Photo by Curt Mills
Bask in Manistee, Michigan’s latest reinvention.
Keystone cops dressed like those who starred in the slapstick films of the 1920s wander Manistee’s trademark festival, while massive draft horses huff steam as they skid a sled down River Street behind some parading loggers. Nearby, ladies in Victorian-era mink-collared capes and peacock-feathered hats gift warm roasted chestnuts to all who pass.
Authenticity and generosity are both hallmarks of this Lake Michigan port city — and not just during the holidays. The Victorian Sleighbell Parade is an obvious time to celebrate. Back in the Victorian ages, as the legend goes, there were more millionaires per capita in this thriving lumber port than anywhere in the country, and the pretty brick facades and hillside mansions remain a testament to that time.
But today you’ll want to also gravitate toward the town’s newest incarnation — “soul of the water, spirit of the woods” — by exploring its beaches, breweries, riverfront walks, million-dollar views and hospitality that locals claim is just as rich.
“From the moment you dock your boat and land your feet, you’ll be greeted by traditional small town hospitality, where you’re welcomed when you walk through the door like you were somebody’s neighbor,” says Kathryn Kenny, executive director of the Manistee County Visitors Bureau. “That’s the charm of coming into the county’s coastal port towns.”
A warm welcome
A boater’s first greeting at the port of Manistee is both historic and promising. The North Pierhead Lighthouse, a 40-foot-tall cast iron structure first built in 1869, connects two of the prettiest sand beaches on the state’s entire coast. The channel that cuts between the beaches leads to the Municipal Marina. There, boaters can dock along a riverwalk that leads to downtown’s historic River Street and its painted brick streetscape filled with interesting restaurants, a restored vintage theater, antiques and boutiques. You can also continue on to Seng’s Marina, where you’ll find deep port docking on Manistee Lake, where industrial vessels long docked and wildlife is now plentiful.
If you’ve docked or want to stroll the riverwalk, watch how the 25 markers bring the past to life, showing where the Pere Marquette Line steamers once docked, Scandinavian fishermen set up shop, shipbuilders were based and visitors of the 1820s shopped at the Trading Post, the city’s first retail store.
The center of industry was once Manistee Lake because ships could dock at the sawmill, load up, then turn around and go out the channel as they came in. A passenger service docked here too.
Today’s retail center, as it was in the town’s Victorian heyday, is River Street. There, where you’d once find lumber barons shopping for finery, you’ll now find bookstores and antique shops like the massive, two-story Maryann’s Antique Mall. River Street Artisans has modern takes on local landscapes (and more), while The Ideal Kitchen offers cool gadgets and advice for the home (or boat) gourmet.
What you won’t find is chain shops, Kenny says: “Every piece of pottery or piece of clothing has been specifically picked out by the shop owner.”
Photo Courtesy of visitmanistee.com/Drone Jams McAllister
Photo by Mark Bauhs
Photo Courtesy of Visit Manistee County
See the sights
See the sightsDining is an adventure too. Four area restaurants participate in the state’s Catch and Cook program that lets you bring in what’s on your line and have it prepared into a special meal. Or opt for local specialities like Taco ‘Bout It’s fresh Mexican cuisines and hand-crafted cocktails right on the riverwalk, or breakfast and barbecue with a brew at North Channel Brewing Company. Here you can sip and eat while gazing through full window walls; it’s also part of a self-guided county brew, wine and spirits trail.
The Ramsdell Inn, a red sandstone and terracotta beauty built on River Street by philanthropist and the city’s first lawyer T.J. Ramsdell, houses a bed and breakfast inn, as well as TJ’s Pub, maybe the city’s most popular watering hole and casual dining spot. Toast to Ramsdell, who gave much of his money to community causes of the time, and also to architect F.W. Hollister, who designed Manistee’s first fire station — itself worthy of a stop to honor the country’s oldest continuously manned station.
Ramsdell also built downtown’s Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, believing the city needed a cultural center after a former opera house burned down. Today, you’ll find the center hosting art exhibitions, an escape room, plays and musicians like a Tom Petty tribute band. The building itself is worth the visit for the elaborate architecture and paintings, including the original curtain mural “A Grove Near Athens” painted by Walter Wilcox Burridge, who created the original scenery for “The Wizard of Oz.” Listen for echoes of the booming voice of James Earl Jones, a one-time city native who got his start in productions here.
For more entertainment, catch a shuttle to see national touring groups or play the slots at Little River Casino. Or look to the buskers strumming guitars along the riverwalk and Thursday bluegrass concerts at the gazebo.
