A Michigan Field Guide
Michigan, told one great day at a time.
One dad and his two kids, road-tripping Michigan’s waterfalls, shorelines and backroad detours — photographed as they happen, with the trip details you actually need before you go.
Recent Adventures
The latest places we've explored around Michigan.
GarLyn Zoo on US-2: The U.P. Zoo My Kids Never Let Us Skip
Naubinway, Mackinac County
A small, wooded zoo on US-2 near Naubinway with lions, tigers, bears, bunnies you can feed and goats that will find you. Our kids' must-stop on every U.P. trip.
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Upper Tahquamenon Falls in Fall: Root Beer Water, No Stairs
Paradise, Luce County
Our first fall visit to Upper Tahquamenon Falls: root-beer water, turning leaves, the new accessible boardwalk, ice cream and a long brewery wait.
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Kitch-iti-kipi: Michigan's Big Spring by Hand-Cranked Raft
Manistique, Schoolcraft County
Michigan's largest spring: 10,000+ gallons a minute, 45 degrees, and clear enough to count trout from a free hand-cranked raft near Manistique.
Read the storyExplore Michigan
Find places worth the drive. 674 spots mapped across the state, from lighthouses to waterfalls to ghost towns.
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Browse by Interest
Jump straight to what your family's after.
Real Trips. Honest Details. Family Tested.
Every place here starts with an actual visit — me and my family testing the trip before we ever tell you to make it.
Real Trips
Every published story is based on an actual visit, not secondhand research or copied listings.
Family Perspective
Trail surface and distance, restrooms, water or cliff hazards, and whether it's realistically worth bringing kids — every time.
Honest Advice
We'll say plainly whether a place deserves a special trip, works better as a quick stop, or has something you should know before you go.
A note on the map above:published stories are real, family-tested trips. The interactive map goes further — it's a broader Michigan discovery database we're still researching, so not every pin has been personally visited yet.
