More Things to Do . . .
Even more fun things to do in the Bays De Noc area.
CONCERTS
Island Resort & Casino
Headline entertainment twice a month. Live lounge entertainment four times a week.Escanaba City Band
Municipal band offers a variety of music in Ludington Park during the summer months at the Ludington Park Band Shell. Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., weather permitting. Thurs. rain date.
CANOEING
Escanaba River
A beautiful, wide river that cuts into limestone beds. Dams on the river require caution. Best canoeing in the spring. several access points. For more information call 786-2351.Ford River
25 miles of this river flow in Delta County. The winding river features some rapids. The rapids on the lower end of the trip may be run. A good pick-up point is located at the public access site on M35 near the mouth, although the low water period from mid-July through August makes landing difficult.Sturgeon River
The slower moving Sturgeon meanders through 41 miles of national forest with rapids near Flowing Well Campground. Fallen trees and heaving brush may require portaging. There are 6 access points. For more information call 474-6442.Whitefish River
The 28-mile canoe route offers the best canoeing from the end of April to the end of June. Access to the Whitefish can be on the east or west branch of the river. Access lengths vary from one to eight hours.
HORSEBACK RIDING
Bay de Noc - Grand Island Trail
A 40 mile trail from Rapid River to Munising. Camping and water is available along the trail. Trailhead is located 2 miles east of Rapid River on County Road 509. For more information call 906-474-6442.U.P. State Fairgrounds
Indoor and outdoor areas for horse shows. Shows held throughout the year, including the U.P. State Fair in August. For more information call 906-786-4001
ICE SKATING
Wells Sports Complex
This facility is located at 1647 17.4 Rd. in Escanaba behind the Delta Do-It Center. Two indoor artificial ice surfaces with open skating hours, hockey and figure skating. Learn to Skate programs for all ages. The second sheet is designed mainly for open skating. Call 906-786-3995 for more information and a schedule of activities and hours.Royce Park and Webster Rink
Outdoor natural ice rinks with warming buildings in Escanaba. Open when weather permits. For more information contact the Recreation Department at
906-786-4141Gladstone Ice Rink
Outdoor natural ice rink at Pfotenhauer Park on the grounds
of the Jones School.
INDOOR SWIMMING
YMCA of Delta County
A 25-yard, six-lane swimming pool facility with sauna, weight room, gym, basketball, volleyball. Babysitting services available. Located at Bay de Noc
Community College,
2001 N. Lincoln Rd.
Escanaba
906-789-0005
MINI GOLF
Family Fun Park
Open daily May through September. Golf, go-carts, batting cage, bank shot, bumper boats.
2929 3rd Ave. North
Escanaba
906-789-9386
MOVIE THEATERS
Willow Creek Cinema
Eight screens.
2701 3rd Ave. North, behind ShopKo
Escanaba
906-789-6234
SCUBA DIVING
Fayette State Park
Diving is permitted in Snail Shell Harbor during certain times of the day with a permit. The historic iron-smelting village and towering limestone cliffs surround the harbor. Located south of Garden on
Big Bay de Noc.
906-644-2603Nahma
Remains of Nahma’s logging industry are visible near Nahma. Wooden vessels once docked at a long pier stretching out into Big Bay de Noc. Located about 30 miles east of Escanaba off US 2.
SPORTING CLAYS
Orchard Hill Sporting Clays
A 22 station sporting clay facility and automated 5 stand . Loaner guns available. Instruction available. Open year round. Located 15 miles west of Escanaba, south of Bark River on County Road 535.
906-466-2975
BOWLING
Bowl-A-Rama
24 lanes open daily
2500 North 1st Ave., Escanaba
906-786-6500
SNOW ACTIVITIES
Gladstone Sports Park
A beginner/intermediate downhill ski facility with a 130-foot vertical drop. Lifts include 3 rope tows, one wire roe tow and one T-bar. The area has a snowboard terrain garden with regulation half pipe and a tubing area that includes three tube runs and a return lift. Other amenities include a lodge with snack bar and lesson program.
