This was our favorite day of our entire trip. We drove along the lake to Tahquamenon Falls. It was about 50 miles from Sault Sainte Marie to the falls. Our friend told us there were beaches along the way with few to no people we had no idea what she meant. After driving for a while we found a small pull off area with a paved parking area for about 5-6 cars. There was no sign but there was a pathway to the beach. It was amazing. We looked down at the beach and decided to make a stop at these on our way back from the falls when we could spend more time exploring them.

It was windy and the waves were pounding the shore. Every little pull off we saw had no cars or people. We wondered how that could happen. It was beautiful here.

By the time we reached the Upper Falls it was about 11:30 am. You either need a Michigan Park Pass or it is $11 to enter the park. We paid the $11 and got a park pass good until we renew our license plate next year.

We were starving by the time we parked and were so happy to see the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery right at the entrance of the walkway to the falls.

The menu had some great choices to try.

I had to try the Brew Pub Cheese Soup. The minute I saw it on the menu I had to have it. It was pretty good. The smoky bacon flavor was the hit of the dish. It had a nice light cheesy flavor and I would definitely order this again.

There was a Fish & Chips special on the menu and as it was White Fish it needed to be tried. We actually declared this the best white fish fry we had on our trip. The fish was great big chunks of fish and the fries were crispy and hot.

I had the sausage with peppers and onions. I thought it was perfectly cooked and I loved that there were no green peppers. The only problem was my fries were ice-cold. I think my meal was done first and while waiting for the fish to cook my fries got cold. The waiter was great and immediately brought a basket of fresh hot fries. Things happen and it was handled appropriately. The second batch of fries were delicious!

We normally don’t get dessert when we eat out. But we had been talking about Pecan Pie recently and when we saw this on the menu we decided to give it a try. Pecan Pie is normally not one of my favorite dishes as I find it tooth-achingly sweet. This was a slice of heaven. The crust was almost a crumbly shortbread rather than a pie crust and the filling was sweet but not overly sweet. It was a perfect balance. I actually ate half the slice which is unheard of for me.

We plan on making a stop here again when we visit the area with the kids.

As we left the Brewery we made our way to the entrance to the falls. There is a small gazebo with information on falls and the walk to the falls. It is a paved walkway with benches strategically placed along the way so that anyone with ambulatory issues can take the walk in short bursts. We did not walk down the 94 steps to the falls. I had no issue going down but I was afraid of coming back up. A gentleman at the top said the stairs were not gradual but fairly steep so I chose to stay at the top.

There were still great places to see the falls from. They  were lovely and I think in the fall with the changing colors it would be even more impressive.

After seeing the upper falls we drove to the Lower Falls but the line to enter the park was so long. We decided to head back and stop at some of the little beach pull offs we had seen earlier on our way to the falls.

We took our chairs and books to the edge of the water and sat for while just listening to the waves. There were no people we could see in either direction. It was amazingly calm and relaxing.

Our last stop on the way back to the hotel was at this lighthouse. It was cute. There was a small museum, an area where you could see how the family may have lived in the 50s and then you could climb the lighthouse or walk the dock along the edge of the water. It was a perfect end to the day.

It was a long day driving and being outside in the fresh air but it was so beautiful and relaxing. We still say our best part of the entire trip was being at the beaches with no people. It is still amazing to us.