Travel Plans for 2024: Great Lakes, Maritime History, and the Big Outdoors.

2023 has come to a close, and Hidden Gems has been live for four months. Our first full calendar year stands before us, open and inviting. We are so excited to continue this adventure with you and to share our travel plans for 2024 with you.

What began as a dream conversation while on the way home from vacation has turned into something real that has brought us so much closer together. We love traveling together and experiencing new things and new places. When we took some time to look back at our first few months (over a surprise blueberry beer, in part), it gave us a jumping-off point for where to go this year.

Our Inspirations for this Year

• Port Huron – what a fun town to explore. This is where we learned it is *technically* possible to drink too much coffee and that it’s *not* possible to get tired of looking out over one of the Great Lakes.
• Fort Gratiot Lighthouse – These anchors of history (and maritime safety) call to us, remind us of those who have come before, and our admiration for the adventurers of their day.
• Huron Lightship Museum – what can we say? Ships are cool.
• USS Edson – ships that are HUGE and have snipes (seriously, that poem hit me right in the gut) and remind us of the battles fought for our country.

We Love the Great Lakes

I mean, who doesn’t? So, we will focus on the shoreline communities of the Great Lakes in Michigan. As we plan our adventures this year, we are looking for the hidden gems where the water meets the sand and rocks. Mostly.

We Love the Outdoors

There are so many outdoor places to explore along the shorelines of the Great Lakes, and we are very excited to see them. Beaches, hikes, lighthouses, and scenic stops give us many chances to get out into nature. Good for the body and the spirit. Many local, State and National Parks line the shores of Michigan, and we hope to stop at many of them.

We Love History

Michigan’s history is fascinating, and we will continue to learn more about this great state with our travel plans for 2024. Since we are traversing the shoreline this year, our primary focus will be maritime history, ships, lighthouses, and probably some of the lumber history.

We are very excited to have a focus for the next year. Do you have a favorite Michigan Hidden Gem to recommend? Drop us a line, add a comment below, or message us on Facebook.

Where are you traveling this year?