Midwest
Michigan's unforgettable scenic wonders: A must-see guide to the Great Lakes State
The state of Michigan offers attractions that excite individuals of different interests.
Nature enthusiasts, history buffs and those looking for family fun can all enjoy these must-see spots across the state.
Although there is much more to see in the state, the following five spots are some of Michigan’s greatest natural highlights:
Before visiting, visitors will want to check the specific attraction’s opening times and any possible travel or booking requirements.
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Mackinac Island offers both residents and travelers a quintessential Michigan experience. Recognized as one of the top places to see in the state by the U.S. News & World Report, the island lies in Lake Huron and is a cherished destination for locals and visitors alike.
The island is reachable exclusively by ferry as it upholds a vehicle-free policy.
Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes: Huron, Michigan, Erie and Superior. (Education Images/Universal Images Group)
Historically, the island served as a significant economic and military site, with Mackinac Fort standing as an illustration of its important past. The island’s charming character shines through horse-drawn carriages and historical architecture.
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Activities for the whole family on the island include leisurely tours, shopping and dining. The island caters to all guests, whether they are considering an overnight stay or a day trip. A trip here is complete with trying the renowned fudge that Mackinac is famous for.
Sleeping Bear Dunes captivates visitors with its prominent dunes along the shores of Lake Michigan. In 2011, it earned the title of “Most Beautiful Place in America” from “Good Morning America” because of its incredible natural features. The park is considered a natural wonder because of its sand dunes, which rise 450 feet over the lake.
The lakeshore offers a variety of activities, including sandboarding, fishing, canoeing, swimming and boating in the summer and skiing in the winter, making it a versatile and exciting destination for all ages.
The state of Michigan is divided into two landmasses – the Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula. They are connected by Mackinac Bridge, which is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. (Interim Archives)
Travelers do not even need to leave their vehicles to enjoy the destination. The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive stretches 7.4 miles with 12 designated points offering panoramic views of the dunes and the lake, making the beauty of Sleeping Bear Dunes accessible without ever stepping out of the car.
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Traverse City, recognized as the world’s cherry capital, is a popular travel destination because of its beaches with crystal-clear water, trails for hiking and plentiful water activities, all set against a backdrop of natural beauty. Despite its fame as a top destination for Midwest weekend getaways, it maintains a quaint small-town charm. This city is a beloved destination for those who enjoy local wine and beer offerings and exceptional culinary creations.
The cultural and arts scene is also a popular cause for tourism in Traverse City, with events like the Traverse City Film Festival and the National Cherry Festival attracting crowds from near and far. Located at the heart of the Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsula wine trails, the city is perfectly positioned for guests who want to taste the region’s noted Rieslings and other cool-climate varietals, with a beautiful vineyard backdrop.
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The historic downtown area offers ample boutique shops, coffee shops and farm-to-table restaurants, presenting visitors with retail and gastronomic offerings.
Mackinac Island, located in Lake Huron, is a unique spot where no motor vehicles are allowed. Transportation options include bicycles, horses and foot. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group)
Tahquamenon Falls is home to one of Mississippi’s most impressive waterfalls and ranks among the largest falls east of the Mississippi River. The park’s main attraction, the Upper Falls, features a dramatic 50-foot drop extending over 200 feet in width. Meanwhile, the Lower Falls comprises five smaller cascades.
Visitors to the park can enjoy various activities, including exploring the hiking trails, viewing the local wildlife and camping. Overnight guests can camp within the park or stay in nearby lodging.
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The park’s paths offer the chance to encounter wildlife such as black bears, coyotes, otters, deer, foxes, porcupines, beavers and various birds, as noted by Michigan.org.
Several hiking trails are throughout the park. The four-mile stretch that links the Upper and Lower Falls is particularly popular with hikers.
Additionally, the park is dog-friendly, permitting visitors to bring their pets as long as they are leashed, and the leash does not exceed six feet in length.
