Romulus — Metro Detroiters make weird vacation choices. In high summer, they fly to Disney World to bake in the Florida sun and scan the roadside for alligators. Or they make a quick eight-hour drive to Pigeon Forge to hide in the shade at Dollywood.
Worse, people fly off to Cancun or the Dominican Republic to sweat through their Tommy Bahamas and get stung by jellyfish. These trips make sense in winter, but given school schedules, they too often happen during warm months.
This “anywhere but here” mentality must die. There is literally no better place on our planet to be in the summer than Michigan. Stay here!
After a trip to San Diego when I was young, my dad sat us down and said we weren’t going on any more out-of-state vacations. They were a hassle, and no one had as much fun given the travel stress. From then on, we drove up to Traverse City or St. Joseph most years for a few days on the beach. In late July, Grand Traverse Bay is way better than California.
Many people I talk to would like to travel to the more out-of-the-way places in our fine state but find it difficult to sign up for an 11-hour drive to a place like Houghton, especially if it’s only for a weekend.
But there’s an easy solution. Ever take the scary rainbow tunnel at DTW over to concourses B and C? From there, you can get to Albany or Lansing, even to Kalamazoo. But you can also travel to Michigan’s wild places from this hub.
The concourse is festooned with Pure Michigan’s big glossy photo ads that are meant to provoke these sorts of exclamation from travelers:
“Look! You can look at a funny-shaped rock in Port Austin!”
“Can you believe it? They ride bikes in Traverse City!”
“Hold the phone: They drink lattes and walk along downtown streets in Marquette?”
No wonder so few people do big vacations in-state, even the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has dumping millions and millions into the ad market for “Pure Michigan” over the past two decades.
These local flights mainly exist to serve as connectors for Michigander to get to other flights through DTW. But there is a better use for them: as gateways to adventure.
What could be more stirring than looking for bats in a cave in Iron Mountain for a weekend? Or heading out to the Chippewa County International Airport, a quick drive to Sault Ste. Marie or Drummond Island, some of our state’s most remote places?
Maybe you hop on a flight up to Houghton, grab a rental car and hoof it up to Mount Bohemia to savor some après-ski life in winter. Or maybe you head for the ferry to Isle Royale in summer for the chance to glimpse a wolf in the wild.
Alternatively, you could sit on a plane for an hour and end up in Escanaba, where you could lay on a piece of the Lake Michigan shore few have seen. Later in the evening, you could even check on the quality of the moonlight.
Flights to Florida or Myrtle Beach may be a similar price, but we Michiganders must embrace our home. Good thing our biggest airport sells tickets to every part of it.
Mark Naida is editor of Michigan Enjoyer.