Ludington Park
Escanaba’s mile-long park has a terrific sledding hill from Fifth Street to Seventh Avenue South
OVER 100 THINGS TO DO IN DELTA COUNTY
Enjoy Delta County!!
- Golf at one of Delta County’s 10 courses located in Escanaba, Gladstone, and Nahma
- Skeet shoot at one of our two gun clubs in Delta County
- Swing your racket at our many free tennis courts in Gladstone and Escanaba
- Toss a fishing line into any of our rivers or in the Bays de Noc. We’re known as the walleye capital of the world! There are a number of boat launches available (remember your license).
- Slide out on a windsurfer on Little Bay de Noc
- Dust off your cleats and head out to one of our ball diamonds
- Pitch horseshoes at our various parks
- Roller blade through our cities
- Snowmobile- the country trails have spurs into Escanaba and Gladstone and connect across the UP
- Wonder at the northern lights visible on certain clear nights
- Star gaze without distraction of street lights anywhere outside (and sometimes inside!) our cities
- Take a sleigh ride - call Donald Strahl at (906) 466-5368
- Ski out on any of our four fabulous ski trails
- Hitch up a team and dogsled into the woodlands - get info at the Chamber
- Bundle up and set up shop in an ice fishing shanty - call the Chamber to find out where to rent one.
- Hunt the elusive white-tail deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock, ducks, turkeys, or rabbits - contact the DNR (906) 786-2351 for rules and permits
- Tour the fall colors on our tree shaded streets and wooded back roads
- Pasties - try one! They are available hot and ready to eat, baked and frozen, or raw frozen to take back home
- Pick strawberries in late June/early July at one of our several farms - newspapers provide information
- Pack a picnic and spend the day at one of our parks
- Bird watch in a park or on the shoreline
Enjoy Escanaba!!
- Delta County Historical Museum
- The museum features displays about our cities local resources, industry, logging, railroads, and the county’s relationship to the lakes and land. There is an extensive clothing collection, as well as a 1905 motor launch. Open May-Sept.
- U.P. State Fairgrounds Pocket Park
- The Pocket park is full of adventure with a fish pond stocked with fish for catching (bring your own bait), an archery range, and a pellet gun range. Fun for all ages!! Hours are June—Oct. 15 7:00AM until 3:30 Monday thru Friday or by RESERVATION! Call Joe at 789-0714
- Walk to the top of our Sand Point Lighthouse
- Buy the Escanaba Walking Tour guide at the museum or lighthouse. A bargain at $1, it’s guaranteed to make your walk interesting and informative
- William Bonifas Fine Arts Center
- The UP’s only multidisciplinary arts center with a two story gallery. Exhibits change monthly and the permanent collection is displayed periodically
- Explore the historic Native American burial ground at Pioneer Trail Park
- See an excellent collection of historical Delta County photos at Wells Fargo Bank or Culver’s of Escanaba.
- Take a self-guided walking tour of Lakeview Cemetery (brochures in a rack at the cemetery office)
- Learn as you read the display on the historic walkway on the Escanaba Municipal Dock
- Shop at the East Ludington Gallery or simply stop there to see the artwork
- Start a collection of UP books sold at the Canterbury Book Store.
- Test your mettle on the Ludington Park fitness course
- Enjoy an old fashioned horse and carriage ride from Horse ’N Around Town Carriage Co.(906) 233-7433
- Take a swim or work out at the YMCA—Daily non-member passes are available!
- Fish at the Escanaba Marina
- Kick off your shoes and walk through the sand at our beach; swim while you’re there
- Take the kids to “Harbor Hideout” in Ludington Park
- Play mini-golf or bankshot basketball, ride the go-karts or bumper boats at the Family Fun Park
- Sample cuisine of Sweden, Italy, Mexico, & China at one of our various ethnic restaurants
- Taste a pasty at Dobber’s Pasties
- Stop by the Noc Bay Trading Company and get instructions on how to make authentic Ojibwa crafts
- Grill your own steak at the Hereford & Hops brewpub
- Take a drive out to the phenomenal Herbal Acres herb farm where they also have several imported gifts, antiques, collectibles & organic bath and body products
- Go bowling at the Bowl-A-Rama for a bit of hometown fun.
