Travel help sought

[MU82]

Hi Scoopers.

We were planning a family & friends trip to Bend, Ore. in early July -- rent a big house and have a blast. Unfortunately it looks like a medical condition afflicting one person in our party will preclude her from being able to fly from Chicago.

So I've been trying to think of where we could bring the party so it's only a reasonable drive for her and her husband. I'd like to be able to rent a house, maybe be near some water, definitely be near some fun stuff to do. Bend, for example, is both an outdoorsy area and a big craft-beer area ... like our newest SCOTUS justice, we like beer! We also like music of all kinds, but especially rock. So that's a bit of an idea what we're looking for.

I think a place like Lake Geneva or some of the other lake areas that Chicagoans routinely go to might be a little boring for the group, but I'm definitely open to that possibility or any others. I've never been, so maybe I'm wrong about the boring factor.

Distance-wise, wouldn't want to extend beyond, say, Nashville or Minneapolis.

I'd be pretty happy with Madison, where I haven't hung out for many years, but not sure about the rest of the group.

I've heard good things about Holland, Mich. area.

Anyhoo, I'd love to hear from those more experienced with some possibilities.

Thanks in advance.
 

[wadesworld]

Eagle River is awesome but mostly an out on the lake or out for a hike type place.

[Pakuni]

Hi Scoopers.

We were planning a family & friends trip to Bend, Ore. in early July -- rent a big house and have a blast. Unfortunately it looks like a medical condition afflicting one person in our party will preclude her from being able to fly from Chicago.

So I've been trying to think of where we could bring the party so it's only a reasonable drive for her and her husband. I'd like to be able to rent a house, maybe be near some water, definitely be near some fun stuff to do. Bend, for example, is both an outdoorsy area and a big craft-beer area ... like our newest SCOTUS justice, we like beer! We also like music of all kinds, but especially rock. So that's a bit of an idea what we're looking for.

I think a place like Lake Geneva or some of the other lake areas that Chicagoans routinely go to might be a little boring for the group, but I'm definitely open to that possibility or any others. I've never been, so maybe I'm wrong about the boring factor.

Distance-wise, wouldn't want to extend beyond, say, Nashville or Minneapolis.

I'd be pretty happy with Madison, where I haven't hung out for many years, but not sure about the rest of the group.

I've heard good things about Holland, Mich. area.

Anyhoo, I'd love to hear from those more experienced with some possibilities.

Thanks in advance.

The Holland area is great, but even better is Saugatuck. It's become a bit more overrun with us tourist types the past 5 years or so, but it has a nicer downtown, better beach and a little more to do. There are decent breweries in both Saugatuck and Holland (which is only a 15-minute drive, so you can do everything in both towns pretty easily) and you're not too far from Bell's in K-zoo.
Saugatuck is about 2-2.5 hours from downtown Chicago.

[Chili]

West Coast of Michigan around Holland (Saugatuck, Fennville) is outstanding. I am up there every other week for work but I we've also vacationed up there twice with friends. If you plan your drive right it's only 2 hours from Chicago. Grand Rapids is a great beer city is near by.

You can go up and down the west coast of Michigan and fine lots of places. Traverse City is awesome as well but a little further.

[rocket surgeon]

The American club or somewhere close by?  It isn’t cheap, but water, golf, I know the guy o runs a charter fishing fleet out of port Washington.

[Cheeks]

West Coast of Michigan around Holland (Saugatuck, Fennville) is outstanding. I am up there every other week for work but I we've also vacationed up there twice with friends. If you plan your drive right it's only 2 hours from Chicago. Grand Rapids is a great beer city is near by.

You can go up and down the west coast of Michigan and fine lots of places. Traverse City is awesome as well but a little further.

Spent some time in Grand Haven, and I concur.  Beautiful

[rocket surgeon]

Milwaukee-summer fest

[tower912]

Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan.    Home to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  IMO, the best place to vacation.    Glen Arbor, Leland, again, IMO, the closest thing to heaven you can find.    Last summer, we stayed in Leland.   200 yards from Lake Michigan.  The river connecting Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan across the street.     A public beach a 5 minute walk away.    A wine shop next door.    Over the course of a week, we hiked, biked, kayaked, fished, golfed, dune climbed, swam in Lake Michigan, wine tasted, went to an art fair, climbed a lighthouse, watched the sun set over Lake Michigan every night, caught a Tannehill Weavers show and never saw a chain store for a week or ventured more than 25 minutes from where we were staying.   If such things appeal to you.   


