake Michigan tour, or circle around Lake Michigan, is one of the most popular road trips in the Midwest – and for good reason. You drive through small towns, very big cities, and state parks – all while being just a few miles away from Lake Michigan at all times.

The duration of the trip itself takes 14.5 hours non-stop.

Mackinac City & Mackinac Island

Making a stop at Mackinac City and Mackinac Island is a must.

A few ideas while you’re on the Island or in Mackinac City:

Bike around the island
Drive across the Mackinac Bridge
Get some tasty fudge!
Go shopping
Eat some Pasties
Visit the Pink Pony

Chicago and Milwaukee

Many people who do this road trip may want to skip these big cities, but visiting one or both of them may provide a bit of a change of scenery. A few ideas of what you could do while in Chicago or Milwaukee:

Sports event
Brewery tour
Concert/Play
Visit the parks
Eat the local cuisine

Traverse City

Traverse City is one of the biggest cities that you will drive through on the tour. There is quite a lot to do in the area, including:

Sleeping Bear Dunes
Old Mission Peninsula
Wineries
Casinos
Golfing

If you time your trip right, you could visit Traverse City for the National Cherry Festival – a ten-day celebration of cherries that takes place in downtown Traverse City with parades, concerts, fireworks, and much more.

Michigan Lake Towns

There are many fantastic towns that line the coast of the East side of Lake Michigan. A few popular towns to note of running North to South:

Glen Arbor
Frankfort
Manistee
Ludington
Muskegon
Holland
South Haven
St. Joseph
Michigan City

While stopping by each town, make sure to check out their beaches, many of them being some of the best in all of the Great Lakes.

Green Bay and Door County

Green Bay is well known for being the home of the Green Bay Packers and is a must stop for any Packers fan. Even if you are traveling outside of football season, you can stop by to get a guided tour of Lambeau Field.

Located a little less than an hour from downtown Green Bay, Door County is a popular vacation destination for families across the Midwest. You can visit one of the many state parks in Door County including Peninsula State Park, Whitefish Dunes State Park, Cave Point County Park, and Newport State Park.