Getaways on the Back Roads of Michigan.

Michigan Day Trips - Michigan Getaways - Michigan Road Trips

Click Here for the Monthly Road Trip Newsletter

 

December Podcast - Historic Idlewild

 

FREE SHIPPING ON MICHIGAN BACK ROADS BOOKS

books

Use the Regional Map to look for destinations in the part of Michigan you are interested in.  Use the All Destinations page to find trips and getaways listed in alphabetical order.

Recommended Day Trip - Bond Falls

 

bond falls

Michigan Back Roads is a collection of often overlooked Michigan day trips, road trips, three-day getaways and vacations. These are lesser known attractions, you will find few very famous destinations.
Here are walking trails, historic destinations, oddities, nature areas, and unique small towns. Each page on this site and on www.upnorthmichigan.com  describes a Michigan attraction, destination or best kept secret.

Books – Road trip books featuring out of the way destinations, history, oddities, and fun getaways. 6 books currently in print with a 7th book due in October of 2023 and 1 children’s book, Bob the Turtle Adventures. Road trip titles include – Best Kept Secrets – Oddities & Rarities – Quick & Easy Getaways – Road Trips – Three Day Getaways – Trails & Treasures – Misadventures with Helga.

Food and Lodging links are listed on the region pages and appropriate destination pages. Lodging options are in the main listing on each region page and food listings are in the sidebar. Use the map or link list to visit the region pages. Lodging listings are sponsors who support Michigan Back Roads efforts to promote Michigan getaways to out of the way, lesser known destinations. Food listings are places that we will return to again and again because their food is consistently GREAT. Being good once or twice isn't enough and it isn't enough to be part of a modern trend or the latest thing. Some of these places have a specialty that is the best and that is enough even if the rest of menu is just okay.

Podcasts – are found at www.mibackroads.com . Some podcasts are short presentations of fun destinations running 3-8 minutes. A new category is Michigan day trip podcasts running 15 minutes or longer. New destinations are added regularly. The podcasts are perfect for when you have just a few minutes to sit and relax.

Newsletter - www.travelinmichigan.com . The newsletter is online and is delivered via email on the first day of the month. Each newsletter offers 3 road trips, one in the upper peninsula, one in northern Michigan and one in southern Michigan. There are featured events, festivals and a featured podcast as well. It’s free, subscribe online.

Live Presentations – I give live slide show presentations all over the state about Road Trips to out of the way places in Michigan. These presentations are done in libraries, historical societies, and clubs. If you are looking for entertaining programs without preaching, profanity, or politics, contact me.

Up North Michigan - Defining "up north" is a challenge. If you live in Coldwater, you may regard anything north of Clare as "up north".  If you live in Good Hart, you may regard the upper peninsula as "up north".  If you live on the Lake Michigan coast of the upper peninsula, you refer to the Lake Superior coast as "up north".  If you live in Ohio you probably regard anything north of U.S.12 as "up north".  Up North is as much a state of mind as a destination.  To those of us who grew up in Michigan, "up north" began north of Clare and in some cases north of Indian River. 100 years ago "up north" meant the Frontier, any place north of the Great Sauk Trail.