One thing we love to do with our time off is explore. It was a normal Saturday and we were off doing our normal thing on the weekends, shopping, but then we decided to start exploring since we were already near a target location.

Sometimes we get lucky and will head out of state, but we live in the great State of Michigan, which is a beautiful state that is filled with things to see and do. We tend to forget that at times, and it’s starting to become a goal that we explore more of Michigan on when we have time off.

We got in the car and started to head north, which if you live in Michigan is the thing to do. No matter where anyone lives in the lower peninsula of the State, if you ask them what their normal weekend activities are, usually it’s “going north”.

Up north may mean different locations across the state, but when you live in a State that is filled with beautiful lakes and thousands of miles of shoreline from the great lakes the options are endless on any given day.

We made a quick stop at Northwoods Wholesale Outlet in Pinconning, Michigan. This is a large sporting store that is filled with tons of stuff that has reasonable prices. It’s a great place to visit if you are in the area, especially if you are a sportsman. After the quick visit we continued our journey up north toward Tawas City, Michigan.

As we started to to get close to the city, we quickly got some beautiful views of the lake, which got even more beautiful as you enter the city. The amazing shoreline Tawas City has is exceptional, providing the scenery you would expect from a beautiful lake shore city, the gorgeous lake.

The Unique Tawas City Treasures

One thing that stood out to us right away was the continuous shoreline that the entire town had. The city does a nice job providing access and utilizing the shoreline so that tourists and the residences had plenty of access points to Lake Huron.

While you’ll find the normal small town things, such as a local Walmart, some local marts, a few restaurants, and bars on the left side of the road as you head north, they did a fantastic job on keeping the lake shore visible and it’s beautiful. The Drive alone up was pretty attractive as I am a sucker for lake front views, and the lake view from Tawas City was fantastic.

As you continue your journey north, you find several parks to stop at, a marina that is well kept plus beautifully landscaped with a small store, and a campground right next to the Marina.

Since we were running a little late in the day, we did not go any further than the city limits. If we would of had more time we would of made it a little further north and visited the Tawas Point State Park, which is home to the Tawas Point Lighthouse, which we may take another weekend trip just to visit the lighthouse in the future.

Tawas City Downtown Is A Happening Little Place…

We turned off and drove downtown to see what was available. The family was in the mood for Ice Cream so we parked behind the Dairy Queen Which was visible from the main highway.

The First thing I noticed when getting out of the car was the smell of charcoal and Pizza. Yes, there is a G’s Pizzeria in the Downtown area and the aroma from that place was pretty noticeable. It almost drowned out the charcoal and wood burning smell you normally capture while in a shoreline city and campgrounds. Which by the way for some strange reason is a fantastic.

So if you love Pizza and in town, give the place a try. We have not tried it, but have a G’s Pizzeria near us and usually they have the best pizza in town. By the way that smelt, I’m sure they will have amazing pizza.

Anyway, we got ourselves a few ice cream treats and sat in front of the restaurant to just embrace the warm feeling the vibrate little town provided, It was relaxing and visually fantastic.

In the downtown area you will find a few pizza joints, some cool little gift shops, and few restaurants. The downtown area was pretty packed as there were people walking around everywhere and cars everywhere as well. Parking was limited.

If you pull out of downtown and go south you will find a bunch of other stores and restaurants, including Walmart and some pretty normal fast food chains.

On place that caught my attention was a small little BBQ place just as you come into town. The smell was amazing and it may very well be something we’ll check out on our next visit.

If you are looking for just a Hotel, there are a few options, but I would look into lake shore cabins as well. This is a big thing along the great lakes that offer a little more privacy and lake exposure than most places.

But for the rest of this visit we just spent some time in a little park and enjoyed the cool breeze from the lake. If you love lake shore towns, Tawas City will be a winner in your book as well.

More About Tawas City

• Population around 1,827 per 2010 Census
• Post Office First Established in 1856
• City serves has a harbor of refuge, which means it is used by large cargo ships to escape severe storms on Lake Huron.
• Tawas City Travel Guide

Tawas City Gallery