BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL. August 15, 16, & 17, 2008. Come and have a great time at the annual Blueberry Festival. This is prime blueberry country and what better way to celebrate than to share the delicious blueberries with everyone. Enjoy the Blueberry Brunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. Arts & Crafts Fair. The Blueberry Festival is held yearly the third full weekend of August.

• Artists and Crafters: Click here for information and an application blank

CRANBERRY FARM is open for tours and cranberry picking time is in Mid October. This farm is over 100 years old and is located in the cranberry bogs just south west of Whitefish Point. Stop by and take a tour of Michigan's only historic cranberry farm. Open for tours between the hours of 12 noon and 5 p.m. every day from Memorial Day Weekend through October 31st. Established in 1876.

	CRISP POINT LIGHTHOUSE was established in 1904 at the site of the Crisp's Point Life Saving Station. The keepers dwelling & the outbuildings have already been lost to Lake Superior but fortunately the Crisp's Point Historical Society has stepped in and they are working diligently to save this beautiful Light Tower. You can walk along the sandy beach and climb the tower on weekends.
You can visit Crisp's Point Lighthouse by taking M-123 southwest of Paradise to the intersection on County Road 500, Go north approximately 12 miles to the intersection of County Road 412. Turn right (east) and go approximately 7 miles. Follow the signs and this narrow, back country road will take you through the woods to the Lighthouse. This is a beautiful drive and well worth the effort.

GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK MUSEUM is located in the old Coast Guard buildings at Whitefish Point. This Museum is filled with artifacts and exhibits honoring the many mariners who traveled the Great Lakes. Watch the video presentation about the Edmund Fitzgerald and the raising of the ship's bell. The bell at the Shipwreck Museum was retrieved from the wreck site, restored (but not altered), and put on display. A replica bell was engraved with the names of the 29 men who lost their lives in that terrible storm, November 10, 1975, and attached to the wreck at the bottom of Lake Superior when the original bell was retrieved. Each year, on November 10th, there is a Memorial Service for the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the 729-foot steamer sunk off Whitefish Bay. Open May 1st through October 31st. To contact the Shipwreck Museum call toll free: 1-888-492-3747

The "HAUNTED TRAIL"will be held on Oct. 17th & 18th, 2008 (Fri. and Sat.) at Sawmill Creek Township Park, 1/10 mile north of Paradise on Whitefish Point Road, from 7 pm to 10 pm. Admission $3 for a "howling" good time. The trail is a nature walk of about 400 yards, but the Head Ghoul has transformed the trail adding 15 sites of terror, fun, and visually cool effects. Guides will take you through the woods and a concession stand sells hot dogs and chips, home baked goodies, hot spiced cider, coffee, and cocoa. Come out for a scary evening in Paradise.

POINT IROQUOIS LIGHTHOUSE. This very unusual Light Station is located on the Curly Lewis Memorial Highway (Lakeshore Drive) just south east of Paradise. Built in 1870, the dwelling housed the Keeper and two assistant Keepers and their families. This was the Lighthouse that guided ships to and from the St. Mary's River at the Soo.The Light Station has been restored and is a museum. Stop by and maybe a Keeper will take you on a tour. The Fresnel Lens from Point Iroquois is at the Smithsonian Institute but the Fresnel Lens from St. Martin's Reef is on display in the museum. The 65' tower is open for climbing and you can be the lookout as you watch for the freighters entering and leaving the St. Mary's River. Walk down to the shore and look for that special rock. Open daily May 15-Oct.15

SOO LOCKS. Watching the freighters is lots of fun. Stop at the Visitors Center at the Locks for the schedule so you know the arrival time, and then you can go out to one of the viewing areas or just stand by the fence. You are almost close enough to touch them as they pass by. It's especially fun to watch the ships in the MacArthur Lock as they come in low and rise to giants right before your eyes.

TAHQUAMENON FALLS. The Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. The only larger falls is Niagara. Tahquamenon has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. A maximum flow of 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls. The Tahquamenon River drains the watershed of an area more than 790 square miles.

