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Michigan - Home to the Midwest’s Largest Gay Resort and more!
Michigan
Home to the Midwest’s Largest Gay Resort and more!
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Michigan is well known for its 19 million acres of forest, 100 public beaches, 129 lighthouses, auto industry history and Motown. Did you also know that Michigan has been an LGBT vacation destination since the 1920s and is now home to the Midwest’s largest gay resort?
We asked Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan, to tell us more.
How would you describe Michigan's LGBT friendliness in one sentence?
Michigan is a place that welcomes all; that is a tradition we are proud of and that we celebrate with the Pure Michigan campaign.
What can you tell us about the LGBT history in Michigan?
Equality Michigan may be able to provide additional background and context on the broader LGBT history in Michigan (https://equalitymi.org/media-inquiries/)
Michigan is home to one of the Midwest’s oldest and most popular LGBTQ leisure travel destinations. As far back as the 1920s Saugatuck has been a vacation mecca for LGBT travelers looking to take advantage of the state’s beautiful beach towns.
The first Michigan Pride event was help in June of 1989 and communities throughout the state including Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Ferndale hold their own Pride events throughout the year.
What can you tell us about the best things for LGBT travelers to see and do while visiting Michigan?
A trip to the Saugatuck and Douglas, small town harbor villages that celebrate diversity, is a must with beautiful Oval Beach, shops and galleries featuring local artisans and one of the top LGBTQ resorts in the Midwest (The Dunes Resort). Saugatuck and Douglas also boast many LGBTQ run businesses that cater to the traveler, including Hercules Bar & Grill, The Pines Motor Lodge and Uncommon Grounds Coffee.
If you are looking for an urban experience to round out your stay in Saugatuck, head less than an hour north to Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city. Grand Rapids is known for its art and craft beer scene (be sure to check out Frederik Meijer Gardens or the GRAM and one of 32 breweries on the Experience Grand Rapids Brewsader passport).
It is also home to The Apartment Lounge – catering to the LGBTQ community for more than 4 decades. There is no better place to hear first hand about Michigan’s LGBTQ history from the locals.
Detroit has long had an active LGBTQ community, but with the city’s resurgence of development including boutique hotels and neighborhoods, along with a culinary scene that has earned Detroit recognition as the top “unexpected” food city by National Geographic, it’s back on the map as a leisure travel destination.
Hotels like The Foundation Hotel, Aloft Detroit at the David Whitney Building and El Moore Lodge offer unique experiences like a bike tour from the Detroit Riverfront through Dequindre Cut to Eastern Market.
Travelers that like to support gay-owned establishments should visit Briggs Detroit which opened in 2015 as the first gay-owned bar in Detroit since the 1990s - a sports bar that pay homage to the former Tiger Stadium and La Feria, a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Club Gold Coast is a popular gay bar in Detroit
Nearby Ferndale is an LGBT inclusive city with a walkable downtown where inclusion has been woven into the DNA of the city from events to governance.
While Ferndale is a great place to live, it’s also a great place to visit during a trip to Detroit.
* The Rust Belt Market is a collection of local vendors where you can find unique wares.
* Laid back options for nightlight include SOHO Ferndale and Valentine Vodka Cocktail Lounge, a local award-winning vodka distillery.
* Restaurants including Como’s (Italian-American in Ferndale since 1961), GreenSpace Café (vegan cuisine and craft cocktails), Pop’s For Italian (traditional Italian and pizza) or Anita’s Kitchen (Lebanese fare).
Other major attractions in the state include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Good Morning America’s Most Beautiful Place in America) and Traverse City, Mackinac Island, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – the only U.S. Destination on Lonely Planet’s Best Value Destination of 2017 list.
While these destinations may not be targeted specifically toward the LGBTQ traveler, they are welcoming destinations for all that would be on any Michigan vacation bucket list.
How would you describe The Dunes and Saugatuck?
Saugatuck is an artsy, waterfront destination where you can slow down and enjoy being “on lake time.”
For more than a century, artists have been drawn to the area for its beaches, dunes and scenery. This artistic heritage is still woven into the shops, galleries and art-based events and activities and is referred to as the “Art Coast” of Michigan including being home to the world-renowned Ox-Bow School of Art.
Along the shore of Lake Michigan and a gorgeous sand dune forest, Oval Beach provides days of sun and sport and a sunset so beautiful, people visit just to see it.
This beach was named one of the top 25 beaches in the world by Condé Nast and one of the top two beaches in the USA by National Geographic Traveler.
With more than 140 gay owned and LGBTQ friendly companies, the downtown areas of Saugatuck and Douglas are full of shops, restaurants and galleries.
Aside from the beach, take a Saugatuck Dune Ride or a Harbor Duck Ride or visit for the Saugatuck Venetian Festival.
For more than 30 years, The Dunes Resort has been the Midwest’s largest gay resort on 20 acres with more than 80 rooms, cottages and suites where guests can enjoy the surrounding area, partake in the themed parties by the pool or take in a live Carabret show and within the entertainment complex of the resort.
Beyond the amenities and atmosphere, The Dunes is self-described as a place where you can simply be yourself. The resort has themed weekends, weekly events, DJs, drag shows and more.
For more Michigan travel information, visit http://www.michigan.org/
Home to the Midwest’s Largest Gay Resort and more!
