Vacation!
Towns & Festivals Elk Rapids: A little harbor town between Elk Lake and Lake Michigan, with a downtown beach, marina, and a handful of sweet shops and restaurants, including Chef Charles (147 River St.), one of our favorite pizzerias around. elkrapidschamber.org. Don’t Miss: Harbor Days, July 31 - August 3 Elk Rapids’ big summer shindig, featuring music, parades, a carnival, sand-castle building, fireworks and other fun. elkrapidsharbordays.org.
Ellsworth: A quiet Chain of Lakes hamlet on the shores of Ellsworth Lake, with a gorgeous public park home to a labyrinth garden and Michigan’s largest public outdoor archery range. Don’t Miss: Ellebration, July 6 - 8 An all-American festival featuring historic trolley tours, a pancake breakfast, boat parade and fireworks, among other events. ELLEBRATION.COM.
MATT CARISSIMI
Charlevoix: This lively town is quintes-
sential Up North: fudge shops, ferry docks, a beautiful marina, shopping and dining, and an in-town park with a band shell for outdoor performances. Kids love watching the drawbridge, which opens every half hour to let big boats through. CHARLEVOIX.ORG.
Don’t Miss: Venetian Festival, July 20 - 27 This enormous summertime bash has it all, includ-
ing live music, kids’ games, a boat parade, midway, and much more. VENETIANFESTIVAL.COM.
store, and several home-and-garden shops. CENTRAL-LAKE.COM.
Mancelona: A sleepy village at
Don’t Miss: Fourth of July festival, July 4 Central Lake puts on a great Independence Day fireworks show; come on the 3rd to catch the boat parade on Intermediate Lake.
the crossroads of US 131 and M-88. Mancelona’s claim to fame is being the starting point for one of the Midwest’s premier annual marathon cross-country ski races, the White Pine Stampede.
Don’t Miss: Mancelona Bass Festival, June The 58th annual Bass Fest features a parade, carnival, barbecue and more. Date not confirmed by press time; check online for updates. MANCELONABASSFEST.ORG.
East Jordan: Home to an artsy, outdoorsy community, East Jordan is perhaps best known as the gateway to one of the North’s coolest wild places: the Jordan River Valley, an 18,000-acre paradise laced with old-growth forest and the pristine Jordan River. EJCHAMBER.ORG. Don’t Miss: Portside Arts Fair, August 3 - 4 Peruse works by Michigan artists at this juried fine arts fair, celebrating its 50th year. PORTSIDEARTSFAIR.ORG.
Central Lake: This welcoming Chain of Lakes village has that classic small-town feel. Downtown gems include a historic hardware, antiques
Bellaire: Old meets new in this burg,
where longtime hometown businesses, like the beloved Ruthie’s Chicken & Dairy Twist (201 N. BRIDGE ST.), share the main street with hip bistros, cafes, boutiques, and Short’s, arguably the North’s most famous brewery. BELLAIRECHAMBER.ORG.
Don’t Miss: Rubber Ducky Festival, August 13 - 17.The main event is a rubber ducky race on the Bellaire River; there’s live music, games and a parade, too.
Alden: This Torch Lake village packs
a lot into just a few blocks: boutiques, cafes, an old-fashioned ice cream counter in the back of Higgins General Store
(9105 Helena Rd.), and more. visitalden.com.
Don’t Miss: Strawberry Festival, June 17 Get your fill of Michigan strawberries and shortcake at this beloved annual Depot Park event. Get tickets to festivals, fairs, concerts and other events at MyNorth 2013 Vacation! 19