Access to the park requires a day pass or an annual state park pass. The ideal time to visit depends on individual preferences for activities. Winter allows for snowshoeing opportunities, and autumn offers vibrant, colorful foliage.
Outdoor enthusiasts can find a wide range of activities in Michigan, including fishing, boating, hiking and skiing.
Isle Royale National Park, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is accessible by a several-hour ferry ride. The ferry ride generally begins at Houghton or Copper Harbor, Michigan, or Grand Portage, Minnesota.
This remote island in Lake Superior, only accessible by boat or seaplane, offers a nature-immersive experience ideal for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of life and adventure in the great outdoors.
The island is renowned for its predator-prey dynamics, most notably between the moose and wolf populations, which have been the focus of a long-term ecological study. The park is also home to other wildlife, such as foxes, beavers, otters and various bird species.
Park visitors will encounter a scenic landscape encompassing dense forests, commanding vistas and intricate waterways. With more than 165 miles of hiking trails, the island invites guests for day hikes or extensive backpacking excursions, including the Greenstone Ridge Trail, which runs the island’s length.
Visitors must pay an entrance fee to access the park. Anyone planning to camp must secure a permit. The park operates annually from April 16 to Oct. 31.
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Mount Rushmore National Memorial among USA TODAY’s best scenic views
Explore Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, named one of USA TODAYs Most Treasured Views in America for 2025.
Few states can boast of a culture and history as closely tied to its Native American heritage as South Dakota.
The state has the nation’s fourth-highest per capita population of Native Americans, and about one in ten of the residents in its second-largest city — Rapid City, gateway to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills for millions of annual visitors — are Native American.
The state can claim historical Native American luminaries like Crazy Horse and Sitting Bill and modern ones like the late activist Russell Means, Olympian Billy Mills, author Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve and Mato Wayuhi, an actor, composer and performer who wrote the score for Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs.”
It’s the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre, but also the American Indian Movement of the 1970s and its occupation of Wounded Knee. More recently, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe drew international attention to protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline just north of the South Dakota border and etched the phrase “Water is Life” into the cultural lexicon.
Those tribal ties help draw tourists. A survey from South Dakota Tourism in 2018 found that around 80% of visitors want a Native American “experience” during their stay. Yet the state’s nine tribal nations typically don’t see much from the billions in economic impact that tourism delivers to the state.
The South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance formed in 2019 to help bridge that divide. The nonprofit organization trains tour guides, plans tribal tour itineraries and works to develop tourism infrastructure in tribal communities.
Recently, it secured one of 10 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize awards, earning it $175,000 and connecting it with other early stage nonprofits across the U.S. for collaboration and guidance.
South Dakota Searchlight recently spoke with Rhea Waldman, South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance’s executive director, and Sarah Kills In Water, a Rosebud Sioux tribal member and member of the group’s board of directors.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What can you tell us about what you’ve done so far? Can you give us an update on your economic catalyst tours?
Kills in Water: We worked with Destination America and developed multi-reservation tours, a multi-day tour that started in the Black Hills. They came through Pine Ridge, spent two days on Rosebud and went up to Standing Rock. They ended up marketing that itinerary to a company called Trafalgar, which operates heavily in South Dakota. So that was one major win.
Our tour guide training came up out of a need for another initiative that we worked on, helping the Sicangu Oyate Treaty Council and the Wild Foundation host the Wild 12 conference last year. They brought in people from all over the world, and they wanted to hear from our youth on questions like “How is the mining in the Black Hills going to impact your youth for the next seven generations, for the foreseeable future?”
So we went to engage with the Sicangu Youth Council, and they jumped on the opportunity. They provided a tour experience for a group of 50 international visitors at Bear Butte State Park. The kids were excited, and they were wanting to expand and do more, and so I brought them into my Trafalgar itinerary this year. They actually do the tours on Rosebud when Trafalgar comes through.
What’s lacking in the tourism landscape today that your organization aims to improve upon?
