Over the years, a long weekend at Beaver Island has been one of the highlights of our summer. I have been up there six times over the years, and it is always fun to see what has changed.
Jackie and I typically spend Friday night in Charlevoix, arriving early enough to ride bikes around this gorgeous town and have dinner. One of our don’t-miss destinations is the wonderful collection of “mushroom” homes designed by Earl Young. These fascinating stone houses were made from massive boulders found along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
We catch the 8:30 a.m. Beaver Island Boat Company ferry ($178 round trip for two adults and bikes) for the 2-1/2-hour boat ride to the island. The ferry takes vehicles, but it is a little pricey ($210), and we can reach just about anything we want on a bike.
Standing on the bow as the ferry pulls into the horseshoe-shaped St. James Harbor, past the lighthouse and old Coast Guard Boat House, offers one of the prettiest views in Michigan. The ferry arrives directly in the center of the approximately dozen old wooden storefronts.
For 30 minutes or so, there is a crazy hustle and bustle of unloading suitcases and pallets of groceries, as old vans arrive to shuttle folks to their destinations. Once the ferry heads out, the island returns to a calm, peaceful atmosphere that you will not easily find on the mainland.
We have stayed several times at the Beaver Island Lodge. It is set back in the woods on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, with a splendid view of the lake and other islands off in the distance. The room rates are reasonable with a small kitchen area and a deck overlooking the water. The owner is very hospitable and runs Sunset Dining, probably the best restaurant on the island on the lower level.
One of our favorite spots at the lodge is lying in one of the hammocks, reading or simply gazing out at the lake watching the sunset.
We have also stayed at The Brothers Place, a rustic former retreat house run by the Christian Brothers religious order. The rooms are small, and it has a communal atmosphere, but is reasonably priced and close to downtown.
The small St James Township Campground on the water is a great campsite. I have camped there and would highly recommend.
Nobody on the island ever seems to be in a hurry, and the few vehicles you encounter slow to wave as they pass. Our mornings at the Beaver Island Lodge start with a cup of coffee on the patio and a bike ride into the countryside.
Most roads are dirt, so a good mountain bike is recommended. No matter which way you turn, you will eventually run into Lake Michigan or St. James Road, which runs through the middle of the island. Beaver Island has a handful of decent-sized lakes with good swimming and fishing. Our favorite rides were on old two-tracks through the woods, ending at a small lake or an abandoned cabin.
A nice stop (and the only business outside of the greater St. James area) is the Paradise Bay Coffee Shop and Restaurant, whose owners are originally from Three Rivers. It is directly across from the airport, which now offers biplane rides.
One of the more interesting attractions on the island is the former home of Feodar Protar. In 1887, while on a trip in Lake Michigan a storm forced Protar’s ship into the Beaver Island harbor at St. James. He became enchanted with the island and spent his summers there for the next five years.
In 1893, Protar moved to Beaver Island permanently. He chose for his house a log cabin constructed in about 1860. He soon realized the extreme need on the island for a physician, began studying medicine, and was soon practicing as an unlicensed physician. Protar continued living in this house and practicing medicine until his death in 1925, never leaving the island. His home is now a museum.
The Fourth of July parade is a highlight, with virtually the whole island either in the parade or lined up along the streets watching. The parade is followed by large parties in many of the yards along the parade route.
Other don’t-miss destinations include the pancake breakfast at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, ice cream at Daddy Franks, and The Beaver Island Toy Museum and Store, with hundreds of strange little toys in old wooden drawers — you will never get your kids out of there.
Visitors will also enjoy the Print Shop and Museum, which dates from Latter Day Saint “King” James Strang’s rule on the island in the 1850s; dinner or an Oberon on the patio at the Shamrock Restaurant & Pub; Livingstone Studio, an eclectic art and gift store in an old log cabin; the Marine Museum; the St. James Boat Shop (classic wooden canoes); and The Blue Pearl, a great clothing store in a weather-beaten, wooden building that was once the town’s butcher shop.
