Save Money And Avoid Crowds At Michigan's Most Underrated Beach Town With Laidback Vibes

While the conventional wisdom among Great Lakes visitors is that Lake Michigan has the best views and beaches, venturing to Michigan's "other" coast (that is, Lake Huron) unlocks exciting and affordable surprises. About 20 miles east of the Mackinac Bridge — the dividing line between lakes Michigan and Huron — sits the 5,000-resident town of Cheboygan, where the mouth of the Cheboygan River meets Lake Huron. In this sleepy town, you can spend long summer nights walking along the beach to the town's old lighthouse, the Cheboygan Crib Light, or boating along the Cheboygan River through the charming downtown.

Although both summer and autumn festivals abound, beautiful fall colors tours and winter snow sports make Cheboygan a year-round weekend escape. If hiking and adventure sports aren't your scene and you'd prefer to enjoy some culture indoors, the Cheboygan Opera House programs musicians like woodwind bands and events like concert orchestras and musicals.

There are myriad ways to get to the town as well. From Mackinaw City, cyclists can take the 15-mile North Central State Trail along the Lake Huron coast to Cheboygan for an advanced look at the stunning views, but most visitors choose to travel by car from Mackinaw City or Pellston Regional Airport, 24 miles west of the coast.

The sleepy downtown of Cheboygan comes to life with community events during the summer, like free Thursday night concerts in Washington Park through July and August, the June Waterways Festival, and the Cheboygan County Fair in August. Visitors can see historic buildings like the Jacob J. Post house, a Queen Anne-style residence built by the founder of the local bank in 1886; and the quaint Victorian residence, Secrets on Main B&B, which is open for guests from June until October, for $175 a night.

Cheboygan State Park provides shallow swimming beaches, hiking trails, campgrounds with toilets and showers, a ranch-style lodge that sleeps eight for $168 a night, and three rustic cabins that can each also sleep eight, each at $84 a night. Campsites are available May 14 through October 13 for $30 anight (up to six guests), but the lodge and cabins can be rented year-round, despite the chilly autumns and inevitable winter snows. Entry to the park requires an annual vehicle pass for Michigan residents, which costs $14 and can be purchased with license plate registration, plus a $5 fee if you purchase it at the state park. Non-residents can pay a daily state park fee of $11, or an annual fee of $40. For those who prefer a little more indoor plumbing, Tripadvisor's highest-rated Cheboygan hotel, the Best Western River Terrace, is available for as low as around $130 a night.

For a great day or weekend trip from Cheboygan, you can visit the remote, scenic paradise of Bois Blanc Island, just a 45-minute ferry ride from the mainland, for a wilderness hiking trip or a day of relaxing beach bathing. To step back in time and rejoin tourist season, take a ferry from Mackinaw City to the historical, car-free enclave of Mackinac Island. Between Victorian hotels and countless sweets shops, you can ride bikes or horses across this scenic getaway destination.

If water is the main attraction for your vacation, Lake Huron isn't the only beautiful freshwater lake in the area. Like many charming Michigan beach towns with an abundance of lakes, Cheboygan sits on the edge of the Inland Waterway, a popular boat day trip that stretches across the Northern Lower Peninsula, almost all the way from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. Rent a pontoon boat from Anchor Inn for $350 for a full day (9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and cruise south along the Cheboygan River to Mullett Lake, where boaters can dock in a popular sandbar for a little swimming. The southwest side of the lake feeds the Indian River, then Burt Lake, Crooked River, and finally Crooked Lake. Once you've made it here, you're right on the edge of Lake Michigan at Petoskey State Park, but you'll have to take a taxi or bike to reach the other shore.