Travel
Steve Isola
Features
Best of the Lake: 2019
We wrap up another amazing year for Best of the Lake picks featuring many longtime favorites and quite a few surprise new winners. Read more
DAVID JOHNSON / EXPLORE MINNESOTA
Fisherman’s Picnic, Grand Marais’ 90-year-old festival still acts like a kid
The scent of fizzled fish and fried donuts clung heavy in the air – an odor both delightful and distracting. With the sun hidden behind a thick layer of Lake Superior mist, I took comfort in knowing the day was not lost to the clouds. A large, cement Read more
COURTESY BLUE WAVE INN
Familiar Places, Fresh Faces … New Owners at Favorite Spaces
When taking a spin around the Lake to check in with longtime businesses that have changed ownership this past year or so, a common thread emerges: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Read more
ALAN JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Rural Idyllic: Some of the Best Marriages May Be Born in a Barn
Jill and Kirk Clemmer are a dangerous match. She has exquisite taste and big ideas. He has a hammer and nails and knows how to use them. Read more
JENNIFER JOHNSON
Lake Superior Journal: Peninsula’s Final Voyage A Water Workhorse Sails Home
It started earlier this year with a phone call from Stan Johnson, president of the Marathon & District Historical Society in Marathon, Ontario. Read more
JILL JONES
For These Local Treasures … Stop the Car! Put Benoit Cheese Haus & Tetzner’s Dairy on Your Wisconsin Itinerary
Driving in the Ashland/Washburn area, plan two stops for a true taste of Wisconsin with regional cheese at Benoit Cheese Haus and couldn’t-be-fresher ice cream and milk at Tetzner’s Dairy and its self-serve store Read more
AmberBeth VanNingen / MINNESOTA DNR
10 for the Road Trip Discover the Rare Features in These Scientific & Natural Areas
FYI on SNAs: On Sugarloaf Point near Little Marais, a rugged shoreline testifies to basalt lava flows dating more than 1 billion years ago. On part of Minnesota Point in Duluth, red and white pines 150 to 270 years old dominate a unique nearly forgo Read more
RHONDA SILENCE / WTIP RADIO
Having a Blast in Red, White & Blue, Food, Fireworks, Fun & the Neighbors Make Fourth Traditions
Many Options for Holiday Events: Oohs, aahs and whistles from fireworks fans will be heard in waves along the western shores of Lake Superior on the Fourth of July. But perhaps the best part of celebrating independence is parading with the neighbors. Read more
BEATRICE RINGENBACK
Sassy & Classy. Pine Mountain Music Festival Enters Its Next Generation
In his first season as executive director of the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Doug Day realizes he’s inherited a lot of history for the organization born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, in 1991. Read more
BOB BERG / LAKES SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
Thompson Hill’s ‘Wow Factor’, Come for Visitor Information, Leave Astonished by the View
A Scenic Overlook to Start Your Trip: Many visitors stop at Thompson Hill Welcome Center off Interstate 35 near Spirit Mountain to pick up some information for their trip to Duluth or the North Shore. Read more
BOB BERG / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
A Feel for Water, Interpretive Center Immerses Us into an Estuary
Hands-on in Superior: An interactive exhibit at the Lake Superior Estuarium on Barker’s Island encourages you to reach into cups hiding objects from nature. Read more
BOB BERG / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
Exploring a Different Kind of Beach, Silver Bay Welcomes Beachcombers to Once-Private Shore
Unusual Landscape: For years, locals and tourists visited Black Beach near Silver Bay to hang out on the cool spot with the distinctive charcoal-colored sands despite the beach being privately owned by Cleveland-Cliffs. Read more
LAKEHEAD TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM SOCIETY
A Coast Guard Veteran is Finally Home, Workhorse launched in 1958 Comes Full Circle
Local Hero: Step aboard the retired Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Alexander Henry in Thunder Bay’s Marina Park and check out the view from the wheelhouse or explore the captain’s quarters. Read more
PETRONELLA YTSMA
Creativity on the South Shore, Two Artists in Studio Tour Talk About the Lake’s Influence
Meet the Artists: At Sara Mustonen’s studio in Herbster, you’ll see handwoven wool rugs, cotton towels and scarves made of Tencel (a fiber made from wood pulp), bamboo and silk. Read more
AARON PETERSON
3 Days in Marquette Spoiler Alert: It’s Not Enough Time
Preparing for a few days rest and recreation in Marquette, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options in and around this modest-sized city that happens to be the largest U.P. metro. Read more
TAHQUAMENON FALLS STATE PARK
A Harvest of Fun at Tahquamenon Falls Hayrides with Smokey, a Camper Chili Cook-Off & More Treats
Harvest Fest Fun: If you plan to camp at Tahquamenon Falls State Park on October 13, you’re in for a few treats (and you might want to bring a few to give away, too). Read more
PAUL L. HAYDEN / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
Meet You at the Little Red Schoolhouse Historic Larsmont Building Remains Vital to Its Neighbors
Heart of a Community: Built in 1914, the one-room Larsmont schoolhouse has always been a community focal point. Read more
‘Living the Lakes’ Gales Speaker Shares His Maritime Life & Passion to Save a Great Laker
Ship Shape: The Col. James M. Schoonmaker made an impression on Paul LaMarre III long before he ever saw the 617-foot freighter. Read more
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTION / WIKIPEDIA
A Youthful 350, Sault Ste. Marie Celebrates Its Long, Long History
Semisepticentennial. It’s going to be hard to fit that on an anniversary mug, but organizers plan to fit a lot of celebrating into Sault Ste. Marie’s semisepticentennial year – that’s 350, half or “semi” of 700 or “septicentennial.” Read more
The Travel Guide
Planning a Big Lake trip? Updated annually by our editors, this mile-by-mile guide covers the entire Lake Superior Circle Tour, including side trips, and comes with a handy tear-out map. 136 pages, magazine format. $9.95.
The Ultimate Guide
The Ultimate Guide to the Region is filled with even more information, insider tips and photos. 294 pages, 5 ½" x 8 ½", softcover book. $19.95.
Best of the Lake 2017
The votes are tallied and the results are in. See what readers chose as their favorites in this year’s categories.