 However, if the extra two hours north of Holland is too far for you......    Holland, Michigan, is an interesting town to visit.    There are many resort homes and communities near there.   South Haven, Grand Haven, Saugatuck are all really nice resort towns.    You basically cannot go wrong staying along the Michigan side of Lake Michigan.    Except maybe Muskegon.    Grand Rapids has an insane amount of breweries and would be worthy of a day's visit.   

End Michigan commercial.   And PM if you want other Michigan suggestions. 

[mu_hilltopper]

Door County.  Tons of things to do, places to rent.   Bars, breweries, wineries, restaurants, nature preserves, campgrounds, beaches. 

I would avoid the week of July 4th, though, too busy.   We were there the week after, and it was perfect.

[4everwarriors]

Gurnee baby! Ya got 6Flags, Cracker Barrel, Gurnee Mills, and a Starbucks. Ewe are so set, hey?

[drewm88]

I'll echo the suggestions for Saugatuck area or Door County.

[jesmu84]

Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan.    Home to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  IMO, the best place to vacation.    Glen Arbor, Leland, again, IMO, the closest thing to heaven you can find.    Last summer, we stayed in Leland.   200 yards from Lake Michigan.  The river connecting Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan across the street.     A public beach a 5 minute walk away.    A wine shop next door.    Over the course of a week, we hiked, biked, kayaked, fished, golfed, dune climbed, swam in Lake Michigan, wine tasted, went to an art fair, climbed a lighthouse, watched the sun set over Lake Michigan every night, caught a Tannehill Weavers show and never saw a chain store for a week or ventured more than 25 minutes from where we were staying.   If such things appeal to you.   


 However, if the extra two hours north of Holland is too far for you......    Holland, Michigan, is an interesting town to visit.    There are many resort homes and communities near there.   South Haven, Grand Haven, Saugatuck are all really nice resort towns.    You basically cannot go wrong staying along the Michigan side of Lake Michigan.    Except maybe Muskegon.    Grand Rapids has an insane amount of breweries and would be worthy of a day's visit.   

End Michigan commercial.   And PM if you want other Michigan suggestions.

Traverse City is not too far away either. Fiancee and I spent a week in TC last summer. It was incredible. We beat the summer rush by a week. Had the city to ourselves. Kayak, bike and brew is an awesome brewery tour.

Spent 1 whole day out at Sleeping Bear and loved that as well as it's a shortish drive.

[tower912]

Traverse City and the Old Mission Peninsula are beautiful.    The problem with Traverse City is that it is the only decent sized city on the NW part of Michigan and does not have the infrastructure for the number of tourists.      Everything good about it that you say is true.    If you catch it in season, however, you find yourself wanting to get out of town.    Which is when you head over to Sleeping Bear/Leelanau peninsula. 

[real chili 83]

Put in Bay or Kelley's island are an absolute gas.

[jesmu84]

Traverse City and the Old Mission Peninsula are beautiful.    The problem with Traverse City is that it is the only decent sized city on the NW part of Michigan and does not have the infrastructure for the number of tourists.      Everything good about it that you say is true.    If you catch it in season, however, you find yourself wanting to get out of town.    Which is when you head over to Sleeping Bear/Leelanau peninsula.

I can imagine. Like I said, we got there when the weather was still perfect, but just outta tourist season

[tower912]

Did you go to Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula?  What views.  And the wine isn't bad.

[Bad_Reporter]

I’m with tower, traverse city and leelenau penn.  beautiful clear turquoise waters, over 30 wineries, (one of which a family member owns
Tons of breweries, great food, etc

My vote is for traverse city.

If it helps 82, I could fly your family member there for free, if you’re coming from Mke?

Good luck

[jesmu84]

Did you go to Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula?  What views.  And the wine isn't bad.

We made it up the peninsula for about half a day. Unfortunately, it was raining most of the time. Overcast when not raining. did not make it to that particular place

[JoeSmith1721]

Traverse City.

Great restaurants, solid beer scene, cool wineries, plenty of music. Huge local businesses mindset there; surprisingly progressive town.

[dgies9156]

If you're looking for something slightly rugged/outdoorsy and yet civilized, try Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. About 90 minutes south of Nashville in the Cumberland Mountains, both civilized and very woodsy. Not much of a craft  beer scene that I know of, but Jack Daniels might be an hour away in Lynchburg.

Really nice place for a vacation./ 

[mu_hilltopper]

Help me out .. I do not understand the Traverse City love.

I spent ~4 hours in TC a few years ago.  It was nice.  Nice, nice, nice medium size city of 15,000 people.   I can 100% see why people would want to live there.

