September is a beautiful month to visit Michigan’s upper peninsula! Last year Kyle and I booked a cabin up in Munising for an extended weekend away with friends. We found a cozy timber lodge in Au Train just outside of Munising, about 20 minutes drive from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It’s six hours drive from Metro Detroit and sits on the shores of clear and cold Lake Superior. Munising is a quiet spot for a weekend away, and by late September when we visited, the tourist attractions were starting to close down for the season. But we were mostly there for the scenery anyways, and I packed a bunch of casseroles and snacks to keep us fed at the cabin.
Our crew spent the weekend sightseeing during the day and cozied up at the cabin during the evening. We took a glass bottom boat tour and spotted underwater shipwrecks and bald eagles soaring above. We photographed a few of the area’s many lighthouses and waterfalls. And we sampled U.P. wine, mead, poutine, and deep fried cheese curds. Check out my tips for what to see and do in Munising in the full post, with lots of photos from our UP weekend!
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Where to Stay in Munising
There’s nothing more ‘up north’ than a cabin in the woods, and the Munising area has them in spades. The upper peninsula is a year-round destination for hunters, fishermen, and outdoor enthusiasts. So the accommodations around Munising really cater to this sort of visitor. Think cozy log cabins for rent, with heavy wooden furniture, a roaring fireplace, and bunk beds with warm wool blankets. And then there are those of us who just want a cozy retreat, the feeling of holing up somewhere warm, welcoming, and worlds away from our daily lives. A cabin up north is a place to rest, relax, and read. And that’s why I’ll pick a cabin every time. Yes, there are roadside motels and charming inns around Munising, but give me a cabin, a sunrise over the river, and a fire pit out back, and I’m a happy camper. Click here to browse Munising cabin rentals.
Things to See & Do in Munising
Munising’s biggest tourist draw is its proximity to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The best way to experience Pictured Rocks is from the water, but Lake Superior is more like an ocean than a lake, and conditions can be rough. We actually had a scenic kayak tour planned, but it was cancelled due to weather. So instead we spent an afternoon driving to different lookouts in the Pictured Rocks area. We saw Miners Castle and the waves crashing below, we made the easy hike out to Munising Falls, and we walked among the driftwood at Miners Beach.
Our Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tour was one of the highlights of our trip. It’s a scenic cruise of Grand Island and Munising Bay, and the fall colors were on full display. We spotted bald eagles perched high in the trees, rock cliffs and caves, and the now shuttered but eerily beautiful Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse. But the real highlight of the trip were the two shipwreck sites we visited. The glass bottom boat glides slowly back and forth over the wrecks, while one of the crew members provides a narrated tour of what you’re looking at. It was super cool for both the adults and the tweens in our group. Click here to learn more about Pictured Rocks tours.
Downtown Munising has a grocery stores, kitschy souvenir shops, antiques, and mom and pop restaurants. You’ll find murals tucked down side streets and local artworks on display at Art in the Alley. And don’t miss Upper Peninsula Inspired where you can taste local wine and mead (you get to keep the glasses as a souvenir!) and shop U.P. gourmet goods like maple syrup, caramels, chocolates, and cheese.
The U.P. is a popular place for star gazing. Because it’s more rural, there’s less light pollution to cloud the night skies. Kyle packed our tripod to snap some photos of the night sky right out back of our cabin. The stars sure don’t look like this at home.
Where to Eat in Munising
After checking into our Au Train cabin, we picked up pizza and poutine from Zaf’s Party Store just down the street. Good pizza, GREAT poutine.
With a name like Beachcomber Cafe, you wouldn’t expect this Munising food truck to crank out hearty fare. But at the recommendation of East Channel Brewing Company, we decided to give it a go. The brewery doesn’t serve food, so they suggested we grab carryout from the food truck and bring it back to enjoy with our beer. We ordered a sample of deep fried cheese curds, seasoned onion petals, deluxe burgers, and steak sandwiches with au jus dipping sauce, and everything was beyond delicious. We were also impressed with the brews at East Channel, especially the red ale and peanut butter porter. There’s another brewery just down the street called By George Brewing if you wanted to do a mini brewery hop.
The breakfast options are sparse in downtown Munising. After finding many places closed and a 30 minute wait at the one breakfast buffet in town, we ended up going through the drive thru at Hardee’s and eating at a park. I’d never been to Hardee’s, but their breakfast was delish. The hot honey chicken breakfast biscuit was awesome, and I’d 10/10 order it again!
In late September, many restaurants were preparing for the off season with limited hours. I kind of expected this heading into our trip, so I prepped some casseroles to enjoy at the cabin. Highly recommend this Breakfast Enchilada Casserole, Cowboy Casserole for dinner, and Apple Dumplings for dessert. Pick up some apple cider and Michigan-made Witches Brew wine at Bob’s IGA in downtown Munising for sipping at the cabin.
Check Out My Michigan Posts for More Fun in the Mitten
I hope you enjoyed this look at our U.P. Weekend in Munising Michigan and that you’re inspired to take a trip up north for some R&R. We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, relaxing with friends, and spending some time in Michigan’s beautiful upper peninsula. Say ya to da U.P., eh? I hope you enjoyed my Munising Travel Guide, and I’d love if you’d Pin or share the graphic below! Please let me know if you have any questions or recommendations of your own. If you liked this guide, check out my Traverse City and Michigan Tunnel of Trees guides next!
We went to Munising a few summers ago and LOVED IT! I was honestly surprised how small it was, and truly in the middle of nowhere! Our boat ride to see the painted rocks was amazing. I honestly had no idea Lake Superior was so HUGE and so DEEP!