10 fun things to do in Chippewa County this summer

Brendan Wiesner, The Sault News
·4 min read

Do you live in or plan on traveling to the Eastern Upper Peninsula this summer?

Here are some of the most popular things you can do in and around Chippewa County this summer:

Visit the Shipwreck Museum

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is the largest collection in the world of recovered items, photos and educational material on the various ships to sink in the Great Lakes. The museum tells the history of the Great Lakes and the many ships that have passed through it. The museum displays to this day the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It is the only piece of the shipwreck that has ever been removed from the wreckage.

The Fitzgerald bell and permanent exhibit are shown at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point.
The Fitzgerald bell and permanent exhibit are shown at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point.

More: ‘Their story deserves to be told': The Great Lakes Shipwreck Society tells history through shipwrecks

Explore the Tower of History

The Tower of History is one of the most important and famous historical sites in Sault Ste. Marie. At 210 feet tall, it provides a clear view 1,200 miles in any direction. Visitors can view the Soo Locks and the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

See Tahquamenon Falls

Tahquamenon Falls State Park covers over 50,000 acres of undeveloped woodland. Directly in the center of the massive state park are the waterfalls themselves. The upper falls are one the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, with a drop of nearly 50 feet and spanning more than 200 feet across. The falls are well known for their natural beauty, making this a popular camping site year-round.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park is seen in the eastern Upper Peninsula.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park is seen in the eastern Upper Peninsula.

Learn at the Point Iroquois Lighthouse

The Point Iroquois Lighthouse is a major historical landmark for the the Bay Mills Indian Community and sees over 40,000 visitors every year. The lighthouse is named after a historically significant battle between the local Anishinaabe from Bay Mills and an invading Iroquois war party in 1662. It was decommissioned and declared a historical site in 1970 and it is now a center for the education of the history of the local Anishinaabe people and has many exhibits to explore.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse, located along Whitefish Bay near Brimley, is seen in 2018.
Point Iroquois Lighthouse, located along Whitefish Bay near Brimley, is seen in 2018.

More: Bay Mills Community taking over operations at Point Iroquois Lighthouse

Visit the Museum of Ojibwa Culture

The Museum of Ojibwa Culture is a city-operated museum and park that focuses on education about people and life during the 1670s when the Ojibwa, Huron and French lifestyles met in the Upper Peninsula. The building itself is over 180 years old and has both indoor and outdoor exhibits that show Ojibwa culture and traditions, the site's rich archaeology and a depiction of what life looked like over 300 years ago.

See the Soo Locks Visitor Center

In 1966, the Soo Locks Visitor Center opened for the first time, overlooking the massive locks that separate Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The visitor center includes a small park where people can relax on the shoreline and several exhibits inside to help educate people on the history of the locks. From the viewing platform, visitors can see freighters coming and going through the locks during all hours of the day.

The Soo Locks Visitor Center, located at 312 W. Portage Ave. in the Sault.
The Soo Locks Visitor Center, located at 312 W. Portage Ave. in the Sault.

More: Soo Locks visitor Center opens for the season

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Enjoy the Deer Ranch

The Deer Ranch, established in 1950, is the oldest live whitetail deer exhibit in North America. The exhibits are home to dozens of whitetail deer and fawns in outdoor settings where they are free to interact with people. Visitors will have the opportunity to feed the deer by hand and even pet the deer. The ranch has whitetail, white whitetail and albino deer of all ages and receives new fawn every year.

Shop in Sault Ste. Marie

Downtown Sault Ste. Marie has tons of small local shops to explore. Whether you're looking for food, gift shops or specialty items, there's a lot of shopping to be done in the Soo. Locally owned shops like Bird's Eye Outfitters, Das Gift Haus, Island Books and Crafts and many other stores each bring a unique personality to Sault Ste. Marie.

Go hiking in nature

Being so far north in Michigan there are many unique hiking and nature trails in the area that outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy. Closest to the Soo is Round Island Point Nature Preserve, which is over 1,000 acres and has 9,000 feet of shoreline along Lake Superior. The preserve is home to many different species of wildlife, including black bears, wolves and moose. There are a series of trails across the nature preserve and the more adventurous hikers who stray from the path can find the lake near the center of the preserve.

Find a fishing spot

There are many places in and around Sault Ste. Marie to find good fishing spots. Many local restaurants stock their kitchens with fish caught directly out of the St. Mary's River.

Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: 10 fun things to do in Chippewa County this summer