Kills In Water: The cultural piece is so important. Having these experiences with us, provided by us, told in our voices, our stories, everything, it makes it more personal, and I think it brings the realization to our visitors that these people are still here. After all the years of government oppression and everything that’s been done to them, they’re still here, and they’re still vibrant.
Tribal people sometimes have a really bad idea when they think about tourism. They think we’re selling our culture, but that’s not what we’re doing. All we’re here to do is help tribal nations define what stories they want to tell. What do you want to share with your visitors?
Waldman: South Dakota Tourism has been a great partner for us, and really helped us, because obviously they have a lot of data. One of those data points is that over 80% of people want to have a Native American experience when they visit South Dakota. Not even half of them actually do, though. So why don’t they do that? It’s because people don’t know where to go, where to find information.
What are the hidden gems that are already there that you point people to?
Waldman: Every tribal nation has their own gems. The tribes along the river have some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. Cheyenne River has one of the biggest buffalo herds in North America. There are cultural centers that have phenomenal art, that are showcasing local artists and the breadth of the history that Native Americans have experienced.
One of the challenges comes when you think about the great American road trip. When you’re on Interstate 90 between Sioux Falls and Rapid City, none of the reservations really are right there. I live in Pierre, and even though we’re the state capital, it is actually hard to get people out here. It’s because we are 35 miles from the interstate, so it takes you at least an hour and a half to travel there and back. So how much can you see here in order for people to come? That’s even worse for the reservations, because they are not the capital, and people don’t necessarily know all the things they can do.
What is it that this grant in particular might help you do?
Kills in Water: The nine tribal nations in our state are so geographically spread out. We don’t always have the resources to get out and go to these tribal nations ourselves. I live in Rosebud, and unless there’s gas money or something tied to it, sometimes I can’t just go to Flandreau. Pine Ridge is close enough where I can volunteer my time, because they’re only an hour and a half from us. With these funds, I see us increasing our partnerships with each tribal nation and really strengthening our efforts that way at the grassroots level.
Waldman: The grant is unrestricted, and that is huge. We’re all aware of travel reimbursement after the fact, but if you’re living in a place where you’re maybe living paycheck to paycheck and you don’t have a thriving business yet, waiting for travel reimbursement can take a while. If you do something like gift cards for gas, that is definitely not something that you can reimburse with federal grants.
And we’re not only getting money. There are 10 different organizations that receive this innovation grant, and we are meeting with them frequently. We can learn from those other amazing entrepreneurs. In addition, the entire team at the JM Kaplan Fund are there to help us succeed, because they know they are funding early stage nonprofits. They’re there with us every step of the way. Yes, money is great and we still need more, but having people that rally for you, that are there for you, that are your family and want to see you succeed, that is really special.
This Q&A was originally published on South Dakota Searchlight. South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Ann Arbor — Olivia Olson scored 21 points and No. 9 Michigan never trailed while rolling to an 86-60 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday.
Te’Yala Delfosse made her first career start and had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mila Holloway also had 18 points for the Wolverines (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten).
Kendall Dudley contributed 11 points with eight rebounds and Brooke Quarles Daniels surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career while scoring eight points. Quarles Daniels also had eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Destiny Howell led Wisconsin (11-6, 3-3) with 12 points. Breauna Ware added 11 points and Laci Steele chipped in 10. The Badgers committed 23 turnovers, which the Wolverines converted into 25 points. Michigan also scored 19 points off 21 offensive rebounds.
The Wolverines’ Syla Swords, their second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, sat out due to an injury sustained in a 105-65 win over Penn State on Thursday.
Flustered by Michigan’s pressing and trapping defenses, the Badgers missed their first eight shots and committed eight fouls and seven turnovers before scoring their first points – Shay Bollin’s 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the first quarter. By then, the Wolverines had built a 16-point lead.
Olson finished the half with 17 points, including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Wolverines a 46-21 halftime advantage. Their lead never dipped below 20 points in the second half.
Former Michigan star Diane Dietz (1979-82) had her No. 21 jersey raised to the Crisler Center rafters during a pregame ceremony. Dietz, who was the program’s first 2,000-point scorer, is currently the deputy commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.
