Upper Peninsula, Michigan

These weekend destinations in the Upper Peninsula, Alpena and Kalamazoo may keep low profiles, but they earn high marks for art, history and outdoor fun.

Whether you want to rev up or relax, the history-steeped Keweenaw Peninsula has you covered. Lake Superior shoreline, colorful forests and remnants of the country’s first copper boom dominate the remote area’s landscape.

Explore nine of the Mitten’s signature flavors, like Motor City deep-dish, fresh Great Lakes fish and apples with snap.

Experience lighthouse life during a visit to almost any of Michigan’s 129 historic beacons. Some even let you live like a keeper with an overnight stay!

Sault Ste. Marie, often called The Soo, celebrates its status as Michigan’s oldest city with historic attractions, river excursions and the maritime engineering marvel of the Soo Locks.

Just north of the Straits of Mackinac sits Michigan’s lush Upper Peninsula, a woods-and-water wilderness that sprawls over more than 16,350 square miles. Check out our ideas for exploring the Eastern UP, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and the Keweenaw Peninsula.