Photo Courtesy of Seng’s Marina
Water and woods
Water and woodsBut really, life here is a day (or whole vacation) at the beach, and has been since industries like lumber and salt slowed. Around 1915, the city decided to clean up its waterfront and devote its energies to tourism. The advent of the automobile meant more visitors were driving (not taking the steamships from spots like Chicago), and so Manistee went as far as removing dunes that bloc
ked a portion of First Street so visitors could even reach the beach. In the late ’20s, the Century Boat Company set up shop here, bringing even more emphasis to the waterways.
In years since, Kenny notes, the city’s public works department has focused on regular beach sweeping — thus the sugar sand that seems to stretch for miles, and concessionaires now add more fun. Fifth Avenue Beach, from which you can walk the pier to the lighthouse, offers beach toys and chair rentals; First Street Beach is where the younger crowd flocks for beach volleyball and the DJ often spinning tunes. You can even rent a stand-up paddleboard or kayak here through Manistee Adventure Paddle Sports.
Don some headphones and gaze at the water and woods (“Spirit of the Woods” is the Ottawa translation for Manistee) and let your beach soundtrack be the voice of actress Toni Trucks (a Manistee native now known for her role in the CBS drama “SEAL Team”) who narrated the stories of favorite stops like the Ramsdell, where she (like Jones) got a stage start. Later, wander in search of new restaurants and changes in the streetscape that a future downtown transformation project will bring.
“We as a community are poised and ready for growth,” Kenny says. “We’re ready, and we’re excited.”
Festivals celebrate old and new
The National Forest Festival, an 80-year July 4th weekend tradition, features fireworks over Lake Michigan, arts and crafts, and more.
Hops and Props, held each September, celebrates the city’s boating history — and beer. The Century Boat Club features classic wooden boats along the channel. Right from the Municipal Marina, visitors can listen to live music while sampling more than 100 craft beverages from across Michigan.
The music that comes the first weekend in December is the clip-clop of draft horses hauling a massive tree down River Street (and a trombone band), serving as the backdrop for roasted chestnuts, parades and more at the Manistee Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend. Think Victorian charm on steroids and a perfect time to wander the town for gifts and antiques.
Photo Courtesy of Hops & Props
Planes, trains & automobiles
Boaters love the water, but that doesn’t mean they’re transportation snobs. Once you’ve docked and explored on foot, check out the city:
• By air: Orchard Beach Aviation flies two routes or a combo, taking those who sign up ($30 per person) on 15-minute tours aboard a small plane to either the shoreline vistas near downtown Manistee or Portage Lake, both highlighted by beaches, bluffs and the ever-changing colors of Lake Michigan waters. orchardbeachaviation.com.
• By trolley: Trolleys once traversed Manistee’s cobblestone streets on an elaborate network of rails. Today, mid-June to September 1, these vintage trolleys can take you back — and take you around — as you explore the area with a guide in period costume. Bonus: Along with historic parts of town, the ($6) hour-long tours head to the state park and beaches. visitmanisteecounty.com.
• By car: Rent a car from the Manistee airport, then take a shoreline route so classic that a popular line of clothing and lifestyle gear has popped up with the road sign as its logo. The southern end of M22 connects to U.S. 31 just north of Manistee. Start first at Douglas Valley Vineyards, where the “wooly cows” sign makes sense as you glance to your left to see the herd, and wine and cider is sipped on the breezy porch of a former bunkhouse for rail passengers. Quaint Onekama, which the road cuts through, was once a prime tourist destination, the spring water bubbling from road stops the basis of a health retreat industry. Leave time to stop in Arcadia, where the museum inside a stunning Victorian home features exhibits on Harriet Quimby, a one-time resident, early journalist and flouter of convention who became America’s first licensed woman pilot in 1911 — the first to fly the English channel. And have a camera ready for the stunning overlook called Inspiration Point, the Lake Michigan vista worth every puff up the 120 steps.
Photo by Mark Bauhs
Travel back
Manistee offers a self-guided tour of more than 100 historic sites, as well as YouTube videos narrated by actress and native Toni Trucks on the visitor bureau website (visitmanisteecounty.com). Through the tour, you’ll learn about this one-time melting pot of immigrants speaking multiple languages, a few of whom struck it lucky enough to make millions, says Mark Fedder, executive director of the Manistee County Historical Museum, as well as the larger class of laborers who came from around the world. Founded in 1869, Manistee became one of Northern Michigan’s first cities, successful due to the deepwater port developed in Manistee Lake. The lumber industry later morphed into salt, which was mined there.
To see what life was like downtown, check out the Manistee County Historical Society museum located inside the former Lyman Drug Company (the name still on the outside), which opened in the 1890s. The museum, complete with 18-foot tin ceilings, also features prescriptions and drug displays so authentic it draws visiting pharmacy students along with others who check out the lumberman’s office, Victorian-era dining room and collection of old cameras, brewery equipment and Victorian clothing. (manisteemuseum.org).
Photo by ScottB211
