Unique Places to Stay in Michigan | 10 Things to do in Michigan

I absolutely loved my recent trip to Michigan and I was so surprised by all of the different unique things there were to do there. I love going somewhere that you don’t know that much about and being very pleasantly surprised. I have compiled the most unique experiences I had while I was in Michigan and I hope it inspires you to visit there as well!

1– Unique Places to Stay in Michigan: In a Hobbit House

One of my very favorite parts about my trip to Michigan was having the unique opportunity to stay in a Hobbit House in Charlevoix! There are a lot of houses of this style in this area and they are also known as thatch houses or mushroom houses. My husband called it a Fantasy house because I guess it’s not quite a Hobbit House since it’s not underground! haha But I still liked to call it that! The structure is dated back to 1918, but the design is new and took nearly two years to finalize.

The outside was so unique and fun, but I absolutely loved the design of the inside. It was so cozy and truly felt like staying in a fairy tale cottage. It was huge too! There were 3 levels with 6 rooms! There were also 3 common rooms on each floor. The one on the top floor seriously felt like the Gryffindor common room.

It had a fireplace and stone mantle and cozy couches and I seriously can’t recommend staying here enough. It was so fun and I wish we could have stayed longer! Also, one of the very best parts is the location! You can walk around the neighborhood and look at other cool Mushroom houses and you are just a five minute walk from the beach and an amazing lighthouse!

2- Meet a Lighthouse Keeper and Climb to the Top

Our last night in Michigan was also one of the most memorable experiences we had. We headed to Ludington State Park to see Big Sable Point Lighthouse a little while before sunset. And I loved the lighthouse so much. I loved the black and white stripes on it and felt it looked very iconic. We all had a blast taking pictures in front of it while also enjoying views of the sunset over the lake.

Right before we were about to leave, the Lighthouse Keeper asked if we would like to climb to the top! What a fun experience! I am so glad we got to do this. We climbed to the very top (not with out bopping my head twice haha) and caught the last glimpses of the sunset from the top. It was one of the moments you just feel so humbled and it was such a unique experience that I will never forget!

Unique Places to Stay in Michigan

3- Stay in a Historic Inn with Themed Rooms

While we were in Frankfort, Michigan, we had the pleasure of staying at Hotel Frankfort. Hotel Frankfort is a historic hotel dating back 86 years. It is right in the historic Main Street, just a quick walk away from many food options and the beach! This hotel was so unique! There are 17 different guest rooms, but they are all decorated and themed completely differently.

I was able to see 5 different rooms and not a single one of them were the same. Beyond that, the rooms are all incredible and either have saunas, whirlpool tubs or jacuzzis. Some of them are even two stories with spiral staircases in them.

I mean this place is seriously unique! My room was decorated like a log cabin, complete with a cozy fireplace and all. One of my friends had a room that felt like it was from the 1800s and it felt like you stepped back into time the minute you walked in. Another one of my friends had an ultra modern room. You really can’t go wrong and it’s kind of a fun surprise to see which room you end up with!

4- Visit an Alpaca Farm

I was so excited when I heard we would be visiting an Alpaca Farm because alpacas are one of my favorite animals! I was super bummed out at first because when we arrived at the farm, it was pouring rain so I didn’t know if we would be able to see them. But the owners of Crystal Lake Alpaca Farms took us into the barn where they were all hiding out. I squealed with delight when I saw them. There are 50 alpacas at this farm! Oh and don’t forget one llama! haha.

There was also an adorable barn cat that sat on the hay acting like he owned the place. And two big huge fluffy dogs that help take care of everything! This farm is family owned and is on 145 acres! They also sell different alpaca products in their adorable gift shop.

After having a chance to interact with and feed the alpacas, we headed outside (luckily, it had mostly stopped raining at this point). We were then taken to the donkeys and we got to meet a baby donkey that was literally born that day! It was so cute.

I couldn’t believe it was already out and about. At one point, I looked behind me at this adorable red barn and I thought to myself how cute it would be if alpacas were outside of it. I kid you not, right then, a bunch of alpacas came running out! So again, we had a blast meeting these cute fluffy guys and learning more about the farm. You can tell the owners just absolutely love their alpacas and it was so fun to visit.

