August 1, 2013
Copper Harbor was our readers' choice for Michigan's Best Place for a Day Outside in the 2013 Best of the Lake Awards. Photo: Paul L. Hayden / Lake Superior Magazine.
What makes a business, city or shoreline linger in your memory as one of your best experiences? Is it that particularly friendly waitress and the comfort food at the end of a long day of travel? Is it the person in the information center who not only hands you a map but also directs you to a fantastic beach? Or is it the very Nature of a place – a sandy beach with a gentle slope for wading and swimming? A spectacular view that opens a window in your mind? Or maybe it’s a funky shop well stocked with handmade gifts?
Whatever ignites the spark, the glow of a “Best of” experience will stay with you. Those experiences are what our magazine and website readers shared when they cast their votes for Best of the Lake 2013. We received completed surveys from around the country, done by people who had visited and remembered our region. We also got lots of votes from local folk, who know the best local spots.
So now we invite you to peruse these pages and note the winners. Readers' top picks are marked with a ✯. Start your own list of things to see and try … and watch the magazine and Travel Guide for a future pull-out survey.
The Categories
Best Place for a Day Outside
MICHIGAN✯ Copper Harbor & the Keweenaw Peninsula Marquette |
ONTARIO✯ Terrace Bay Red Rock |
MINNESOTA✯ Duluth Gooseberry Falls State Park |
WISCONSIN✯ Madeline Island Bayfield |
Best Family Lodging
MICHIGAN✯ Snowshoe Inn, Munising Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, Copper Harbor |
ONTARIO✯ Imperial Motel, Terrace Bay Rock Island Lodge, Wawa |
MINNESOTA✯ Cascade Lodge, Lutsen The Inn on Lake Superior, Duluth |
WISCONSINThree-way tie! ✯ Bayfield Inn, Bayfield ✯ Hotel Chequamegon, Ashland ✯ Seagull Bay Motel, Bayfield AmericInn, Ashland |
Duluth's Lakewalk follows the shoreline from Canal Park to Brighton Beach, about 8 miles east.
Photo: Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine.
Best Shoreline to Stroll
MICHIGAN✯ Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Marquette’s waterfront |
ONTARIO✯ Terrace Bay waterfront Thunder Bay waterfront |
MINNESOTA✯ Duluth’s Lakewalk Grand Marais waterfront |
WISCONSIN✯ Big Bay beach, Madeline Island Wisconsin Point, Superior |
Best Smoked Fish
MICHIGAN✯ Peterson’s Fish Market, Hancock Thill’s Fish House, Marquette |
ONTARIO✯ The Fish Shop, Shuniah, east of Thunder Bay Clarence’s Fish Market, Algoma Mills, east of Sault Ste. Marie |
MINNESOTA✯ Russ Kendall’s Smoke House, Knife River Northern Waters Smokehaus, Duluth |
WISCONSIN✯ Everett’s Fisheries, Port Wing Bodin Fisheries, Bayfield |
Best Information Center
MICHIGANTie in Calumet! ✯ Keweenaw National Historical Park’s Calumet Visitor Center ✯ Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor Center Marquette County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Marquette ➡ At right: The Terry Fox Visitor Centre and Monument in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Photo by Paul L. Hayden. |
ONTARIO✯ Terry Fox Visitor Information Centre, Thunder Bay Sault Ste. Marie Tourist Information Centre
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MINNESOTA✯ Thompson Hill Travel Information Center, Duluth Gooseberry Falls State Park Visitor Center, near Castle Danger |
WISCONSIN✯ Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland Bayfield Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Bureau, Bayfield |
Best Locally Made Brew
MICHIGAN✯ Keweenaw Brewing Company, Houghton Blackrocks Brewery, Marquette |
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MINNESOTA✯ Fitger’s Brewhouse, Duluth Castle Danger Brewery, near Two Harbors |
WISCONSIN✯ South Shore Brewery, Ashland Thirsty Pagan, Superior |
Best Upscale Dining
MICHIGAN✯ Harbor Haus, Copper Harbor Elizabeth’s Chop House, Marquette |
ONTARIO✯ Serendipity Gardens, Rossport Salzburger Hof, Batchawana Bay |
MINNESOTA✯ New Scenic Café, near Duluth Naniboujou Lodge and Restaurant, near Grand Marais |
WISCONSIN✯ Wild Rice, Bayfield Rittenhouse Inn, Bayfield |
Best Casual Dining
MICHIGANTie! ✯ Ambassador Restaurant, Houghton ✯ The Vierling Restaurant, Marquette Fitzgerald’s Restaurant, Eagle River |
ONTARIO✯ Drifters Restaurant, Terrace Bay Serendipity Gardens, Rossport |
MINNESOTA✯ Duluth Grill, Duluth Cascade Lodge Restaurant, Lutsen |
WISCONSIN✯ Maggie’s, Bayfield Ethel’s at 250, Bayfield |
The pristine Bête Grise Beach in Lac La Belle, Michigan, is part of a nature preserve that includes 1.7 miles of shoreline. Photo: Krissy Sundstrom.
Best Swimming Beach
MICHIGAN✯ Bête Grise Beach, Lac La Belle Great Sand Bay, Eagle Harbor |
ONTARIO✯ Pumphouse/Terrace Bay beach Pancake Bay beach, Batchawana Bay |
MINNESOTA✯ Park Point, Duluth Burlington Bay beach, Two Harbors |
WISCONSIN✯ Bayview Beach, Bayfield Tie! Cornucopia beach Quarry Beach, Port Wing |
Best Spot to Find a Regional Gift
MICHIGAN✯ Copper World, Calumet Zero Degrees Artist Gallery, Marquette
|
ONTARIOTie! ✯ Agawa Indian Crafts and the Canadian Carver, Pancake Bay ✯ Hummingbird Haus, Terrace Bay Young’s General Store, Wawa ⬅ At left: Copper World in Calumet, Michigan. Photo by Bob Berg. |
MINNESOTA✯ Lake Superior Trading Post, Grand Marais Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais |
WISCONSINTie in Bayfield! ✯ Eckels Pottery ✯ Keeper of the Light Hoth-Lee Art Gallery, Port Wing |
The Apostle Islands dominated the Wisconsin section of Best On-The-Water Experience.
Photo courtesy Madeline Island Chamber of Commerce.
Best On-The-Water Experience
MICHIGAN✯ Isle Royale Line ferry, Copper Harbor to Isle Royale National Park Pictured Rocks Cruises, Munising |
ONTARIO✯ Kayaking or boating to the Slate Islands off Terrace Bay SailSuperior.com, Thunder Bay Harbor cruises |
MINNESOTA✯ Vista Fleet harbor cruises, Duluth Grand Portage-Isle Royale Transportation Line ferry, Grand Portage to Isle Royale National Park |
WISCONSIN✯ Boating, sailing or paddling Apostle Islands Cruises, Bayfield |
Best Public Lake-View Spot
MICHIGAN✯ Brockway Mountain, Copper Harbor Presque Isle, Marquette |
ONTARIO✯ Terrace Bay waterfront Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Sibley Peninsula |
MINNESOTA✯ Split Rock Historic Site, Two Harbors Canal Park, Duluth |
WISCONSIN✯ Bayfield waterfront Superior waterfront |