Places We Actually Go
Some of the best parts of Northern Michigan are the places you discover between lake days, trail rides, scenic drives, and small-town stops. These are a few of ours — the spots we find ourselves coming back to, weekend after weekend.
Morning Coffee & Breakfast
Slow mornings are part of the deal up here. These are the places we grab coffee and breakfast before lake days or trail rides.
Duane’s — Falmouth
The kind of small-town diner that doesn’t try to be anything else. Coffee, breakfast plates, and the sort of easy-going atmosphere that sets the pace for a Northern Michigan morning.
Coffee Cup — Lake City
A classic breakfast stop in Lake City. Good coffee, good eggs, and the feeling that you’re exactly where you should be to start the day.
2 The Moon Bakery — Lake City
Small bakery and coffee shop with great pies, scones, muffins, and bread. Also does breakfast specials. The kind of cozy stop you plan a morning around.
Local Stops & Markets
The places between destinations. Where you grab gas, pick up supplies, or find something you didn’t know you needed.
Whipple’s
Whipple’s is the closest nearby stop to the property — about 1.3 miles up the road — and it ends up being more useful than you might expect, since most larger grocery stores and chain options are farther out. It’s an old-school, family-owned store that’s been here for generations. Gas, diesel, rec fuel, limited groceries, hardware, alcohol, and a restaurant that does a surprisingly good burger. Their Whipple Burger has a bit of a following. There’s a small public airstrip across the road, and we’ve heard of people flying in just for lunch. Hours can be limited, so plan ahead. It’s not fancy. It’s authentic. That’s the point.
Murray’s Farm Market — M-55
A locally run farm market on M-55 with Amish and local goods. Fresh milk, cheese, vegetables, popcorn, jellies, baked goods, and plants in season. The kind of place that reminds you why supporting local businesses matters. Worth stopping on your way through. Murray’s Farm Market
Ebel’s General Store
Ebels is something of a regional institution. Grocery store upstairs, a niche shop in the basement, and a hardware and general store atmosphere that takes up about half the building. Tractors, chainsaws, outdoor gear — it’s the kind of place where locals bring their cattle, pigs, and deer for processing at the meat market. Their smoked meats are especially good. Ebel’s doesn’t feel like a tourist stop. It feels like Northern Michigan.
After-the-Trails & Dinner Favorites
These are the places we end up at after a day of riding, fishing, or just being outside. Comfortable, affordable, and reliably good.
Garrett’s — Houghton Lake
This is one of our favorite spots, and it’s not because of gourmet food. Garrett’s is relaxed, affordable, and consistent. Daily specials, friendly staff, and the kind of fun banter that makes a place feel like a local hangout. We’re usually out of there for under $30 with tip. The breakfast food is good too, but our connection is from dinner visits — the evening atmosphere, the familiar faces, the comfortable end to a day outside. If you stop in, ask for Tracey or Jen’s section and tell them Mark and Billie sent you.
Lakeside Bar & Grill — Houghton Lake
A slightly nicer evening option on Houghton Lake. Lakeside atmosphere, relaxed dinner setting — good for a night when you want to sit by the water after a day outside.
La Guerra — Lake City
Mexican restaurant on M-55 outside Lake City. Casual regional favorite — reliable, comfortable, and exactly the kind of place you’d stop on your way home.
House of Hunan — Cadillac
Our go-to for Chinese food in the area. Consistent, local, and trusted. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need after a long weekend.
Ice Cream & Small-Town Favorites
Some places are worth the drive just for ice cream. These are two of them.
Nibbles — Near South Higgins Lake
Worth the drive. Reachable by ATV trails. The kind of ice cream stop that feels like summer in Northern Michigan should feel — simple, satisfying, and exactly where you want to be on a warm day.
Tasty Treat — Lake City
Classic Lake City ice cream stop. Nostalgic, casual, and dependable. The kind of place you remember from childhood trips up north.
Seasonal Rhythm
Summer weekends are lake days and evening ice cream runs. Fall brings color drives and crisp mornings, when the trails hit different and the small towns feel like they belong in a photograph. Spring is quieter — slower mornings, fewer crowds, and the kind of peace that makes you remember why you came north in the first place.
That’s the rhythm up here. It doesn’t change much. And that’s the beauty of it.
Some of our favorite weekends here are the simple ones — coffee in the morning, trails or lake time during the day, and a few familiar stops on the drive back.
We hope you find your own favorites.