The Quaint Town to Visit During Michigan Summers

 Northern Michigan is such a beautiful place to visit year round, but especially in the summer when you can dip your toes in the crystal clear waters, enjoy kayaking and boating and exploring these towns by foot.

For the ultimate relaxing family vacation in Michigan, there’s no better place than Beulah or Frankfort around Crystal Lake.

Where to Stay

I stayed at a beautifully renovated home that sleeps 12+ right on Crystal Lake in Beulah. You can find this rental on VRBO. It had plenty enough space for my 12 family members who joined, a giant kitchen, two grills, comfy rooms and a large porch fully furnished to kick back and enjoy the views. Plus it doesn’t hurt that the rental included a row boat, kayaks and paddle boards AND walkable to downtown Beulah.

What to Do

There’s plenty of relaxing to do, but when that gets old (but I promise you it probably won’t), you can walk downtown Beulah for some shopping (loved Unearthed for stones, crystals and decor) and eating. We spent 90% of our vacation at the rental home playing in the water. Find a rental that includes some of those amenities which saves you on renting them.

You can also rent motorized boats like pontoons, jet skis and more. Pro tip: don’t wait a few days before you want to rent! These book out months, weeks in advance and you’ll want to reserve a boat when you book the rental just to be safe. Check here for boat rental options.

Frankfort is just around the corner too and a great place to explore and grab a bite to eat.

You can also visit Pointe Betsie Lighthouse!

WHERE TO EAT

So we made almost all our meals at the house, but grabbed essentials from the grocery store in Frankfort, cheeses and snacks from Market Basket which is just about across the street from where we stayed. We just walked over there! You can grab bakery items, produce and more just like you would at a farmer’s market, but this is indoors.

We grabbed ice cream from Dairy King and beware the ice cream they scoop is A LOT. I grabbed a small cone but was giant! They carry Moomer’s ice cream which I think is one of the most delicious ice creams out there.

L’Chayim Deli was a spot a friend told me about and said I absolutely had to try the chocolate chip cookie–so I indulged and it was just as delicious as she claimed! They’re huge cookies! And my family enjoyed the sandwiches they ordered from here too.

I’ve also visited Stormcloud Brewing when I was here in the winter and the pizza was delicious! Check out more recommendations for nearby Frankfort here.