Vacation Day Trips: Port Austin, Michigan

When our vacation to Port Austin, Michigan fell through this year, we wound up in Lexington instead. We had a great time on our alternate vacation, but we couldn't stay away from our beloved Port Austin. So we took a little day trip.

Ordinarily, the drive from Lexington to Port Austin would be just over an hour and a half (ish). But we ran into a detour that took us away from the scenic M-25 and deep into farm country. Luckily we were not in Detroit, where detours are not typically well-marked, to put it mildly. So we made it to our destination with no trouble, it just took a little longer than we had expected. The farmland drive was pretty too, especially if you enjoy looking at lots and lots of corn, with a few cows thrown in for good measure.

In The Bank's entrance way. Port Austin, Michigan

Our first stop in Port Austin was The Bank for lunch. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. The food was fantastic. But, I've noticed that in recent years the food has gone way down hill. It isn't cheap either. We had a great waitress, I'll give them that, and the setting (in an actual old bank building) is definitely unique. I ordered vegetarian quiche and it was awful. The roll that came with it tasted like freezer burn, and the grapes had a moldy flavor. My mother-in-law loved her lunch (chicken salad on a croissant), but I was sorely disappointed in mine. Eating vegetarian while traveling has proven to be a bit of a thorn in my side. The options are so limited. 

After lunch we drove all the way to Caseville, 17 miles each way, just to go thrifting at a little resale shop in town. We probably spent a little too much time in there, but it is something my kids look forward to each year. I know, totally weird, right?

When we got back to Port Austin, we stopped at the soda fountain for ice cream. Chris had told the kids to have a cherry soda for him, which was what he liked to order at the very same shop when he was a kid. So Bethany, Connor, and Lucy each had a cherry soda, while Mattie and I had some regular old ice cream. They have really good ice cream, with some flavors you don't see every day - like carrot cake. There is also a gift shop attached. Please note that although the sign on the door says "no public restroom", there actually is a restroom, and if you ask the cashier she will give you a key. Customers only, though.

Beach time! Port Austin, Michigan

By this time it was starting to get late in the afternoon. We headed to the beach to hang out for a few hours. There are two public beaches in Port Austin. One of them is right there in town, at the marina. There is a newer playground too. But construction was going on all around (I'm wondering what they're up to??), and the restrooms were inaccessible. So we drove down the road to the other beach. Just follow East Spring Street east, past the first beach, and you will come to a sign on the left hand side directing you to the beach. You'll have to drive through a neighborhood to get there, but it is a quick five minutes from the other beach. At this beach there is an older playground and a wooden boardwalk that lines the beach, with shaded picnic tables along the way. 

We chose a picnic table, plunked down all our junk, and the kids got busy in the water. One of the things I love about this beach is that I can sit at the picnic table and watch my kids on the beach, without actually going on the beach if I so choose. There are never many people there, which is awesome sauce in my book. The water is very calm at this beach, because there is a break wall, but it is warm and shallow and not rocky. It is full of sea weed though. Kind of icky in parts, and it really scared Mattie. She didn't want to go in the water much at all because of it. Judging from her screams of terror, you might have thought she had encountered a new breed of freshwater sharks, indigenous to the Great Lakes. But she is a beach baby, and was perfectly happy building her sand castles.

Mathilda hated her dress. A lot. The Farm, Port Austin, MI

Although we really didn't want our beach fun to end, we had made reservations at a nearby restaurant. I was in desperate need of a good meal at this point. We got changed and cleaned up a little in the restrooms, which were passably clean. Then we drove a few miles down M-25 (toward Caseville) to Port Crescent Road and The Farm. The Farm is probably the best restaurant in the area. Or maybe I'm just gloating because they provided me with what was, by far, the best meal I had the entire week of our vacation. I had the Spring Vegetable Strudel and it was to die for. Delicious. I want to eat it again, right now. The menu does change from time to time, but everything is delicious - from the bread basket right on down to dessert. Speaking of dessert, Mathilda and I shared the creme brulee. So ridiculously good.

By the time we got back to our Lexington cottage, it was past 11:30. What a long day!

Who is that mysterious stranger lurking at the beach? Port Austin, Michigan

Reading at the beach. Port Austin, Michigan

Kayaks on the beach. Port Austin, Michigan

Cheese smiles at The Farm. Port Austin, Michigan

With dessert fresh in their minds, these are some very happy kids. The Farm, Port Austin, Michigan

The Thumb

Going for another hole in 1

One of the first trips Chris and I ever took together was to Port Austin, in Michigan's thumb region. He had been going there his whole life and wanted to share it with me. Since then we've been many times with our kids, both to Port Austin and nearby Caseville. For maybe 4 or 5 years we stayed at the same cottages in Caseville, and we had a great time there but this year decided to do something different. 

Instead of the rather rustic, poorly furnished, non air-conditioned cottage, we rented a townhouse right in the heart of Port Austin. An air-conditioned, squeaky clean, nicely furnished, 4 bedroom/4 bathroom townhouse. Instead of having to drive miles to get to anything, we could walk to the beach, the park, the farmer's market, and the shops and restaurants in town. At the cottage, the beach was much closer and private, but honestly it was more than a fair trade for us. 

A grindstone in Grindstone City

Here's some of what I love about Port Austin:

• two awesome public beaches, both with play grounds
• the water is warm and shallow, the kids can walk out quite far and the water is never more than about waist high
• the weekend farmer's market
• The Farm - yummy restaurant (we did have to drive to this one)
• The Bank - restaurant located in an old (1800's) bank building
• Cherry sodas at the ice cream counter in town, a tradition from my mother-in-law's childhood 
• Knoblock stables - we didn't make it this year, but usually we visit for pony rides and horseback riding

My good friend was also in Port Austin with her kids and parents the first couple days we were there, just down the street from where we were staying. It was fun hanging out with her family on vacation. She has two boys, so Connor was really thrilled to have guys to chum around with.

The kids and I went with my mother-in-law, but Chris, his step-dad, and his brother (from Florida) joined us for a couple days. We had a great time with them, and did lots of fun things...like swimming in the lake (including a game of water catch involving a certain 2-year old), eating at The Farm and The Bank, going to the go kart track, having cherry sodas, fishing, and going putt putt golfing. A word about the putt putt golfing. First of all, there is a little cheesy place to putt putt right in town. Then there is another place a little outside of town. But if you drive a bit further toward Caseville, there is a really nice putt putt place, with hills and waterfalls and so on. Also, Lucy got a hole in one on her very first putt, the very first time she's ever been putt putt golfing. She actually beat all of us. My little golfer...who knew?

Without the guys we had fun too. We went to the farmer's market. We had a horse drawn wagon ride (free, courtesy of Knoblock stables) through town. We spent lots and lots of time at the beach. We drove into nearby Grindstone City for ice cream. We went to Caseville just to go to the thrift store. Leaving at the end of the week was really hard. We took the scenic route coming home, along Lake Huron. The drive was beautiful, and we made a few stops along the way...like the Pointe Aux Barques lighthouse, lunch in Harbor Beach, and an evening stroll in Lexington.

As much as I love variety, change, and seeing new things, I have to say it is nice having a place to visit every year that we know well. I think it's fair to say our Port Austin tradition will carry on.