Door No. 2
"The life you have led does not need to be the only life you have." -Anna Quindlen

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You don't have to spend loads of time and money to experience something amazing.  Sometimes an adventure is just outside your door.  These are some of the beautiful things that we have found, here in our own little corner of the world. 

You don't have to spend loads of time and money to experience something amazing.  Sometimes an adventure is just outside your door.  These are some of the beautiful things that we have found, here in our own little corner of the world. 

Marquette, MI - A South Shore Gem

About this time last year we took a weekend trip to Marquette, MI. (Before we get too far, let me answer everyone’s question: No. Marquette University is actually in Milwaukee, WI. Yes, it’s very confusing.)

Marquette is a cozy little town in the upper peninsula of Michigan, on the south shore of Lake Superior. It continues to amaze me that we can drive 5 hours from our home on Lake Superior, and still be on the shore of Lake Superior. The same shore in fact - 5 hours doesn’t even get you from the eastern most to the western most point of the lake, which is comparable in size to the state of Maine and holds 10% of the world’s surface fresh water (3 QUADRILLION gallons!)

Why Marquette? The truth is I don’t recall. I think we simply heard it was nice and wanted to experience some of the south shore. As a Minnesotan, everyone always talks about the north shore. It’s worth talking about, with all of its rocky beaches and dramatic cliffs and ancient rivers carving their way to the shore. But it wasn’t until we moved to Duluth that we began to appreciate all that the south shore has to offer, with its often sunnier weather and sandier beaches.

Marquette Facts

  • Population roughly 20,000

  • Major shipping port (primarily iron ore)

  • Popular with skiers (both cross country and downhill), bikers (both mountain and road), hikers, fisher-people and brewery enthusiasts

  • Included in list of 10 best places to retire by CBS MoneyWatch

We rented a rustic cabin at Rippling River Resort, which was absolutely the right decision. It was a dry cabin with electric (read: heat, light, phone charging, functional sound machine for toddler sleep), a queen bed, a bunk, a small table & chairs, a front porch, outdoor fire pit and full service restroom a short walk away. I love a simple yet cozy base from which to explore. Another great perk about this particular location was that it neighbors the 150 mile network of single track mountain bike trails of Noquemanon. (It also neighbors Marquette Mountain for downhill winter activities.) Each afternoon while I lounged comfortably in the cabin with a napping toddler and a good book, Brad took his bike out for a ride. We saw kids and adults of all ages on the trails - I think there’s even a “kid’s loop” for the littlest ones on balance bikes. When you combine that with the resort’s playground, pool and mini-golf course it makes for an all-around family friendly spot to spend a few days.

One thing we Tombers are known to look for in any new town we visit, is a good bakery to start off our day. In Marquette that was Babycakes Muffin Company. Brad loves a strong black Americano, I love a fancy latte, and we ALL love a display case full of fresh baked goods. Scones, muffins, pastries, donuts… we’re likely to leave with one of everything and this was no exception. It happened to be a nice morning - cool but sunny, early enough that the streets are still quiet and the park is free for our small human alarm clock to explore uninhibited. We brought our bakery haul down near the water and fended off the seagulls while we ate and explored.

Goodies at “Babycakes” Bakery in downtown Marquette

Taking a morning walk by the water at Ellwood A Mattson Lower Harbor Park.

After our quiet breakfast by the water, we spent some time playing at the park - a large fun wooden structure with lots of little tunnels and corners to hide in and slides sized appropriately for toddlers. (As a sidenote, playgrounds that are appropriate for toddlers can be surprisingly hard to come by, so this was a real win for the parents of a curious and independent 18 month old with a poor sense of balance and safety.) Kate giggled on the swings while we watched the puppy training class taking place across the lawn.

As the park began to get more crowded we packed ourselves up and drove a couple of miles out of town to hike Sugarloaf Mountain. It’s not a particularly long or arduous hike, so the return on your energy investment is high. There is ample parking at the trailhead and two route options that come together farther up the trail. One is apparently easier and one more difficult. I think we took the more difficult trail but it wasn’t really. Perhaps more stairs vs. gradual grade but that was fine with us. Along the trail through the forest we watched several little chipmunks play amongst the roots and rocky terrain. Towards the summit there are a few more stairs that bring you up to a couple of observation decks overlooking Lake Superior and the beaches along the shoreline. At roughly 1,000 feet of elevation it’s quite a nice view. It certainly helped that it happened to be a beautiful sunny spring day. Kate loved running back and forth across the observation decks and up and down the stairs.

Later, after our respective afternoon rests and bike rides, we grabbed take-out from the Thai House Restaurant and had a picnic by the water.

All in all, Marquette Michigan was a great place to spend a weekend. It has all our favorite things: baked goods, beaches, trails and playgrounds! I hear it’s especially lovely in the fall when the colors are peaking. I suspect we’ll be back again someday.

The requisite road-lunch stop at the Ashland Culver’s

Nicole TombersComment