The Region

Over the years, people have fallen in love with northwest Lower Michigan in all sorts of interesting ways. But few have literally fallen as far as Jerry Linenger, a former US astronaut and one of the region’s many distinguished residents. Serving over 100 days onboard the MIR space station in 1997, Linenger literally “found” northern Michigan from high above the stratosphere. Spending months aboard MIR, he had a lot of time to contemplate the region’s spectacular coastline, green forests, and patchwork of old farmland. By virtue of its unique landscape, the region is one of the easiest to pinpoint in America even from many miles above the Earth. Linenger decided that the country looked like a good place to visit after he returned home.

That is how the northern Michigan magic works. And the best part—the region is even better than anything seen in pictures or read about from afar. The easy pace of country living, the laidback, breezy feeling of its coastal towns. The best skiing, golfing, and fishing in the Midwest. There’s always something to do, yet at the same time it’s the absolute best place in the world to sit and do nothing. The lore of this special place where golden sand and green forests meet America’s great inland seas is for real—and it’s here waiting for you to explore.