Michigan Archives - Shalee Wanders

overrated places in the US

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact The Most Overrated Places in The United States (And Where to Go Instead) May 21, 2020 1. Gatlinburg, Tennessee Although beautifully situated in the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg is everything a mountain vacation shouldn’t be. There, I said it. What visitors expect is a quiet cabin in…

Instagrammable place in Michigan

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact The Six Most Instagrammable Places in Michigan March 4, 2020 There’s something captivating about the towering Lake Superior cliffs, which are more tranquil than terrifying, or the warm-evening glow that illuminates all the state’s best features. Time and time again I find myself grabbing my camera…

ironwood mi

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact This Small Midwest Community Holds Some Of The Country’s Best Hidden Adventures October 21, 2019 There’s something about a place that feels like home the moment you arrive. Less than four hours after landing in Ironwood, Michigan, I’m standing in the middle of a black and…

michigan road trip route

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact Four Road Trips You Need to Take in Michigan This Summer The entire population of Michigan is emerging from their winter habitats, eyes squinting beneath a forgotten sun. Unlike the newly released season of Game of Thrones, winter is not here. Or at least they hope.…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact Four Romantic Getaways in Michigan For Every Kind of Couple From sipping wine on the shores of Lake Michigan to candlelit dinners overlooking the Detroit skyline, there is an abundance of romantic getaway options right here in Michigan. You can forget about jetting off to Paris,…

A Weekend in Traverse City

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact The Midwest’s Most Picture-Perfect Town: Traverse City The first thing I noticed when I was deboarding the plane was the smell. A mid-October scent of thick fall flannels and pumpkin patches. It smelled like home. I was eager for fall color. Let me rephrase. I…

Best State to Visit in the Fall

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact THE SIX BEST STATES TO VISIT IN THE FALL I’m currently in South Carolina. It was 86 today and I attempted to wear a fuzzy sweater. I’ve unapologetically ordered a PSL from Starbucks. It still wasn’t worth $5, but I’ve come to accept the defeat…

Hidden Waterfall Michigan

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact Six Hidden Michigan Secrets Michigan is consistently and vastly underrated, but we like it that way. There are rarely crowds which ruin beauty, and there are still dozens of unexplored and relatively unknown places hidden throughout the Upper and Lower Peninsula. Out of all…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact 30 Photos That Will Make You Want to Visit Michigan Right Now From the golden shores of Saugatuck to the rocky cliffs of Lake Superior, Michigan holds some of the most pristine and untouched beauty in the country. Still not sold? Check out these photos: 1.…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact STORIES BEHIND MY TEN FAVORITE TRAVEL PHOTOS Pictures are worth a thousand words, but sometimes they’re worth much more. Travel or not, we each have photos we cherish that capture a particular moment of happiness. Or perhaps a not-so-happy moment but a story that shaped the…

Best Winter Town

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact WHY TRAVERSE CITY IS AMERICA’S BEST WINTER TOWN The United States is filled with quaint mountain towns fighting for the prestigious title of “Best Winter Destination.” Sorry Aspen, Boulder, and Park City, you’ve been beaten by a town you’ve probably never heard of. Welcome to Traverse…

Plan a fall camping trip A little colder than normal? Yeah. Worth it to wake up under a canopy of brilliant yellow and reds? Also yes. I love waking up on a crisp morning and digging out of the tent only to hear nothing but a crisp crunch under my step. There’s something so simple…

As a child going “Up North” was *almost* as good as Christmas. I’d cry every time we came home (way after I was too old to be crying to come home). I still believe there is magic along shores. I have never met a person who was disappointed with Northern Michigan. Except I did hear…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact ONE YEAR OF TRAVEL: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY It’s officially been a year since I declined a full-time job after graduation to embark on a life-altering adventure. I could write a book (actually, I am writing a book…eek!) about everything that has happened in the last year…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact Five Must-Camp Places in Michigan This Summer Updated: January 25, 2020 Summer months in The Mitten are considered sacred. We patiently wait from November to April for the weather to break, the lakes to become swimmable, and the camping nights comfortable. Each year we each make a…

Below is a selection of photographs showing fragile environments affected by our decisions as a country and world.

A sunset in Greece over the Aegean Sea was beautiful. A sunset in the mountains of Norway was stunning. A beach sunset in Hawaii was breathtaking. Yet a Lake Michigan sunset remains the most magical of them all. People who finds themselves lost, hurt, or broken; often travel to the shores of Lake Michigan for healing. They…

Want to win a trip to Traverse City? Here’s your chance! As many of you know, I am in love with northern Michigan. It’s the place that inspired me to start a blog and begin this crazy journey. A little over two years later, I’ve just celebrated my MILLIONTH view. MILLIONTH. 999,000 more than what…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact AN ALTERNATIVE GRADUATION: HOT AIR BALLOONING I’m a college graduate, guys. I’M A COLLEGE GRADUATE. Whew. What a weekend. Last week my pending graduation was finally beginning to hit me. My Facebook feed was filled with classmates taking pictures around campus in their green &…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact 8 TIPS FOR TIGHT BUDGET TRAVEL Some of us are visual learners (myself included). This week I decided to take a different approach to share some of my tips while traveling on a budget. What is the twist? AN INFOGRAPHIC. Recently, I’ve had a bit…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact 8 SMALL TOWN MICHIGAN OVERNIGHT GETAWAYS 1. Mesick It’s in the middle of nowhere, it’s near the highest point in the Lower Peninsula, and it’s the mushroom capital of the world. If you love hunting for those Morel mushrooms come spring, this is the place…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact The Six Best Lighthouses in Michigan January 25, 2020 When I’m old, frail, and slightly senile, I want to be a lighthouse keeper. I want to have a cat named Indiana Jones, a beautiful view of a lake, and most importantly – an ice cream…

Secret caves Michigan

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact 5 ADVENTURES IN EVERY MIDWEST STATE 12 states officially claim the Midwest as home. Although we may not have towering mountains or vast oceans, we are spoiled with lush forests, freshwater and unpopulated blissful hikes. So set the remotes down and challenge yourself to try…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact 5 WEEKEND ADVENTURES OUTSIDE MICHIGAN Michigan is great, but sometimes it’s needed to get out and go exploring beyond the boundaries. We all know how busy life can be, and the thought of a reality-escaping adventure can seem far from possible. Well, let’s say you…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact A DATE LUGING IN MUSKEGON! You’ll be seeing me in the next Olympics. (not really…) However, Josh and I recently got to experience what it’s like to luge in Muskegon! You know, that sport they race down an icy track on a sled going so…

HomeAboutDestinations North America International MichiganGet Outside Adventure Hiking CampingMedia/PRGalleryShopContact 8 EPIC WINTER ACTIVITES IN MICHIGAN If I’ve learned anything when blogging about Michigan, it’s that people LOVE lists. I’m totally okay with that because I love them too! We’re all at the point where winter is starting to get on our nerves. No, car,…