Travel

String of Emeralds - Beaches

Michigan’s Lower Peninsula is a wonderful alternative to the Gulf Coast. I know. I’ve frequented both areas. Lake Michigan always reminds me why it’s the crown jewel of all Southwestern Michigan lakes. Every gorgeously-hued sunset colors the many beaches bordering its sparkling, magnificent desolation. Anyone who hasn’t visited likely visualizes lesser lakes. There is no comparison. Lake Michigan truly is an inland sea, covering over twenty-two thousand square miles with sixteen-hundred miles of coastline, a lot of which is beachfront (great-lakes.net, 2015; USA Today, 2017).

Yet there are over eleven-thousand lakes of numerous sizes all over Michigan, many of which dot the Southern Peninsula (Wikipedia, 2017). I have often daydreamed about the hours I’ve boated, water skied, or fished many of the deep emerald public lakes, like Eagle, Paw Paw, or Big Lake. No family or friends in the region? No worries. There’s no shortage of quaint, economical beach, and lakeside Air BNB’s, and charters to choose from.