Pet Friendly Places Up North
Why do people enjoy being up north so much? Find out what makes being up north feel special with our list of Northern Michigan specialties.
Photo by National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods
What began as an idea for a place of outdoor worship in the 1940’s turned into a project that now brings visitors to Indian River from around in the world: The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods. This stunning 55′ x 22′ redwood cross, cut from one redwood tree, with a 28′ tall bronze crucifix is located on Calvary Hill near an outdoor sanctuary.
The Cross in the Woods is a Northern Michigan destination that brings more than 300,000 people a year to Indian River. Named a shrine by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the beautifully landscaped complex near Burt Lake State Park includes the 250-seat Long House Chapel, 1,000 seat church, Holy stairs, and the shrines of Saint Francis, Our Lady of the Highway, St. Peregrine, and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.
The Doll Museum includes more than 525 dolls and mannequins dressed in the appropriate religious habits of Diocesan clergy and more than 217 religious orders of priests, sisters, and brothers of North and South America.
The seven-ton bronze crucifix on the Cross is the work of famed Michigan sculptor Marshall Fredericks who spent more than four years creating the sculpture. The Cross was erected in 1954 and the Corpus was added in 1959. The cost for the figure of Christ created by Fredericks was $50,000. Fredericks donated his time on the project.
The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods is open daily with worship services Monday-Friday at 8:30 am and 12 pm, Saturday at 4:30 pm, and Sunday at 8:30 am and 10:30 am.
The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods
7078 M-68, Indian River, MI, 49749
(231) 238-8973
Why do people enjoy being up north so much? Find out what makes being up north feel special with our list of Northern Michigan specialties.
This 28-mile scenic highway running between Atwood and Boyne Falls known as the Breezeway draws visitors because it is gorgeous.
Arch Rock is a geologic wonder on Mackinac Island and stands 146′ over the Lake Huron shoreline- nearly 15 stories tall.
Charlevoix has beaches on Lake Michigan and also offers the warmer swimming waters of inland lake beaches on Lake Charlevoix.
The majestic and historic Grand Hotel is one of the first sights visitors see as they head into the harbor on Mackinac Island.
The Oden State Fish Hatchery in Alanson produces three strains of brown trout and one strain of rainbow trout.
The elegantly restored Cheboygan Opera House is an acoustically superb, Victorian theatre that presents entertainment of many genres.
In Northern Michigan, you’ll find lighthouses where lighthouse keepers once lived and worked that have been restored and are open to visitors.
Within the historic Chicago/West Michigan railroad depot in Petoskey, the Little Traverse History Museum is a history filled gem.