- Try a Yooper Bar! Made locally by Sayklly’s Manufacturing! Sold at Sayklly’s Confectionary & Gifts and many other places!
- Also, stop at the Farmers Market Wednesday or Saturday mornings throughout summer.
Enjoy Gladstone!!
- Swim at Van Cleve Park
- Play with the kids at “Kids Kingdom”
- Learn the history of the pet burial phenomena at Hoegh Pet Casket Company. View the casket manufacturing and assembly. Stroll through the model cemetery, unique columbarium (like a mausoleum), the innovative memory wall and colorful gardens.
- Walk along the lakeshore on the boardwalk at Saunder’s Point
- Take a tour of the beautiful and historic Kipling House
- Have a picnic under the pavilion in Van Cleve Park
- Challenge the fitness course in the park
- Go sledding in “the Bowl” on South Hill Road
- Walk the trail for great views along the old South Hill Road pathway
- Take a run on the high school track at the football stadium—it’s always open!
- Tube or ski at the Gladstone Sports Park
- See the Indian statues in Van Cleve Park
- Ride your bike over the brick street of Delta Avenue
- Visit the Gladstone Bay Campground full service and rustic campsites
Enjoy Rapid River!
- Take a picture of the four tiered waterfall. After walking on the smooth limestone path, stop and enjoy the park and playground
- Hike or horseback on the historic Grand Island Bay de Noc Trail between Rapid River and Munising on the Lake Superior shoreline
- Hitch up a team and dogsled
- There are great mountain bike trails and snowmobile trails
- Relax a while at Masonville Township Park in downtown Rapid River, with pavilion, playground and volleyball net.
- Enjoy the Hiawatha National Forest!!
- Loop through pine and maple forests on the cross-country ski trails located in Rapid River
- Haymeadow Falls is a nice mile-long hike along Haymeadow Creek and falls with a scenic timber bridge in the middle, as well as a campground and recreation area. Connecting trails will lead to the Bay de Noc Grand Island Trail (906) 474-6442) - Rapid River
- Go canoeing on the scenic rivers
- Take in the wetlands and the rivers of the Au Train River basin
- Hundreds of marked trails for hiking, canoeing, horseback-riding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
- Crossing the Hiawatha National Forest is the North Country Hiking Trail which stretches from New York to North Dakota. There are also bicycle routes available.
- Learn about the animals and archeology through interpretive displays on the Forest.
- Civilian Conservation Corp Sites. The US Forest Service has mapped five routes to see CCC sites. It contains camps where men lived and worked, nurseries, pine plantations, fire look outs, ruins and cellar holes. Several of the camps housed German prisoners of war during WW II.
- Check out the nature store at Park Headquarters to get maps, posters, and books - not to mention the Smoky the Bear doll
- Bring a sleeping bag because primitive and developed camping is allowed on National Forest land. Check with the local Ranger District Office for camping information
Enjoy The Stonington Peninsula!!
(part of the Hiawatha National Forest)
- Take a scenic drive along County Road 513 to the point and the Peninsula Point Lighthouse at its southern tip
- Climb the circular staircase to the top of the 40 foot lighthouse finished in 1865 and used until 1936. The reward is a spectacular view of Lake Michigan, the peninsulas of Delta County and the area islands of Michigan and Wisconsin.
- At the picnic area here, you can enjoy the sight of thousands of monarch butterflies resting before migrating across Green Bay each fall
- Swim on their sandy beaches or sleep in one of their rustic camping loops
- Follow the wheelchair-accessible Maywood History Trail, see the magical grove of 200-year-old hemlocks and learn through the interpretive panels on the trail.
- Walk along the Bayshore Trail or White Pine Trails to see the beauty of this area
- Watch the warbler migration or see the rookery where great blue herons raise their young (perfect for bird watchers)
Enjoy the Squaw Creek Old Growth Area!!