I don't quite grasp the tourism love, though.  Tourism in big cities, NYC, Miami, Washington DC, I get it.  Small, quaint villages, I get it.   But a medium city?  With roads and traffic lights and not one but TWO ARBY'S?    It's basically a very nice suburb on a lake.

Can the TC lovers explain why they'd pick that over something like Grand Haven or Mackinaw or Door County?   

[tower912]

Help me out .. I do not understand the Traverse City love.

I spent ~4 hours in TC a few years ago.  It was nice.  Nice, nice, nice medium size city of 15,000 people.   I can 100% see why people would want to live there.

I don't quite grasp the tourism love, though.  Tourism in big cities, NYC, Miami, Washington DC, I get it.  Small, quaint villages, I get it.   But a medium city?  With roads and traffic lights and not one but TWO ARBY'S?    It's basically a very nice suburb on a lake.

Can the TC lovers explain why they'd pick that over something like Grand Haven or Mackinaw or Door County?

Mackinac Island is very expensive and, if you are spending time on the island, it is all there is.  Lovely, but after about the third day you have seen pretty much everything.   Traverse City is more of a hub, a jumping off spot.    I don't actually advocate staying there.   Unless you get a good deal on a house and have a couple of cars.    Because the real fun and relaxation (other than the kayaking brewery tour) is generally out of town.    I don't disagree with your assessment that it feels like a suburb.    A suburb full of microbreweries, wineries, farm to table restaurants and a really nice art scene. 
   Grand Haven is nice if you can get a house on Lake Michigan.   If not, it is interesting for about a day or two and then you have to go elsewhere.   Grand Rapids is about 35 minutes away.    There are several other nice little resort towns within a 45 minute drive. 

   IMHO,  if you have to choose between Grand Haven and Traverse City, choose TC because the stuff within a 45 minute drive is far more interesting.   
 
Door County is lovely, but a 7-8 hour drive for me, going through Chicago, versus a 2-3 hour drive to the Leelanau peninsula.     I am sure that if I lived in Wisconsin, Door County would be the preferred destination. 

[tower912]

I’m with tower, traverse city and leelenau penn.  beautiful clear turquoise waters, over 30 wineries, (one of which a family member owns
Tons of breweries, great food, etc

My vote is for traverse city.

If it helps 82, I could fly your family member there for free, if you’re coming from Mke?

Good luck

Which winery?  God knows my wife has hit a whole bunch of them.

[MU82]

I had basketball practice and then poker with the guys since I sent my OP. Just read everybody's responses so far, and I thank y'all for pitching in. I might take a couple of you up on offers for more info once I do a little more research.

We used to have friends who had a place in South Haven not far from the lake. We went there several times for a weekend and always enjoyed it. They sold their place several years back, but I wouldn't mind going back to Michigan, and y'all gave several excellent suggestions.

I've never been to Door County, so that's an interesting option.

I used to love Summerfest and haven't been in at least 20 years, so that's tempting -- just build a vacation around Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, maybe? We could do a lot worse.

Truly appreciate my fellow Scoopers steppin' up. Even the always helpful 4ever. Can't beat Cracker Barrel.

We are some time away from deciding what to do because there's still an outside chance that Bend is a possibility. I have already paid 50% of the VRBO cost, but it is refundable until May 1. I figure we'll know well before then.

I just wanted to get some other ideas in mind and share them with the group, so if any of you are inspired to make other suggestions, I'm still listening and still appreciative.

[Jockey]

Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan.    Home to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  IMO, the best place to vacation.    Glen Arbor, Leland, again, IMO, the closest thing to heaven you can find.    Last summer, we stayed in Leland.   200 yards from Lake Michigan.  The river connecting Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan across the street.     A public beach a 5 minute walk away.    A wine shop next door.    Over the course of a week, we hiked, biked, kayaked, fished, golfed, dune climbed, swam in Lake Michigan, wine tasted, went to an art fair, climbed a lighthouse, watched the sun set over Lake Michigan every night, caught a Tannehill Weavers show and never saw a chain store for a week or ventured more than 25 minutes from where we were staying.   If such things appeal to you.   
 

Concur with this. Great area. Several very nice wineries. Head into Traverse City for fireworks on the 4th. Even take a day trip to Mackinac Island about 2 1/2 hrs. away to spend a day.

Or try Door County in the Fish Creek area. Lots of nice places to stay affordable to higher end. Great for biking and water sports. Couple good places for music on weekends; outdoor free concerts in area as well - mostly folky stuff.