The amber color of the water is not rust nor is it muddiness; it is caused by tannin leached from the Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock in the swamps drained by the river. The extremely soft water churned by the action of the falls causes the large amounts of foam, which has been the trademark of the Tahquamenon since the days of the voyagers. Open year round

Tahquamenon Upper Falls is beautiful no matter what time of the year you visit. The Park has many things to offer for outdoor recreation plus a delicious lunch or dinner. Winter offers an awesome view of the falls and groomed cross country ski trails.

TAHQUAMENON LOWER FALLS is a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island. Although not stunning as the huge Upper Falls, they are outstanding. The falls can be viewed along the river bank or rowboats can be rented for a different view. Row out to the island for a nice day on the water and some great pictures. Tahquamenon Lower Falls is a great place for camping and is connected to the trail system.

TAHQUAMENON FALLS STATE PARK, centered around the Upper and Lower Falls, has close to 40,000 acres of land stretching about 13 miles. Most is undeveloped woodlands, but there is an extensive system of trails throughout the park for your enjoyment. Hiking, camping, canoeing, birding, fishing, nature study, photography are some of the activities and in the winter, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling on miles of marked trails. There are many unusual birds to be found in the park. Open year round for winter camping. Phone: 906-492-3415

TAHQUAMENON FALLS BOAT TOURS and TOONERVILLE TROLLEY WILDERNESS TRAIN. Take this 6 1/2 hour Train & Boat Tour to the Tahquamenon Falls. As you travel through the forest and down the Tahquamenon River, you will see the wonders of the area and have a great opportunity to view wildlife. The Toonerville Trolley takes you on a wilderness train ride and then meets the Riverboat Hiawatha for that ride down the River. Open June 15 - Oct.6. This is an outstanding fall color tour taking you through the middle of the forest. Food, beverages and restrooms are aboard the Riverboat. You can also take a 1 3/4 wilderness train ride through the forest on the Toonerville Trolley, one of the longest and oldest 24 gauge railroads in the country.

WILDLIFE ABOUNDS -maybe you will see a moose by the rivermouth or deep in the forest. Watch the Otters play at Rivermouth. Sometimes you might also see a mink as it goes for its evening drink of water. Beware--they bite. Watch the beavers at work under the Boardwalk or building their lodge in the wetland at Monocle Lake. Shelldrake Dam is an outstanding birding location. Often you can see the Sandhill Cranes as they walk down the road or through the underbrush. Bird watching is a very important activity in the Paradise area. Tahquamenon Falls State Park is documenting nesting species, please contact the park headquarters with information about birds you found on nests or with young while visiting the Park. Please contact the Park Interpreter at (906)492-3415

VERMILLION POINT LIFESAVING STATION is now owned by Lake Superior State University. Some of the original buildings are still standing and being repaired. This historic Lifesaving Station is located at the end of Vermillion Point Road This is a one lane gravel road with some sugar sand and is not easy to reach but it is a very good spot for seeing birds.

WHITEFISH POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY is located at Whitefish Point. Here you will find one of the leading bird observatories in the country. This is one of the most exciting spots to watch unique birds as they migrate to and from Canada. Beginning with the hawk migration in April through late fall, the Point attracts an amazing number of unusual birds. Bring your binoculars and a jacket and spend some time wandering around the Point.

WHITEFISH POINT LIGHTHOUSE is located at the end of the Whitefish Point Road, 12 miles north of Paradise. One of the first lighthouses to guide the mariners as they traveled this very treacherous area of Lake Superior, it is still guiding them safely around Whitefish Point today the Whitefish Point Light Station, established in 1849, is open everyday May 1st to October 31st. The attached Keepers dwelling, built in 1861, has been fully restored and is open for tours.

Photo of Crisp Point Lighthouse by Laura Tinker
Photo of Tahquamenon Falls by Travis Parak

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