- Bicycle to the Peninsula Point Lighthouse
- In late July, pick the lush blueberries which you can eat or sell to local merchants
- Explore old logging road—maps are available through the Hiawatha National Forest.
- Bring a compass into the woods and branch off to see all types of hardwood and coniferous trees
- Finally, in Stonington, you can simply watch the sunset with the glimmer of city lights across the Bay, it’s breathtaking
Enjoy Garden Peninsula!!
- In the Village of Garden, Village Artisans and Garden Gallery is a quaint art cooperative and gallery downtown offering one-of-a-kind works by over 30 area artists. Classes are available, and summer enrichment classes for children are a specialty.
- Turn west off Van's Harbor Road just before you reach Garden and go down to the water to see the large facility of Big Bay De Noc Fisheries (906-644-2200). Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. if there's a catch to sell. Closed in bad weather. It's the only local fishery that sells retail, albeit in an informal way, without a real shop.
- Marygrove Retreat Center in Garden offers peaceful retreats for Catholics and non-Catholics alike
- Visit Fairport, almost at the tip of the Garden Peninsula to take in one of the few active commercial fishing villages in Michigan.
- Launch your boat off of Fairport for some of the finest salmon fishing in the U.P.!
Enjoy Fayette Historic Townsite!!
- Travel through the past with a self-guided tour of the ghost town or ask for a tour guide
- Experience the 5 mile hiking and cross-country ski trails
- Camp in one of the 80 semi-modern campsites or camp on your boat
- Swim in Sand Bay or launch a boat to catch the biggest northern pike
- Take the kids to the Sac Bay County Park for the playground along the Bay, have a picnic and then take a swim or try your hand at rock skipping on the beach—and it’s always less crowded than the State Park!
- Tour through the historic Saint Peter’s Cemetery at Fayette
- Scuba diving is allowed in Snail Shell Harbor at Fayette by permit at certain times of the day—information is available at the Park Entrance.
Enjoy the Garden Peninsula Historical Museum!!
- Exhibits include old dental & medical instruments, lumbering tools & office equipment
- Reading materials include more than 400 family histories, books of cemeteries & family burial plots, histories of the Garden Peninsula & photos
- Genealogy, especially French-Canadian, is a specialty.
- They also have several copies of “Our Heritage,” a narrative of the growth of the Garden area
- Open Weds-Thurs 11am-3pm, Sun 1-3PM, 906-644-2165 or 906-644-2192.
Enjoy Portage Marsh Wildlife Area!!
(south of Escanaba)
- A narrow split about two miles long creates a protected small bay where migrating waterfowl like to stop
- Walk the simple foot trail along the marsh facing side
- Swim on the other side and see magnificent shoreline birds
Enjoy Fuller Park!!
(18 miles S. of Escanaba)
- A half-mile wood chip path crosses a wetland
- Swim at the beach, go bass fishing, or camp at the 25 site modern campground
Enjoy Our Annual Events!!
Escanaba:
- Mid-winter Pow Wow, February
- Shrine Circus, mid-April
- Skerbeck Carnival, late April/early May
- Antique Show at UP State Fairgrounds, early May
- Krusin Klassics Car Parade & show, early June
- City Band concerts, Wednesday nights all summer
- Pine Mountain Music Festival, various UP locations in summer
- 4th of July Family Day in the Park
- Big Ole Pioneer Days, July
- Waterfront Art Festival, 1st Saturday of August
- UP State Fair, mid-August
- UP Steam & Gas Engine Show, Labor Day weekend
- Strings on the Bay, call Bay College for details
- Players de Noc shows, through all seasons
Gladstone:
- Thursday night concerts, June-September
- 4th of July Parade and festivities
- Delta County Jaycee Duck Races, last Saturday in August
- Masters’ Walleye Tournament
Rapid River:
- Summer Pow Wow
- Memorial Day Parade and festivities
Bark River:
- Bark River Off Road Races, August
- 4th of July Parade and Festivities
Fayette:
- Blessing of the Fleet, summer
- Heritage Day, early August
Boldface = Member of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce
