Fifty miles north, HOLLAND was settled in 1847 by Dutch religious dissidents. Today's residents lose no opportunity to let visitors know of their roots: tens of thousands of tulips brighten the town in early summer, while the Netherlands museum, a Dutch village, a clog factory and the inevitable windmill all attract tourist dollars. Twenty miles farther up the shoreline, GRAND HAVEN boasts one of the largest and best sandy beaches on the Great Lakes, seen on a leisurely stroll along the one-and-a-half-mile boardwalk (for the most part a concrete path). At the top of Dewey Hill stands a huge, electronically controlled musical fountain.
Just under one hundred miles farther north, a string of pleasant small villages starts with LUDINGTON , where Ludington State Park , eight miles north on Hwy-116, offers great hiking and sightseeing amid sweeping sand dunes and virgin pine forests; admission is $4 per car. Camping in some beautiful sites costs $15 a night. From downtown, the Lake Michigan Car Ferry departs for Manitowoc, Wisconsin ($40 per adult, $47 per car, not including driver; tel 231/845-5555 or 1-800/841-4243, ) - a comparative bargain when you weigh up the cost of braving the cross-Chicago traffic. The best place to stay overnight is Snyder's Shoreline Inn , 903 W Ludington Ave (tel 231/845-1261 or 1-800/843-2177, ; $75-100), the only downtown property with uninterrupted views of the lakeshore. House of Flavors , 402 W Ludington Ave (tel 231/845-5785), is a chrome-heavy diner serving breakfasts, burgers and a huge range of ice cream. Scotty's , 5910 E Ludington Ave (tel 231/843-4033), is reliable for lunch and does steaks and seafood in the evenings. The visitor center is on the east side of town at 5827 US-10 (tel 231/845-0324 or 1-800/542-4600).
Surrounded by forest, MANISTEE , 32 miles north, boasts an attractive Victorian downtown and a mile-long boardwalk that runs alongside the Manistee River onto Lake Michigan. One of several pretty lakeside areas is Douglas Park - with a good sandy beach, small marina and picnic area - next to the Lake Shore Motel , 101 S Lakeshore Drive (tel 231/723-2667; $100-130). To stay downtown, try the Maples B&B , 435 Fifth St (tel 231/723-2904; $50-75). The Chamber of Commerce is at 11 Cypress St (Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm; tel 231/723-2575).
Thirty miles north, tiny FRANKFORT nestles under bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. With a grassy park and a small beach at either end of its main street, it not only makes a charming stop for lunch or a picnic, but also provides cheaper accommodation than the Leelanau Peninsula towns just to the north. The Harbor Lights Motel and Condos , 15 Second St (tel 231/352-9614; $75-100), stands right on the beach. The Still Grinning Inn , 670 Crystal Ave (tel 231/352-7669; $35-50), provides great value B&B. Along the main drag, the Frankfort Deli , 327 Main St (tel 231/352-3354), has good sandwiches. Directly across the street, the Coho Café (tel 231/352-6053) serves up well-priced modern food. The visitor center (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1-5pm; tel 231/352-7251) is also on Main Street, opposite the park.
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.
Copyright © 2006 United States.biz
