A flight from Detroit to Marquette can sometimes be extremely affordable if you get it at the right time, and the one hour flight time definitely beats the seven hour drive time from metro-Detroit!
If you ever find yourself looking for a long weekend or in the UP visiting the Pictured Rocks or the Tahquamenon Falls, don’t skip Marquette! It’s such a picturesque little town with so much charm, it might just be my second choice for a retirement location now (first choice is Christmas, MI of course).
Doncker’s
When you get to Marquette in the morning, you just have to stop by Donckers for breakfast. Especially if you like to reminisce about the times when breakfast was only 3 pennies and sweet shops were a-plenty. They even have a soda fountain menu!
I ordered the Queen City breakfast sandwich, which has egg, ham, tomato, avocado, goat cheese, and hummus. Yum! (Put anything on the menu that has goat cheese and I guarantee, that’s probably what I’ll get.)
Sugarloaf Mountain
After breakfast, shoot over to Sugarloaf Mountain, about a 10-15 minute drive from the downtown area and one of those gorgeous overlooks you picture when you think of the rugged north that is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Better yet? It’s free! There’s a small parking lot and it’s just about a 15-20 minute walk to the top. There is an easy and a difficult route. The difficult one it steeper, with lots of roots, and maybe a few minutes faster and the easy one is a lot more gradual incline around the mountain (but still with lots of steps up at the end). We opted for the easy way up and the difficult one down!
The views are spectacular, and if you go early enough on a weekday, it’d be wonderful to get the place all to yourselves. I’d recommend going in the fall when the leaves are changing because that would make the view even that much more breathtaking. Take along a thermos of hot cider or cocoa and you can enjoy it sitting on one of the many rock ledges on top.
Blackrocks Brewery
Before lunch (yes, I’m thinking about food again already!), make a stop at Blackrocks Brewery for a beer tasting flight at a cute little house with a patio and cornhole. They’re changing theyir beers up all the time, but my favorite was the Blackrocks Grand Rabbits, which is always available and described as “a refreshing, dry hopped cream ale. Ideal for the porch, beach, canoe or campfire. Made with pure Lake Superior H20.”
Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery
For “linner” (lunch/dinner), we opted for Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery, despite the myriad of other great-sounding restaurant recommendations we had received (guess we’ll have to go back!). We were looking for something a little different and we found it!
Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery is located right off one of the main blocks of the city, down some steps, and behind a big heavy wooden door. As soon as you go through the door, you’re transported right onto Bourbon Street in a dark, festive creole joint perfect for crawfish eating and brandy drinking.
The meals are huge, so we opted to split the seafood risotto and some hush puppies. It was delicious, creamy, and not spicy like you’d think. But the restaurant has a huge menu, with tons of authentic, homemade southern dishes like fried green tomatoes, muffaletta salad, jambalaya, and so much more. I wished we had more time in Marquette so I could go back and try some more of their fabulous food.
Presque Isle Park
After dinner, jet on over to Presque Isle park to watch the sunset over Lake Superior. There’s a long pier you can walk out to a lighthouse or a really neat scenic drive with places to stop off for photos or short hikes. I’ve even heard of some cliff jumping happening there, although we didn’t get quite so adventurous on this trip.
And there you have it—the perfect itinerary if you only have a day in Marquette—although I hope you have more!
Til’ Next Time,
CAITLYN WITHOUT A COMPASS
For more Michigan travel inspiration, check out these other destinations HERE.
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