
Harvest Festival in Boyne City
Boyne City’s Harvest Festival is held each September and fills the downtown with music, crafts, and fall produce.
Photo by
Todd & Brad Reed Photography
Fall in Northern Michigan is spectacular for a fall color tour- our foliage highlights the autumn season at its best. The colors of fall Up North are what you think of when you picture fall: a combination of blue skies and crisp air with the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows of the countryside.
You always hear about the autumns in New England, but they’ve got nothing on us here in Northern Michigan! An October afternoon drive along our country roads bring you face-to-face with nature’s magnificence. The tastes of the season are abundant at local Oktoberfest celebrations, harvest festivals, and old-fashioned barn dances. Warm cider, sweet doughnuts, and fresh, crunchy apples fill your senses with fall’s goodness. Now is the time to take a hayride, hike in a Northern Michigan park, or visit a local pumpkin patch. The crisp air up north is a refreshing change after summer’s heat, and many of us start gathering wood to keep us warm during the upcoming winter months. Autumn in Northern Michigan- this is where you want to be!
Visit the many farmer’s markets or Charlevoix’s Apple Fest, stock up on fresh apples and cider, get the bike out for a long ride in the colorful woods, and perhaps enjoy a quiet beach day when Indian Summer strikes. Fall is not to be missed in Northern Michigan.
And there are lots of great Halloween activities scheduled throughout Northern Michigan, as well!
Fall Up North is just gorgeous. With a range of color–and a variety of fall activities–Northern Michigan is the place to be to enjoy fall foliage.
Here’s what you can expect for fall color:
Late September Early Color with some isolated peak color in Northern Lower Michigan. Nice blend of greens with fall color.
Early October Early Color to Peak Color. Many fall events take place the first two weekends of October when the color peaks. The color is more intense away from the lake shore.
Mid October Peak Color particularly inland. Good color along the lake–a perfect weekend for a drive along the Tunnel of Trees.
Late October Peak to Past Peak Color with the best of the remaining color near the lakeshore.
Boyne City’s Harvest Festival is held each September and fills the downtown with music, crafts, and fall produce.
The Harbor Springs Festival of the Book is a gathering of nationally known presenters for a celebration of their books and the stories.
Apple Fest. Held each year on the second weekend of October, Apple Fest turns downtown Charlevoix into a festive and fun place to be.
Northern Michigan grows the best. Our Farmers Markets are open from late spring to fall, from cherries, to potatoes, to sweet corn, and more.
Skitoberfest celebrates the best of fall’s family offerings in an Oktoberfest style setting., all at amazing Boyne Mountain!
From haunted houses to trick or treating, Northern Michigan is full of Halloween’s fun activities during October.
The Mackinac Bridge is the 10th largest suspension bridge (over water) in the world and connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsula.
The Harbor Springs History Museum offers a unique look at the history of the community, starting with the first Catholic missionaries.
A visit to Northern Michigan is not complete without a walk along the Lake Michigan in search of Petoskey stones.
Fisherman’s Island State Park has more than 2,600 acres and miles of gorgeous Lake Michigan beach and is located just south of Charlevoix.
McGulpin Rock, near Mackinaw City, has been used as a navigational tool by explorers and mariners since before the Pilgrims landed.
Travel along the Tunnel of Trees in Northern Michigan and you will pass through Good Hart and see historic Saint Ignatius Catholic Church.