Lighthouses

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the US, and the Traverse City area has several of them! Thanks to its history as a major port and its location on Grand Traverse Bay near the once-bustling Manitou Passage, Traverse City is a convenient base for exploring five historic lighthouses: Mission Point, Grand Traverse, South Manitou, North Manitou and Point Betsie. Best of all, four of the five can be easily visited and are open for tours -- and two even allow visitors to try their hands at being volunteer lighthouse keepers.