Best Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Supporting Local Businesses

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is one of the most remarkable natural landscapes in the entire country, and exploring it the right way means doing it in a way that puts your dollars into the hands of the local businesses, outfitters, breweries, and community organizations that make it what it is. The UP’s natural wonders are free. The people who make your experience of them extraordinary are not, and they deserve your support. Here is how to spend your time in the Upper Peninsula in a way that matters.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by Kayak

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of the most breathtaking destinations in the United States, and seeing it from the water is the experience that every visitor to the UP should put at the top of their list. Northern Waters Adventures and Pictured Rocks Kayaking are two locally owned outfitters based in Munising that offer guided kayak tours along the cliffs, arches, and sea caves that have made this lakeshore world famous. These companies employ guides who know every channel, understand every weather pattern, and can give you an experience of Pictured Rocks that you simply cannot get from the shore. Choosing a local outfitter over a generic tour operator means the revenue stays in Munising and with families who have built their livelihoods around the UP’s natural gifts.

Pictured Rocks Cruises — Munising

For those who want to experience Pictured Rocks without kayaking, Pictured Rocks Cruises in Munising has operated boat tours along the lakeshore for decades, providing an extraordinary view of the sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, and natural arches from the comfort of a tour boat on Lake Superior. This is a family-owned Michigan business that has become an institution for visitors to the central UP, and every ticket sold helps keep one of the UP’s most beloved tourist operations running for generations of visitors to come. An afternoon cruise along Pictured Rocks on a clear UP summer day is one of those experiences that earns its place as a genuine highlight of a Michigan life.

Craft Beer at Ore Dock, Blackrocks, and Soo Brewing

The Upper Peninsula’s craft brewing scene is one of the state’s best kept secrets, with independent breweries in Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie that have earned regional and national recognition for the quality of their beer and the authenticity of their taproom experiences. Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette takes its name from the industrial heritage of the city and serves a rotating selection of handcrafted ales and lagers in a space that feels completely specific to Marquette and its history. Blackrocks Brewery, also in Marquette, is a beloved neighborhood brewery housed in a converted home that draws locals and visitors with outstanding craft beer and an atmosphere that captures the warmth of the community perfectly. In the eastern UP, Soo Brewing Company in Sault Ste. Marie produces thoughtfully crafted beers and serves them in a setting that gives visitors an authentic experience of life in the Soo. An afternoon moving between these taprooms is one of the great casual itineraries the UP has to offer.

Shop at the Marquette Food Co-Op

The Marquette Food Co-Op is the area’s only community-owned, full-service grocery store, and shopping there is one of the most meaningful things a visitor to Marquette can do. The Co-Op sources local and organic products with genuine care for the region’s farmers and food producers, and spending money there goes directly to supporting the agricultural and food economy of the central UP. The prepared food counter is excellent, and the store offers cooking classes and community events that make it a destination in its own right. This is a business owned by and for the people of Marquette, and it deserves every visitor’s attention and support.

Explore Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Tahquamenon Falls is one of Michigan’s most impressive natural landmarks, a massive amber-colored waterfall in the eastern UP near Paradise that draws visitors from across the country and around the world. The color of the water comes from the tannins in the surrounding cedar swamps, and the upper falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. Exploring the park’s trail system, renting a rowboat to get between the upper and lower falls, and spending a day in this extraordinary wilderness is one of the quintessential UP experiences. The communities of Paradise and Newberry nearby have locally owned restaurants, outfitters, and shops that serve visitors to the park and deserve your business while you are in the area.

Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale is one of the least visited national parks in the entire country, a remote wilderness island in Lake Superior accessible only by ferry or seaplane and home to wolves, moose, pristine backcountry trails, and some of the finest wilderness hiking in the Midwest. The ferry services that reach Isle Royale operate out of Copper Harbor and Houghton in the western UP, and these locally owned operations are your gateway to one of Michigan’s most extraordinary and underappreciated natural experiences. Spending even a single night on the island produces memories that stay with you for a lifetime, and the effort required to get there is a significant part of what makes the experience so profound.

Michigan Small Business Spotlight is honored to promote everything that makes the Upper Peninsula of Michigan worth visiting and worth celebrating. The UP’s natural gifts are extraordinary. The local businesses that make your experience of them possible are even more so. Visit topchoicediscover.com to learn more and to apply for a spotlight feature if you run a business in the Upper Peninsula.