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You told us 70 things every Michigander should experience at least once

Steven Depolo | Flickr
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http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM

We asked you on Facebook. We went outside the studio (*gasp*) and asked people in the street. You tweeted us on Twitter. You told us 70 experiences every Michigander should have at least once. 

Credit Steven Depolo | Flickr / http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
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http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM

These are in no particular order...except to note Sleeping Bear Dunes was, hands down, the most popular response.

Followed by "hunting for Petoskey stones." 

Social Media Producer Kimberly Springer spoke with Cynthia Canty about the experiences, places and events you're most excited about in our state. 

What's on your Michigan bucketlist?

And don't get us wrong: there was a lot of grousing about potholesand MiDAS -- maybe rightfully so -- but we figure everyone needs a break. Time to stop and have just a little bit of gratitude for the positive things we see happening in communities around the state as we report the news and cultural happenings in Michigan. 

So get out your pen/stylus, check off the things you've done, and find some new experiences to have in our state. 

  1. Sleeping Bear Dunes, especially Pierce Stocking Drive #9 stop.
  2. Red Pop
  3. Bike along a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan on M-119/ a cruise along M-119, especially north of Harbor Springs.
  4. Kayaking, boating, hiking at Pictured Rocks
  5. Camp near the Lake Michigan shore in the Nordhouse Dunes 
    Sleeping Bear Dunes climb & Petoskey stone hunting
    Credit Julianne Mooney / Twitter
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    Twitter
    Sleeping Bear Dunes climb & Petoskey stone hunting
  6. Pasties
  7. Go on a wine tasting tour in Leelanau County
  8. Tube down the Platte River until you hit Lake Michigan
  9. Get lost in a corn maze
  10. Grand Rapids
  11. Wild blueberry picking (especially the U.P. during blueberry season)
  12. Tahquamenon Falls
  13. The Detroit Institute of Arts
  14. Hunting Petoskey stones
  15. Campus Martius Park (ice skating, concerts)
    Credit Rick Briggs | Flickr / Flickrhttp://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
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    Flickrhttp://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
  16. The Keweenaw Peninsula 
  17. The Headlands International Dark Sky Park
  18. Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ("where every race, ethnicity, gender etc. are all together and enjoying it together!")
  19. "Going up North"
  20. A sunset from Ludington Light
  21. Jumping off the breakwall in Petoskey
  22. Isle Royale National Park
  23. Mackinac Bridge (driving across it, going under it on a ferry)
  24. A fall color tour by train
  25. Visiting Whitefish Point Light
  26. Mackinac Island (a Carriage Tour, biking to Fort Holmes)
  27. Any activity on the Huron River
  28. Tip-Up Town (Houghton Lake)
  29. The Cheeseburger in Caseville Fest
  30. Lighthouse tours
  31. Art Prize (Grand Rapids) 
    Credit Steven Depolo | Flickr / http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
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    http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
  32. Sunset in Grand Haven (during the spring, summer or fall!)
  33. A race at Michigan International Speedway
  34. Brockway Mountain Drive in the U.P.
  35. "A dune ride around Silver Lake in Mears, MI or take your own vehicle on the dunes. Either way, it's beautiful there."
  36. Crawling to the top of the Copper Peak ski flying jump (Ironwood, MI)
  37. Greek Town (Detroit)
  38. Gwen Frostic's studio in Benzonia
  39. Drive old 31 from Muskegon to Hart
  40. Tunnel of trees starting at Harbor Springs 
    Section of the "Tunnel of Trees" portion of M-119 between Harbor Springs and Good Hart
    Credit Bobak Ha'Eri | Wikimedia Commons / http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
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    http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
    Section of the "Tunnel of Trees" portion of M-119 between Harbor Springs and Good Hart
  41. Sailing Tawas Bay
  42. Michigan beer
  43. Laughing Whitefish Falls
  44. M-22 drive (especially in fall) 
  45. Peterson Beach on Lake Michigan
  46. Whitefish bay and birding
  47. Jeepin’ Marblehead on Drummond Island
  48. Camping along Lake Michigan in the northern part of the state
  49. Detroit Jazz Festival
  50. The Corktown Detroit celebration held the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day
  51. Presque Isle Lighthouse
  52. "The thrill of the catch! Fishing is or should be an equal mix of relaxation and exhilaration. Catch and release, if you please."
  53. Touring the Sault Ste. Marie locks
  54. Silver Beach (St. Joseph, MI)
  55. See Big Mac lit up at night!
  56. Kitch-iti-kipi Spring at Palms Book State Park
  57. AuSable River Canoe Marathon (Grayling, Michigan)
  58. Higgins Lake
  59. Saugatuck
  60. Jumping off the Black Rocks in Marquette
  61. Tecumseh’s River Raisin Run
  62. Great Lakes when they're frozen
  63. McCourtie Park's beautiful cement bridges (Jerome, MI) 
    Credit All Things Michigan | Flickr / http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
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    http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM

  • Boating anywhere along Michigan shores and islands
  • Yacht dreaming in Saugatuck
  • Sunsets on Lake Michigan
  • Hiking in the U.P.
  • Ann Arbor Art Fairs
  • Flint Institute of Art
  • ...and by popular demand: Holland and the Tulip Festival!
  • Share your ideas for things every Michigander must do in the comments below.

    Like this story? Then like Michigan Radio and Statesideon Facebook or follow us on Twitter@MichiganRadioand@StatesideRadio

    Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

    Kimberly is excited to be back in public radio after several years spent teaching at the university and researching level in the US and abroad in London. She is currently a student in UM's School of Information Master of Science program specializing in social computing and archives/records management. Kimberly’s goal is to work in social media and/or digital archives and curation. To that end, she spends most of her spare time "curating" her Spotify collection, waiting for Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead to come back, and planning for zombie apocalypse. Ask her: she has a plan.