The 10 Can't-Miss Towns In The Great Lakes
All five Great Lakes have a town on this list, so whichever shore you grew up on, most of these are a different one. Each has one thing you would kick yourself for skipping. On Mackinac Island it is the state highway where bicycles replace cars, ridden with a box of fudge from a shop where you watched it being made. Fish Creek’s is a fish boil, which ends in a flare of flame over the kettle a few hours after you dried off from Nicolet Beach. Tobermory’s is underwater, beneath glass-bottom boats that cross shipwrecks on the way to Flowerpot Island. The sections below say what to put first in each town, how to fit it into a day, and what still runs once the beaches close.
Grand Marais, Minnesota
Pick up a cake doughnut at World's Best Donuts before walking the Grand Marais waterfront. The small red-and-white shop stands on Wisconsin Street, close to the harbor. Follow the shore to Artist's Point, where exposed rock extends into Lake Superior and paths wind through a patch of woods. The adjacent breakwater leads toward the white lighthouse, with views back across the harbor to downtown.
Lunch can keep you beside the water. Angry Trout Cafe serves fresh Lake Superior fish when available, with outdoor tables overlooking the harbor. Farther along the waterfront, North House Folk School welcomes visitors to walk its campus and check for craft demonstrations. Its schooner Hjordis takes up to six passengers on seasonal sailings. Standard daytime trips last about an hour and 45 minutes.
Bayfield, Wisconsin
Bayfield's waterfront is the departure point for an afternoon among the Apostle Islands. The Grand Tour cruise reaches the sandstone sea caves at Devils Island during a roughly three-hour outing. Raspberry Island Lighthouse appears along the route, with wooded islands and open Lake Superior between landmarks.
For a beach day ashore, take the Madeline Island ferry to La Pointe. Browse the village before continuing to Big Bay State Park, where a long sandy beach borders the lake. The ferry can carry your bicycle or car, useful if the park is the main destination.
Back on the mainland, Erickson Orchards and Country Store above Bayfield sells apple cider doughnuts and fruit pies. Around harvest time, the surrounding orchards stock local apples, and Bayfield's annual Apple Festival brings food stalls and live music downtown.
Fish Creek, Wisconsin
In Fish Creek, you can swim at Nicolet Beach before sitting down to a fish boil at White Gull Inn. The beach sits inside Peninsula State Park, with sand for stretching out and kayaks available to rent in season. Elsewhere in the park, Eagle Tower's 850-foot ramp winds through the trees to a deck 253 feet above Green Bay. Wheelchair users can take that route to the same view reached by the tower's stairs.
Back in the village, arrive early for the White Gull Inn's fish boil. Whitefish and potatoes cook outside, and the final flare of the fire sends water and fish oils over the kettle's rim. Cherry pie comes with dinner. After dinner, Sunset Beach Park has benches and a small waterfront lawn facing the evening light over Green Bay.
Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck's hand-cranked chain ferry carries pedestrians across the Kalamazoo River toward the dunes in summer. Mount Baldhead stands on the far bank, with 303 wooden steps to an observation deck above the river valley. Oval Beach lies farther toward Lake Michigan, with a wide sandy shore for swimming and sunbathing.
Immediately north of Oval Beach, the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area adds trails through protected dunes and wetlands. Downtown, Butler Street's galleries include James Brandess Studios & Gallery, where paintings depict the surrounding Michigan landscape. The artist's working studio shares the gallery space. Nearby, The Butler Pantry sells kitchenware and local foods.
Leland, Michigan
Lunch in Leland can start with a pretzel-bread sandwich at the Village Cheese Shanty. The North Shore combines turkey and bacon with Swiss cheese and herb mayonnaise on bread made in-house. The shop also stocks imported cheeses for a picnic. A short walk through Fishtown brings you past small shops and fish tugs along the Leland River, with Carlson's Fishery selling smoked whitefish to take away.
The river opens into Lake Michigan just beyond the shanties. Van's Beach lies south of the harbor, close enough to carry lunch down to the sand. Adjoining Hall Beach connects the public shoreline with Fishtown, so the water stays within easy reach while you browse. The village also sits beside Lake Leelanau; its river runs through town toward Lake Michigan.