5- Tour a Castle

If you would have told me there was a castle in Michigan, I would have thought you were joking. But sure enough, there is! The Castle is over 100 years old and was actually built by the President of Sears as a model dairy farm inspired by castles found in Normandy, France. The farm was one of the largest employers in Charlevoix at the time and even had its own baseball team!

Today, it is an event venue (Can you imagine being married here?) and there is even a wine tasting room. You can take tours of the Castle grounds and it is really fun. I loved exploring every nook and cranny. There was even a butterfly garden with actual chairs shaped like butterflies- which I loved.

I also loved the giant dragon sculpture they had on the grounds. It made me want to find my inner Daenerys to take a picture (Before the last season of course). One last area that I really loved was the Model Railroad. There are over 72 tracks and there are even model locomotives from the 1890s. The area set up around it was really cute and I bet this spot would be a huge hit if you’re traveling with kids.

To learn more about the Castle, visit their site here.

6- Sail the Great Lakes

We had the pleasure of sailing on Lake Michigan with Frankfort Sailing Excursions. Our Captain was named John and he was a really fun guy! We learned he named the boat after his mom- Elly and that he built the boat himself! How cool is that? We sailed for about two hours and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. We sailed past two lighthouses and we actually sailed past the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes- said to be one of the most beautiful places in all of the United States!

7- Ride on a Steamship

One of the most unique experiences you can have in Michigan is to ride in a Steamship. I didn’t have the opportunity to do this, but I was able to watch it come in to the channel at Stearns Park. I think that experience is worth having even if you are not able to go for a ride. Plus, Stearns Park is a really nice beach! It is so crazy that the beaches in Michigan seriously feel like ocean beaches.

The expanse of Lake Michigan is unreal! I accidentally called it the ocean several times. This Steamship is called the S.S Badger and rides on it sound quite nice. There are two different dining areas, nice deck areas with lawn chairs, free movies and more! You can find out more information or book your ticket here.

8- Pontoon Boat Party

One of the best days from my Michigan trip was riding on a pontoon boat in Torch Lake. The water was so turquoise and clear, we all felt like we were in the middle of the Caribbean! Our double Decker boat even had a water-slide on top! We ended up in an area where tons of other boats were. Everyone was just having a great time and it felt like something from a movie! It felt like the most fun boat party ever!

We also stopped in the town of Alden to grab lunch at Muffin Top and I highly recommend it! The town and restaurant were so cute! We sat outside because it was actually very lovely weather. I had a grilled cheese and tomato soup and couldn’t be happier. We also ordered pink lemonades that were so good. They were much different than we expected it because they were sparkling! The bottle itself was so cute and said Lake Effect on it. We took a few to go because they were just too perfect not to bring on the lake with us! You can rent the same boat we did from Dewitt Marine.

9- Classic 50’s Diner

House of Flavors in Ludington, Michigan is a charming multi-generational family owned 50s diner. It is adorned with pink and turquoise walls and black and white checkered floors. There’s several rooms including a classic ice-cream parlor.

The ice-cream parlor is very unique and they even have straws hanging from the ceiling as a decoration and an ode to what the kids used to do back in the day. When they were bored they would dip the straws in a malt shake and use them as a blowgun trying to get them to stick to the ceiling. The owner tried to take them down, but eventually left them up as a sort of gimmick and the diner ended up appearing in Life magazine!

Another thing this diner is known for is the trough, which consists of 12 different scoops of ice-cream and actually comes in a little trough! Our group ordered one and had so much fun trying all of the flavors!

10- See a Movie in a Classic 1920s Theatre

When I first arrived in Traverse City, it was really rainy and as I was walking around Front Street I could see lights glistening off in the distance. I headed towards them and I found the most charming movie theatre! The marquee was all lit up so I decided to step inside. There were classic movie murals on the walls inside and overly eager attendants willing to answer any question I might have.

The treats were a steal and they had little popcorn’s for only $2. But the best part was definitely walking into the auditorium. There was a curtain hanging down over a stage where the screen was, almost as if you had just walked into a Broadway show and stepped back in time.