9 Must Visit Tourist Attractions In Michigan

Michigan's most-visited tourist destinations include a wide range of interests thanks to the state's diverse landscape, rich history, and legendary city of Detroit. There are endless opportunities for those who are looking to enjoy nature, especially along the shores of the Great Lakes, where you can find freshwater dunes and coastal habitats far from the sea.

Visiting historical sites, like living history museums, is one of the popular things to do, especially Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island and Greenfield Village, which is part of the Henry Ford historic sites.

For those looking for a faster pace, Detroit is an excellent place to visit. It's a city that has worked hard to embrace its significant contributions as the Motor City while evolving into a top tourist destination and cultural center.

# Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island offers a look at a historic period and a simpler way of life, before cars and buses. Visitors can take a ferry to the island and spend the day wandering through the shops of the old town, touring the island on a horse-drawn carriage, hiking, or visiting Fort Mackinac.

Opened in 1957, Mackinac Bridge connects the Lower Peninsula at Mackinaw City to the Upper Peninsula at St. Ignace. One of the longest suspension spans in the world, it eliminated the backup of vehicles waiting for ferry passage across the straits. The Mackinac Bridge Museum contains many interesting and original artifacts from the construction of the Mighty Mac.

# Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Lake Michigan

Although it is the third largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan is the only one that entirely borders U.S. soil, and it also gives the state the distinction of having the second-longest shoreline of all 50 states, second only to Alaska. A comprehensive look at the lake's importance can be found at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, and there are numerous boat tours perfect for sightseeing, like the Tall Ship Manitou in Traverse City.

The lake's islands are a popular destination, with the Beaver Island Archipelago and the Manitou Islands as tourist favorites. The Manitou Islands are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which is known for its expansive dunes that are perched on headlands along the shoreline.

# Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts is known for its expansive collection of humanity's creative works from the earliest cultures through today. With more than 65,000 works of art in over 100 galleries, people from every corner of the globe are represented.

The museum's Islamic art collection includes examples of pottery, stone, and bronze, and there are prime examples from Classical Antiquity, medieval Europe, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas. Among the most coveted European works are paintings by Picasso, Rembrandt, Matisse, and Van Gogh.

# Pictured Rocks National Seashore

Pictured Rocks National Seashore, on the south shore of Lake Superior, gets its name from the colors of copper, iron, and manganese oxide found in the rocks. The landscape here is a mix of dunes, cliffs, beaches, and rocky shoreline. The interior is forest covered, with inland lakes and rivers.

Visitors come here to experience nature, usually through activities like hiking, camping, and boating. In winter, the area is open for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.

# Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park offers a variety of environments in which visitors can enjoy the synthesis of art and nature. Outdoor gardens include traditional foliage, a children's garden that encourages interaction with its unique plants, a "Butterfly Maze," and a peaceful Japanese Garden with twin waterfalls.

The 1880s farmhouse is a replica of Lena Meijer's first home and includes the Farm Garden. The Lena Meijer Conservatory is a five-story tropical environment that houses many rare and exotic plants, and in March and April, visitors can watch the amazing process of Monarch butterflies transforming from caterpillar to delicate insect. Sculptures are found throughout both indoor and outdoor spaces.

# The Henry Ford

Known collectively as "The Henry Ford," this is a group of three attractions that explore not only the auto legend's life and work, but also the entire scope of American innovation. Visitors can take a step back in time at historic Greenfield Village, where you will see what life looked like in the 19th century.

Points of interest include working farms, a restaurant that serves fare that was typical in the 1830s, the train depot where you can catch a ride on a steam-powered locomotive, and rides in a Model T. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation tells the story of inventors and forward-thinkers who helped shape the world we see today, from the Wright brothers' dream of flying to Rosa Parks' conviction to see change in her lifetime.

# Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale lies in northwestern Lake Superior near the Canadian frontier. Shaped by Ice Age glaciers, this 432-square-mile island has many lakes and streams, dense forests, and a variety of wildlife that includes wolves, foxes, moose, otters, ospreys, herring gulls, falcons, and more. This relatively unspoiled tract of country attracts those looking for a remote wilderness experience.

The best way to see the park is on hiking trails and boat trips. Access to the island is by boat or seaplane. Trips usually originate from Houghton or Copper Harbor, Michigan, or Grand Portage, Minnesota.

# Detroit Zoo

The Detroit Zoo has an impressive variety of animals in multiple habitats representing all parts of the world. African animals live either in the forest or grassland habitats and include everything from aardvark to zebra, with many family favorites like giraffes, lions, lemurs, and several primates.

An arctic habitat is home to the zoo's famous polar bears, and the Australian Outback has sixteen resident kangaroos and two wallabies. The exotic Asian Forest features red pandas and Amur tigers, while the North American habitats feature some of the continent's most interesting animals, including bears, wolverines, and bald eagles.

# University of Michigan

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor encompasses 2,800 acres. Some of the interesting old Gothic buildings include the Law Quadrangle, the Power Center for the Performing Arts, and the Natural History Museum. Key attractions on the campus include the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, with strong collections related to Mediterranean civilizations, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.

Also of interest, although located off campus, is the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Located next to the central campus is the Nichols Arboretum.