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Michigan is well known for its 19 million acres of forest, 100 public beaches, 129 lighthouses, auto industry history and Motown. Did you also know that Michigan has been an LGBT vacation destination since the 1920s and is now home to the Midwest’s largest gay resort?
We asked Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan, to tell us more.
How would you describe Michigan's LGBT friendliness in one sentence?
Michigan is a place that welcomes all; that is a tradition we are proud of and that we celebrate with the Pure Michigan campaign.
What can you tell us about the LGBT history in Michigan?
Equality Michigan may be able to provide additional background and context on the broader LGBT history in Michigan (https://equalitymi.org/media-inquiries/)
Michigan is home to one of the Midwest’s oldest and most popular LGBTQ leisure travel destinations. As far back as the 1920s Saugatuck has been a vacation mecca for LGBT travelers looking to take advantage of the state’s beautiful beach towns.
The first Michigan Pride event was help in June of 1989 and communities throughout the state including Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Ferndale hold their own Pride events throughout the year.
What can you tell us about the best things for LGBT travelers to see and do while visiting Michigan?
A trip to the Saugatuck and Douglas, small town harbor villages that celebrate diversity, is a must with beautiful Oval Beach, shops and galleries featuring local artisans and one of the top LGBTQ resorts in the Midwest (The Dunes Resort). Saugatuck and Douglas also boast many LGBTQ run businesses that cater to the traveler, including Hercules Bar & Grill, The Pines Motor Lodge and Uncommon Grounds Coffee.
If you are looking for an urban experience to round out your stay in Saugatuck, head less than an hour north to Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city. Grand Rapids is known for its art and craft beer scene (be sure to check out Frederik Meijer Gardens or the GRAM and one of 32 breweries on the Experience Grand Rapids Brewsader passport).
It is also home to The Apartment Lounge – catering to the LGBTQ community for more than 4 decades. There is no better place to hear first hand about Michigan’s LGBTQ history from the locals.
Detroit has long had an active LGBTQ community, but with the city’s resurgence of development including boutique hotels and neighborhoods, along with a culinary scene that has earned Detroit recognition as the top “unexpected” food city by National Geographic, it’s back on the map as a leisure travel destination.
Hotels like The Foundation Hotel, Aloft Detroit at the David Whitney Building and El Moore Lodge offer unique experiences like a bike tour from the Detroit Riverfront through Dequindre Cut to Eastern Market.
Travelers that like to support gay-owned establishments should visit Briggs Detroit which opened in 2015 as the first gay-owned bar in Detroit since the 1990s - a sports bar that pay homage to the former Tiger Stadium and La Feria, a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Club Gold Coast is a popular gay bar in Detroit
Nearby Ferndale is an LGBT inclusive city with a walkable downtown where inclusion has been woven into the DNA of the city from events to governance.
While Ferndale is a great place to live, it’s also a great place to visit during a trip to Detroit.
* The Rust Belt Market is a collection of local vendors where you can find unique wares.
* Laid back options for nightlight include SOHO Ferndale and Valentine Vodka Cocktail Lounge, a local award-winning vodka distillery.
* Restaurants including Como’s (Italian-American in Ferndale since 1961), GreenSpace Café (vegan cuisine and craft cocktails), Pop’s For Italian (traditional Italian and pizza) or Anita’s Kitchen (Lebanese fare).
Other major attractions in the state include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Good Morning America’s Most Beautiful Place in America) and Traverse City, Mackinac Island, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – the only U.S. Destination on Lonely Planet’s Best Value Destination of 2017 list.
While these destinations may not be targeted specifically toward the LGBTQ traveler, they are welcoming destinations for all that would be on any Michigan vacation bucket list.
How would you describe The Dunes and Saugatuck?
Saugatuck is an artsy, waterfront destination where you can slow down and enjoy being “on lake time.”
For more than a century, artists have been drawn to the area for its beaches, dunes and scenery. This artistic heritage is still woven into the shops, galleries and art-based events and activities and is referred to as the “Art Coast” of Michigan including being home to the world-renowned Ox-Bow School of Art.
Along the shore of Lake Michigan and a gorgeous sand dune forest, Oval Beach provides days of sun and sport and a sunset so beautiful, people visit just to see it.
This beach was named one of the top 25 beaches in the world by Condé Nast and one of the top two beaches in the USA by National Geographic Traveler.
With more than 140 gay owned and LGBTQ friendly companies, the downtown areas of Saugatuck and Douglas are full of shops, restaurants and galleries.
Aside from the beach, take a Saugatuck Dune Ride or a Harbor Duck Ride or visit for the Saugatuck Venetian Festival.
For more than 30 years, The Dunes Resort has been the Midwest’s largest gay resort on 20 acres with more than 80 rooms, cottages and suites where guests can enjoy the surrounding area, partake in the themed parties by the pool or take in a live Carabret show and within the entertainment complex of the resort.
Beyond the amenities and atmosphere, The Dunes is self-described as a place where you can simply be yourself. The resort has themed weekends, weekly events, DJs, drag shows and more.
For more Michigan travel information, visit http://www.michigan.org/
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Copyright 2017 Sunny Harbor Publishing Sunny Harbor Publishing, PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956 Phone: 321-446-7552 Email: [email protected] Website: www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org |
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Gay Travelers Magazine
the best cruise & travel news, tips & reviews for the sensible gay traveler
the best cruise & travel news, tips & reviews for the sensible gay traveler