If you’re like me, you’ve been busy filling summer weekend and vacation slots with traditional activities – a trip to Traverse City or Mackinac Island, boating with friends, a weekend golf getaway.
How about trying something new – like, maybe learning to surf? What about whitewater rafting? Or a nature walk that ends with a concert in the woods? Ever wanted to spelunk in an old mine shaft?
If you said “yes” to any of that I’ve got good news for you, courtesy of Emily Bingham: You can do all of that and more right here in Michigan. Yep, if you seek some novel summer fun, look about you.
Bingham has one of the best jobs in Michigan: She covers outdoor recreation, nature and adventure for MLive. She’s been writing bucket lists for nearly 20 years, and this year she wanted to challenge herself and every Michigander – even those who, like me, have lived here their whole life.
“I wanted to write a bucket list for the person that has seen and done all the classic stuff in Michigan,” Bingham told me on a recent episode of MLive’s “Behind the Headlines” podcast.
“I wanted surprises. I wanted to shake things up a little bit, especially after the last couple of years where a lot of our lives have been looking the same. I wanted this to be the summer where maybe you try something new, learn something, see something you've never seen before.”
And, boy, did she deliver in an article that MLive published Memorial Day weekend – the official unofficial start of summer in the Great Lake state. In it, she lists 15 activities and destinations that you most likely didn’t know existed.
Bingham is one of my favorite podcast guests, and not just because she is very knowledgeable. She exudes a genuine enthusiasm and love for her job, and Michigan, sprinkling our conversation with words like “amazing” and “awesome” and “cool.”
She also wants to share that sense of wonder about this great state with all of you. Mission accomplished – even by her high standards.
“I was really pleased with this list,” Bingham said. “I sat back when I was done and was like, ‘I bet there are a lot of people who are seasoned Michigan travelers who have never done these things before.’”
See for yourself:
Whitewater rafting in the western Upper Peninsula: “Most people think, ‘Whitewater rafting? I have to head down the West Virginia area.’ Now you can actually head north into the UP and get your whitewater rafting on right here. It is the Sturgeon River and it has Class Three and Four rapids.”
Surfing on Lake Michigan: “Empire, one of my favorite beach towns, is a great place to learn how to surf. I think it'd be a really fun thing to do with kids or with your friends. I've done it before on flat water. It was very hard even with zero waves but really fun. I left with respect for the sport – and it’s just a cool thing to say that I that I did.”
Touring an abandoned mine shaft in the Keweenaw Peninsula: “You can go underground in a former historic copper mine. You put on a hard hat and you're literally rappelling down into the tunnels and the mind shafts. Which is an awesome, awesome experience for anybody as long as they're not claustrophobic like I am. So, I would be the person waiting at the top in the gift shop. You can tell me all about it.”
Nature, art, music, fireflies: “I try to avoid the phrase ‘hidden gem’ as a writer because it's a bit overused, but this place is the definition of a hidden gem. It's the Michigan Legacy Art Park. It is a 30-acre nature preserve and outdoor sculpture gallery. On Friday nights in the summertime, they have a concert series at this rustic log-cabin-feeling bandshell and it is absolutely magical. The last time I went there were fireflies and live music and it was just the most perfect way to spend a summer evening.”
Perfect. Summer. Evening. Emily Bingham has done her part to lay the groundwork, and now it’s your turn to go out and find make them happen all across our great state.
🎧 On this of Behind the Headlines, John Hiner and Eric Hultgren talk with Emily Bingham about where we should go this summer to make the most out of this incredible Michigan season. Listen here on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editor@mlive.com.