Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory

April's Must-Stay Parks:
 Hearthside Grove Offers Proximity To The Many Lighthouses of Michigan's Upper & Lower Peninsula

With an unrivaled maritime heritage, Michigan’s northern lower peninsula is home to one of the most historic and diverse collections of lighthouses to be found anywhere in the country. For either the casual or fanatic lighthouse aficionado, your home base at Hearthside Grove affords innumerable opportunities to experience the majesty and history of these Great Lakes maritime treasures.

Hearthside Grove Luxury Motorcoach Resort has been developed by brother’s Kirk & Craig Rose. The property consists of 140-acre’s and from an existing palette of mature trees has developed into a premier motorcoach destination. In an organic environment filled with twists, turns and trees, no two lots have the same size or dimension. People pick out the parcel that best suits them, then create a custom design to match their lifestyle. Hearthside Grove is a resort where people gather with the simple desire to connect with the land and each other.
A 45- minute drive north on Highway 31 will take you to Mackinaw City, one of the nation’s premier maritime destinations. Here, you can tour and climb two towers. The 1869 McGulpin Point and 1892 Old Mackinac Point lighthouses, both of which served to guide mariners through the treacherous narrows of the Straits of Mackinac. Mackinaw City is also the departure point for unique three-to-four-hour lighthouse cruises offered by Shepler’s Ferry. With expert narration by members of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, you will learn of the perils that served as the catalyst for building these offshore sentinels, the incredible stories of their construction, and the hardships endured by the valiant keepers who served them.
?
A two-hour run east across Michigan will bring you to Presque Isle on Lake Huron. The Presque Isle peninsula offers a rare opportunity to climb two towers – the 1840 “old light,” with its hand-hewn stone stairs being one of the oldest standing towers, and the 1871 “new light,” being one of the tallest on the western lakes. Just north of Rogers City, you can climb the tower of the 1897 Forty Mile Point lighthouse and obtain a close-up view of its intricate Fresnel lens, which throws prismatic colors throughout the lantern on a sunny day. In the Cheboygan State Park just south of the city is an enjoyable half hour hike through the woods to “Lighthouse Point,” where you can view the ruins of the 1851 Cheboygan lighthouse and enjoy a magnificent view of the Straits of Mackinac and the mighty Mackinac Bridge.
An hour-and-a-half drive south down Highway 31 provides the opportunity to view more lighthouses, two of which are open to the public for tours and tower climbs. Arriving in Traverse City, an 18-mile drive north up the Old Mission Peninsula through its rolling vineyards and orchards will take you to the 1870 Mission Point lighthouse, where you can climb the tower for a view of Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan beyond. A 40-minute drive north into the Leelanau Peninsula through the arts and crafts communities of Suttons Bay and Northport will bring you to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum, where you can tour the lighthouse museums.

Back at Hearthside Grove each oversized lot comes standard with a 24-ft x 70-ft brick pad including state-of-the-art hookups, full irrigation and natural gas for outdoor barbecues. The facility features fireplaces, fire pits and a resort-style swimming pool. Other amenities include a fully-appointed fitness center, wireless Internet, tennis court, fenced pet runs, bocce ball and horse shoe pit. The completion of a 18,000 square-foot clubhouse is quickly becoming a reality.

Come visit Hearthside Grove and marvel at the wonders around us, take in new sites and sounds and remember just how beautiful life can be.

To learn more about Hearthside Grove and to book your reservation call us at 888-271-6342 or visit us at www.hearthsidegrove.com

Terry Pepper is a lighthouse historian, photographer and Executive Director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to lighthouse preservation and education. Visit them at www.gllka.com, or call their office at 231-436-5580
<< Check Out Last Month's Must-Stays Read More April's Must-Stay Parks >>
Check Out Next Month's Must-Stays >>