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Mackinac Island's M-185 is a state highway you can explore by bicycle, following roughly eight miles of Lake Huron shoreline. Visitors leave cars on the mainland and can also take horse-drawn carriage rides. Arch Rock makes a worthwhile stop along the way, with bicycle racks below the 207-step climb to its upper viewing area. British Landing, roughly halfway around the island, has views toward the Mackinac Bridge. Back downtown, Original Murdick's Fudge lets visitors watch fudge makers at work before choosing something for the ride home. Fort Mackinac's bluff overlooks downtown and the harbor, with historic buildings open during the visitor season. Inside the Officers' Stone Quarters, children can try on military uniforms and build a model fort.
Tobermory, Ontario
Boats crowd into Little Tub Harbour beside Tobermory's waterfront shops and places to eat. Shipwreck Lee's on Bay Street serves all-you-can-eat fish and chips beside the harbor. Glass-bottom excursions into Fathom Five National Marine Park pass over shipwrecks, then continue toward Flowerpot Island.
A landing trip gives you time to walk past the island's broad-topped stone pillars and continue toward the lightstation. Some cruises stay offshore. The trails have rocky stretches and stairs, and you need to bring drinking water.
Back on the mainland, Big Tub Lighthouse stands at the entrance to the neighboring harbor. Lighthouse parking requires reservations from May 15 through September 15. The rocky shore beside the lighthouse provides a place to sit by the water.
Put-in-Bay, Ohio
The Round House Bar on Put-in-Bay's Delaware Avenue has a seasonal live-music schedule and outdoor patios for drinks. Nearby DeRivera Park provides shade beside the harbor. You can spend the afternoon between the village's waterfront and its restaurants, with a golf cart or bicycle for trips farther across South Bass Island.
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial remains a prominent waterfront landmark, though its observation deck and interior are closed during the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The visitor center operates seasonally.
At Heineman's Winery, a cave tour takes you inside a geode lined with pale blue crystals; tastings happen above ground. Families can continue to Perry's Cave Family Fun Center for the Butterfly House and War of 18 Holes miniature golf.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
At Niagara-on-the-Lake's Peller Estates, you can taste icewine in a room kept at 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Its Greatest Winery Tour visits the vineyard and underground barrel cellar before entering the 10Below Icewine Lounge.
Niagara-on-the-Lake's Queen Street has shops to browse and COWS for an ice-cream cone. King Street leads down to Queen's Royal Park. The gazebo stands beside the Niagara River's mouth, with Lake Ontario ahead and the American shore across the water.
The Shaw Festival stages professional productions in town, with afternoon and evening performances. Its Festival Theatre stands on Queen's Parade, near the Old Town.
Sackets Harbor, New York
Order stuffed French toast on Tin Pan Galley's garden patio in Sackets Harbor. The restaurant stands on West Main Street, with planting beds and outdoor tables tucked behind the building. Continue along Main Street toward the waterfront, where The Sackets Boathouse serves fish and chips with views over the harbor.
The Battlefield History Trail follows level ground beside Black River Bay. Its waterfront paths give you room for a walk without committing to a long hike; the connected Bicentennial Trail extends farther through the village. For an afternoon in a swimsuit, Westcott Beach State Park is about four miles from downtown. Its long sandy beach faces Henderson Bay on Lake Ontario, with picnic areas and a campground for anyone staying beyond the day trip.
Summer brings swimming at Oval Beach and kayak rentals at Nicolet Beach, with Lake Michigan's waterfront towns close to the sand. In autumn, Bayfield's orchard stores stock fresh cider and apple doughnuts, and its Apple Festival fills downtown early in October. White Gull Inn keeps Fish Creek's fish-boil tradition going through winter, serving its whitefish dinners on Fridays. Niagara-on-the-Lake's theater calendar also extends beyond the warm-weather season. The 2026 holiday season opens with A Year with Frog and Toad at the Court House Theatre on November 5, followed by Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Festival Theatre on November 8. Both productions run through December 23.
