Harris Gardens at North Central Michigan College
Harris Gardens at North Central Michigan College is a spectacular sculpture garden filled with 26 pieces of vibrant art.
Photo by Karl Damus on Unsplash.com
There are many signs that spring is unfolding into summer and one sign is when the trillium bloom. These protected wild orchids are a wild flower. There are up to 50 species of trillium and in Michigan, the most common species is the trillium grandiflorium or large flowered trillium.
In Northern Michigan, late April through mid-May is trillium season. The woods explode with a carpet of trillium and create an incredible landscape that exists only for these few weeks. When the first trillium bloom, there is an excitement in Northern Michigan as within a few days, the woods will contain thousands and thousands of these spectacular flowers.
Take a drive along M-119, the Tunnel of Trees, from Harbor Springs to Cross Village where the geography couldn’t be more perfect for trillium viewing. Or drive The Breezeway from Boyne Falls to Atwood and see an explosion of trillium in the woods.
Picking trillium is discouraged because the three leaves below the flower are the plant’s sole food source. Five varieties of trillium are endangered but not the most common white trillium. Love trillium? You can take home trillium art. Boyer Glassworks creates one-of-a-kind trillium paperweights.
Harris Gardens at North Central Michigan College is a spectacular sculpture garden filled with 26 pieces of vibrant art.
Northern Michigan has many varied settings for kayaking- whether it by river, one of the inland lakes, or Lake Michigan,
The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods is a 55′ x 22′ redwood cross cut from one redwood tree and with a 28′ tall bronze crucifix.
With miles of scenic trails terrain and local snowmobile clubs, Northern Michigan is the place to bring the snow sleds in the winter.
A visit to Northern Michigan is not complete without a walk along the Lake Michigan in search of Petoskey stones.
Charlevoix has beaches on Lake Michigan and also offers the warmer swimming waters of inland lake beaches on Lake Charlevoix.