Michigan State 85, at Oregon 81
Rashunda Jones scored 23 points, and Michigan State rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half to beat Oregon for the Spartans’ eighth straight win.
Ines Sotelo scored four points and Jones made a pair of free throws in a 6-0 spurt that gave Michigan State the lead for good, 78-75, with 2:46 remaining. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter.
Jones finished 9-of-12 shooting that included two 3s for Michigan State (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten). Grace VanSlooten added 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kennedy Blair scored 11 points, and Emma Shumate and Jalyn Brown each had 10.
Katie Fiso scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and had nine assists to lead Oregon (14-4, 2-3 Big Ten). Sofia Bell and Mia Jacobs added 18 points apiece for the Ducks. Ehis Etute chipped in with 11 points.
Sunday’s state men
(At) Detroit Mercy 94, Cleveland State 84: Tyler Spratt had 19 points in Detroit Mercy’s 94-84 victory against Cleveland State on Sunday.
Spratt shot 5 for 10 (4 for 8 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Titans (7-9, 4-3 Horizon League). Orlando Lovejoy scored 18 points and added seven rebounds, nine assists, and eight steals. Lance Stone shot 3 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 11 points.
Jaidon Lipscomb finished with 30 points and four assists for the Vikings (5-13, 1-6). Cleveland State also got 19 points and six assists from Chevalier Emery. Dayan Nessah had 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Wright State 94, at Oakland 84
Solomon Callaghan scored 27 points as Wright State beat Oakland 94-84 on Sunday.
Callaghan shot 8 of 11 from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the line for the Raiders (11-7, 6-1 Horizon League). Kellen Pickett added 18 points while shooting 7 of 10 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line and also had 11 rebounds. TJ Burch went 7 of 16 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 18 points, while adding six assists. It was the sixth straight win for the Raiders.
Brody Robinson led the way for the Golden Grizzlies (9-9, 5-2) with 35 points and four steals. Oakland also got 15 points, six rebounds and two steals from Tuburu Niavalurua. Brett White II also recorded 11 points.
Midwest
Wild video shows federal agents detaining 2 men at Minnesota gas station as agitators gather
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Dramatic videos show federal Border Patrol agents taking two men into custody at a gas station in St. Paul, Minnesota, as agitators continue to taunt and disrupt authorities in the area.
The videos, posted to X on Sunday afternoon, quickly drew thousands of views and appear to show Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino ordering a crowd to move back as federal agents attempted to remove a man from a vehicle parked at the gas station.
Multiple federal agents surrounded the parked vehicle as authorities repeatedly instructed bystanders to step back.
“Back up, guys, back up,” Bovino says in the video. “We’re going to back you on up for our safety and your safety… Stay there.”
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The videos appear to show Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino ordering a crowd to move back as federal agents work to remove a man from a vehicle parked at the gas station. (FNTV)
Moments later, agents force a man wearing a brown jacket to the ground and place him in handcuffs as agitators shout and car horns blare in the background.
Three agents are then seen carrying the man away from the scene by his arms and one of his legs.
In another tense moment captured on video, a Border Patrol agent again orders bystanders to move back.
After a man appears to resist, the situation escalates as several agents tackle him and place him in handcuffs.
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Agents appear to force a man wearing a brown jacket to the ground and place him in handcuffs as agitators shout and car horns blare in the background. (FNTV)
He is then carried away by his arms and legs.
The confrontation comes amid heightened tensions in the Twin Cities following a fatal shooting Wednesday during a federal immigration enforcement operation, when 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent.
Federal officials said Good attempted to drive her vehicle toward agents during the encounter, a claim disputed by family members and some local leaders.
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Videos appear to show federal Border Patrol agents taking two men into custody at a gas station in St. Paul, Minnesota. (FNTV)
The shooting led to agitators taking to the streets and heightened scrutiny of federal enforcement activity in the city, contributing to repeated confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents.
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A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and for U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
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