15 Best Small Town Getaways in Michigan

Surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline in the country. Plus, with more than 36,000 miles of rivers and streams and 11,000 inland lakes, water is never far away. It shapes everything in The Mitten—from culture to agriculture. Dotted along the Red Arrow Highway in the southwest and the M-22 loop on the Leelanau Peninsula, as well as scattered across the Upper Peninsula, small towns reflect the bounty of the land: farm-to-table dining, U-pick produce, waterfall trails, wine, and home-baked pasties. Here are Michigan’s best small towns for weekend (or week-long!) getaways.

Three Oaks

Five miles from the lake and a short drive from the sandy trails of Warren Dunes State Park, Three Oaks is full of farm-fresh flavor and artisanal spirit. Browse heirloom quality decor at Nina Hancock Studio and European clothing and art at Goods and Heroes. Pick ripe fruit straight from the orchard at Stovers—they’ve been farming here since 1890. Granor Farm hosts seasonal dinners and distills seed-to-sip spirits with organic ingredients grown just 50 yards from your table. Take a guided tour of Journeyman Distillery, housed in a former corset factory, and sample their handcrafted spirits. For the morning after, head to Froelichs, a family-run bakery and pantry known for house-roasted coffee, Mary’s Morning Remedy Tomato Juice and a bounty of scrumptious jams and pickles to bring home as a souvenir.

Where to Stay

Cute rentals are the name of the game here. With a firepit, sauna, hot tub, bikes, and beach chairs, you’ll want for nothing at three-bedroom Hotel Stella’s. (And if you do, hosts Sarah and Brandy are rapid responders.) Journeyman also offers three private lodging options, including a 7,000-square-foot loft apartment in their historic E.K. Warren Featherbone Factory complex, just upstairs from the distillery.