Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Videos
  • Spring Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Simmering Soups and Stews

      Dish out a steaming bowl of comfort food with 50 of our favorite recipes for soups, stews, chowders, chilis and bisques. Read More Next
    • Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2021

      Read More Next
    • Sparkling Spring Dessert Recipes

      The flavors of lemon, lime, berries and more sparkle in our recipes for pies, cobblers, cookies, cakes and puddings. Read More Next
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel

    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    Our favorite Midwest resort destinations range from cozy lakeside lodges to indoor water park behemoths. Dive in to check out our top picks for a fabulous Midwest getaway.
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Around the Region
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Midwest Living January/February 2021 Recipes

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home

    Easy Organizing Solutions for Every Room

    Organizing the clutter of our lives doesn't mean relying on boring boxes. Think out of the box for clever ways to store necessities throughout your home.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden

    10 Trendy Plants for Midwest Gardens in 2021

    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    50 Easy Spring Decorating Ideas

    Add pretty spring flair to your home with our ideas for centerpieces, table settings, door decorations, Easter egg displays and more.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine's Day
    • Christmas
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
  • Spring Getaways Sweepstakes

    Spring Getaways Sweepstakes

    See All Spring Getaways Sweepstakes
    • Best Vacation Sweepstakes
    • Spring Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Travel
  3. Michigan
  4. Top Free Things To Do In Michigan

Top Free Things To Do In Michigan

By Editorial Assistant: Ashley Smith
June 20, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Pin
The Detroit Historical Museum, Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, Seney National Wildlife Refuge and a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home are just a few of the free things to do in Michigan.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Detroit

Downtown walking tours Experience Factory and Pure Detroit both lead free tours of downtown landmarks, including the lavishly decorated 1929 Guardian skyscraper (pictured). experiencedetroit.comDetroit Historical Museum The Streets of Old Detroit provides a look back at life in the 1840s, 1870s and 1900s. Visitors create music tracks at the energetic Kid Rock Music Lab. detroithistorical.orgGM Renaissance Center One-hour tours at the General Motors headquarters in Detroit detail GM's symbiotic relationship with the city. Check out the latest car models in the showroom before drinking in skyline views from the 72nd floor. gmrencen.com Detroit International RiverWalk So far, 4 miles of riverfront link parks, gardens and an adventure center. detroitriverfront.org

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Grand Rapids

Credit: Photo courtesy of The Meyer May House/Steelcase

Meyer May House (pictured) Considered one of the country's most complete Frank Lloyd Wright restorations, the 1909 Meyer May House was designed for a prominent clothier. Steelcase Inc. purchased the home in 1985 and opened it to the public in 1987 after extensive restoration. meyermayhouse.steelcase.comArtPrize Put on your tennies. To see the 1,500-plus paintings, sculptures and installations, you'll have to hit 160-plus venues: bars, coffeehouses, restaurants, churches, parks … . And you'll want to see as many as possible to make an educated choice about your fave because your vote helps chose the winner of a $200,000 grand prize. artprize.org

2 of 8

3 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Upper Peninsula

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising (pictured) Miles of colorful sandstone cliffs and long stretches of sandy beaches draw hikers, campers and kayakers to this 73,000-acre preserve. Cliffs rise 50 to 200 feet above Lake Superior, sheer rock faces are streaked with shades of red, yellow, blue and green, the work of mineral-rich water seeping from the stone. The lake has added its own artwork, carving sculptures such as the turreted Miners Castle, plus arches and caves. Trails are of varying difficulty and lead to vistas of lakes, cliffs, dunes and waterfalls. nps.govSeney National Wildlife Refuge, Seney A mosaic of wetlands, bog and forests supports more than 200 bird species. Hike the 1.4-mile Pine Ridge Nature Trail to see songbirds and beavers. Backcountry roads are open to bikes, or paddle the Manistique River. fws.gov

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Traverse City

Little Traverse Wheelway (pictured) Life eases to a slow pedal along the family-friendly, 26-mile trail linking Charlevoix, Petoskey and Harbor Springs. The paved path hugs the Lake Michigan shore for panoramas of sparkling blue water and for opportunities to stop and explore the shore. traillink.comInterlochen Center for the Arts Students, faculty and guest artists present more than 600 events each year. Motion-picture screenings, visual art exhibitions and music recitals are usually free; other performances are low-cost. interlochen.orgTraverse City Beaches Spend a day in the sun at one of the city's six public sandy spots. Popular Clinch Park sits downtown. traversecity.com

4 of 8

5 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lake Huron shore

Lighthouses Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state, and several impressive structures dot Lake Huron's shores. Most notable: 40 Mile Point (Rogers City), Old Presque Isle and New Presque Isle (Presque Isle), Pointe aux Barques (Port Hope), Sturgeon Point (Harrisville, pictured) and Tawas Point (Tawas). Most are free to visit though some charge for tower access. michigan.org/lighthousesGreat Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, Alpena Kids and adults enjoy learning about old-time schooners, shipwrecks and underwater archaeology at this interactive museum in Alpena. The main exhibit is a life-size tall ship caught in a storm so severe that a few visitors have felt seasick walking its slanting deck. thunderbay.noaa.govLumberman's Monument, Oscoda Be prepared for action. Interactive exhibits about the area's logging history engage visitors, but it's the climb down to the Au Sable River for views that will leave you breathless. www.fs.usda.gov

5 of 8

6 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Michigan State University sites

The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (pictured) Explore contemporary art through the lens of a collection dating back to ancient Greece within a striking shell of pleated stainless-steel and glass. broadmuseum.msu.eduMSU Museum Tools, quilts and a fur trader's cabin join dinosaurs and skeletons at a Smithsonian Institution affiliate. museum.msu.eduW.J. Beal Botanical Garden Established in 1873, the garden displays 2,000 different plant groups, including endangered and threatened species. cpa.msu.edu

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

University of Michigan sites

University of Michigan Museum of Art (pictured) See medieval to modern works in a 1910 Beaux-Arts building and a glass-walled 2009 addition; don't miss the impressive collection of Tiffany glass. umma.umich.eduThe Kelsey Museum of Archaeology The museum's 100,000 finds include Latin inscriptions, artifacts of Greco-Roman daily life and ancient coins. lsa.umich.eduThe Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum Enjoy magnolia groves, peonies, wetlands and a 10,000-square-foot conservatory. lsa.umich.edu

7 of 8

8 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

More in Michigan

Michigan State Capitol, Lansing (pictured) Highlights of the 150-year-old neoclassical-style building in Lansing include a glass floor under the rotunda dome, which is painted to resemble a starry sky. capitol.michigan.govGrand Haven Musical Fountain, Grand Haven Colorful jets of water dance to music by the likes of Sousa and Led Zeppelin every summer night in Grand Haven. ghfountain.comKalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo Out-of-this-world exploration happens at the planetarium in this museum. Computer graphics allow visitors to view the sky from any location within three hundred light-years of Earth. kalamazoomuseum.orgMackinac bridge walk, St. Ignace On Labor Day, tens of thousands of walkers gather in St. Ignace for the annual 5-mile trek across one of the world's longest suspension bridges, which links the Lower and Upper peninsulas. mackinacbridge.org

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Editorial Assistant: Ashley Smith

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8 Detroit
2 of 8 Grand Rapids
3 of 8 Upper Peninsula
4 of 8 Traverse City
5 of 8 Lake Huron shore
6 of 8 Michigan State University sites
7 of 8 University of Michigan sites
8 of 8 More in Michigan

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Midwest Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Renew this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program
  • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
  • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
  • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
  • Video
  • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Midwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

View image

Top Free Things To Do In Michigan
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.