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Information on Tourism in Michigan

Michigan has 3,200 miles of shoreline which touches four of the five Great Lakes. Within the state, over 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of rivers and streams offer all manner of water-based recreation, including canoeing, boating, swimming, and sailing.
Hobie-cat sailing on East Grand Traverse Bay (photo by Dr. Robert Thomas)

There are 99 state parks in Michigan, offering visitors a wide variety of hiking, camping, swimming, fishing, boating, sailing, hunting, and horseback riding opportunities. Many of the state parks also rent cabins.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park (photo by Michelle Lee)

Michigan is also plentiful in wildlife. Wolves have been legally protected in Michigan since 1965. The Kirtland's Warbler has been the focus of much attention in breeding and habitat formation and recovery efforts. All told, dozens of unique wildlife species make Michigan's natural areas their homes. Six state zoos also contain animals from around the world.
The Potter Park Zoo, Lansing, MI (photo by Meg Clark)
There are 116 lighthouses and navigational lights in Michigan, with some of them open to the public. Many of the lighthouses are affiliated with museums or historical sites, such as the Whitefish Point Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
Grand Island lighthouse (photo used by permission of Dr. Gail Vander Stoep, Copyright 1997)

    Michigan also has more than 700 public golf courses, and is first in the nation in the number of new courses that open each year.
Golf Course at the Grand Traverse Resort (photo by Karen Stark)     For skiiers, Michigan boasts more than 40 downhill ski areas. Thanks to the lake effect, there's plenty of snow on the ground in winter. Ski slopes range from 100 to over 600 feet high and some runs can go for more than a mile. Cross country skiiers will find more than 3400 km of Nordic ski trails in Michigan. For snowmobilers, there are more than 4200 miles of marked snowmobile trails.
Ski slopes at Caberfae, MI (photo by Mark Bowersox)     Michigan's cities are also packed with cultural events and historic sites, including the state capitol building in Lansing, the Motown Historical Museum in Detroit or the Cultural Center in Flint. Several professional sports franchises make their home in Detroit: the Tigers, the Lions, the Pistons, and the Redwings, along with the IHL Detroit Vipers. Four minor-league baseball teams call Michigan home as well: the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Michigan Battle Cats, the Lansing Lugnuts, and the Kalamazoo Kodiaks. Racing fans should check out the Michigan International Speedway, a two mile long speedway racetrack.
Michigan International Speedway (photo used by permission of Dr. Gail Vander Stoep, Copyright 1997) Other web sites of interest: