The next morning we got an early start and were on the first ferry of the day leaving Mackinac Island. We drove along M-119 between Cross Village and Harbor Springs. This scenic stretch of road is known as “The Tunnel of Trees”. We were hoping to see fall colors, but we were a few weeks too early. We stopped at the little village of Good Hart which has a cute general store and a few other gift shops that sell unique Michigan souvenirs.
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Sunrise on Mackinac Island
 | | Our ferry to the mainland |
 | | The Tunnel of Trees |
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| The Good Hart General Store |
After “The Tunnel of Trees”, we drove into the quaint town of Petoskey. I had been there years before to visit my aunt and uncle who have a cottage by the lake there. Jim humored me as I tried to find the cottage by memory - we were successful! Since it was lunch time, we found a great picnic spot in the Petoskey Bayfront Park. Once we were done eating, we walked out on the break wall to the little lighthouse tower. A quick walk through downtown Petoskey and the cute shops rounded out our time in the city.
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| A gorgeous spot for a picnic along Lake Michigan in Petoskey |
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| Downtown Petoskey |
Back in the car, we set off for our next stop - the town of Charlevoix. Years ago I had seen a travel show with Samantha Brown that highlighted the Mushroom Houses of Charlevoix. When planning this trip, I knew we needed to take the Mushroom House Tour to learn more about these quirky houses. The tour bus was actually a Gem Car (similar to a golf cart) that held the tour guide, us, and one other couple - so we had very personalized attention. The one hour tour took us past over 20+ homes that the architect, Earl Young, designed and built during his 50 year career. Most of the homes were built of limestone, fieldstone, and boulders that he found all over northern Michigan. Almost all of his homes featured wavy eaves (giving it the look of a mushroom), exposed rafter tails, and cedar-shake roofs. Several of the homes can be rented through AirBnB. Once the tour was over, we spent some time enjoying the pretty little town of Charlevoix. We walked out to the lighthouse and took in the view of Lake Charlevoix, before heading to our hotel in Empire.
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One of the mushroom houses
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