Kayaking The Great Lakes
During 2023, we spent our summer touring Michigan and Wisconsin. It was the first time for both of us to see the Great Lakes. Although the Great Lakes do not contain the ocean life we love (sharks, whales, manta rays, etc.), the vastness of them took us by surprise. The Great Lakes are amazing to kayak and explore. There are many shipwrecks and cool geological features that you must check out when visiting.
Kayaking to Turnip Rock in Lake Heron
When my husband said he wanted to kayak seven miles to a rock in Lake Heron in Port Austin, Michigan, I was skeptical. After all, I am not the strongest kayaker and lakes are not my favorite places to kayak. I prefer springs and salt water. But you hate to miss an adventure. So, I said I would try.
You cannot reach Turnip Rock in Michigan by land. It is all privately owned. So, you must kayak Lake Heron to see this unique rock feature. However, Lake Heron is a beautiful lake to kayak.
We launched our kayaks at Bird Creek County Park GPS 44.04798, -82.99296. We had no issues finding parking at this cool little park where we could launch for free. And we appreciate the public bathrooms before the seven-mile kayak trip. Once we left the sand beach, we turned right and headed to the rock.
It was a rough kayak trip for me, with the wind and currents. But it was worth it. Turnip Rock is a neat rock to see in Lake Heron. And we had a lot of fun kayaking around the rock, playing, and filming each other.
It took us several hours to kayak there and back from the Bird Creek County Park and I was worn out. The trip took longer because Windell had to wait on me a lot while kayaking back to the beach. But Lake Heron is gorgeous and turnip rock is a fun feature to kayak.
Booking a Kayaking Tour for Pictured Rocks in Lake Superior
Our favorite kayaking in the Great Lakes was with a Pictured Rocks kayaking charter. The Pictured Rocks in Upper Michigan are gorgeous! When we visited, we booked the boat ride with Pictured Rock Cruises, LLC and the kayak tour with Pictured Rocks Kayaking. Afterwards, we hiked the Lakeshore-North Country Trail to see Lovers Leap and the other rock features from the shore. FYI, though, when we hiked a fog rolled in and we couldn’t see some of the amazing features we wanted to see.
We booked the Pictured Rocks Kayaking charter because the boat takes you out into Lake Superior near Pictured Rocks. Supposedly, you can kayak Pictured Rocks without a guide. You can carry your kayak from parking lots to Lake Superior at the following locations: Sand Point Beach, Miners Beach, Twelvemile Beach Campground and Day-Use Area, and Lower Hurricane River Campground and Day-Use Area. However, this is recommended for expert kayakers only.
Because we wanted a boat to take us closer to pictured rocks and we wanted a guide, we booked the charter. We really enjoyed our tour with Pictured Rocks Kayaking. They ferry you out to near Lovers Leap and then put you into tandem sea kayaks with a guide to follow. We went through and in caves, under Lovers Leap, and so much more. You really get to see Pictured Rocks from the water level with this tour.
Windell’s favorite was Rainbow Cave. The colors inside the cave with the water dripping mesmerized him. My favorite was kayaking all the caves. It is a blast to go underneath the rock formations and see the colors of the rock and the water from this perspective. Our video of this experience doesn’t do it justice. Firstly, we didn’t record everything we saw. And, secondly, we were mesmerized by the ceilings of the caves, so we took a lot of shots overhead instead of around the entire rock.
You do not have to be an expert kayaker to enjoy this tour. Many of our fellow kayakers were beginners, and the tandem sea kayaks are easy to steer and paddle quickly. We were not sure about kayaking together in one kayak. After establishing who was steering and who was paddling, we finally got the hang of it. At the end of the tour, on the way back to the boat, we were having fun going as fast as we could and playing around.
We had so much fun with this tour. To really experience Pictured Rocks, you must book the boat tour for the history and a different view of the rocks. However, the kayaking tour will enhance your visit to this marvelous place.
Apostle Islands Main Shore in Lake Superior
Unfortunately, we did not kayak the mainland Apostle Shores in Wisconsin. Instead, we hiked the Lakeshore Trail to see the amazing rock formations. Although we do recommend the hike to see the upper level of the caves and rocks; we wished we had kayaked them also.
We saw many kayakers on our hike. There are a lot of amazing caves and geological features that you can explore both on the shoreline hiking and in the kayak. The kayakers were entering the caves and seeing the rock features that created many of the sounds of the water that we could only see from above. If we return to this area again, we will be kayaking it.
You can launch your kayak at Meyers Beach at GPS 46.88376, -91.04874. The parking lot for Meyers Beach is the same one we parked on for the Lakeshore Trail. The parking was $7 when we visited. From Meyers Beach, you make a right and kayak the gorgeous rock features. We also saw many kayak tours in the parking lot. If you wanted, you could book a tour for the Apostle Island mainland kayaking.
Wisconsin Cave Point and Whitefish Kayaking in Lake Michigan
Initially we visited this state park and hiked around. However, we knew we had to kayak this area when we saw kayakers playing in the caves and rock formations that we could only see from above.
So, we launched our kayaks at the Schauer Park Beach & Boat Launch GPS 44.94512, -87.18556. I believe it is $5 per kayak to launch. However, it is an easy launch and kayaking to Cave Point is gorgeous in the clear, beautiful Lake Michigan. After we launched our kayaks, we turned right to head south to Cave Point and Whitefish Dunes Parks.
When we reached the Cave Point Park, we kayaked into the fascinating rock formations that we had seen from above the day before. To hear the sound of the water entering the underwater caverns is something that still thrills us! We also found another cave that we entered that you could not see from the shoreline.
From there, we continued our journey towards Whitefish Dunes State Park. This is a lovely place to easily visit and explore with kayaks. Take your time and enjoy the amazing rock features at these parks.
Kayaking Door Bluff with Shipwreck in Lake Michigan
Also, while in Wisconsin, we decided to kayak the bluffs near the Door Bluff Headlands County Park and check out the Fleetwing shipwreck.
We launched our kayaks at the Garrett Bay Park kayak launch, GPS 45.2857, -87.05127. There is a small parking lot and we had no issues finding a spot.
There are tours that will take you out, tell you the history and point out the main points of interest. However, if we are comfortable kayaking the area ourselves, we like to save that money for other adventuring.
We decided to head left from the sandy beach to kayak the bluffs before the shipwreck. Although Windell was fascinated by the clarity of the water and the rocks below, I really enjoyed the gorgeous bluffs. We didn’t have to kayak very far to see the amazing shoreline.
On the way back, we bypassed the boat launch to see the Fleetwing shipwreck. Only the bottom boards of the boat remain. A local swimmer told us he could stand on the shipwreck. However, it was our first shipwreck that we kayaked and we spent a lot of time going over and over it again.
This is another great, easy spot to kayak while you are in Wisconsin. After kayaking the area, you can hike the Door Bluff Headlands County Park for a different perspective.
Kayaking the Great Lakes
You have so many fun opportunities to kayak the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin. If you enjoy kayaking, check out unique places to launch and explore the Great Lakes. Also, don’t forget about all the shipwrecks and cool boat tours that are accessible in these lakes. The Great Lakes, although still not salt water, wowed us with their beauty and amazing features.
The House on the Rock
Dragaon Fountain in the Asian Garden at the House on the Rock
Our Favorites in the House on the Rock:
A Little History on the House on the Rock
Sometimes we find the most awesome, quirky things to do. The House on the Rock in Wisconsin is one of those places. This place amazed us beyond belief, and we recommend everyone who has an imagination to visit and enjoy it as we did.
The House on the Rock started in the 1940s when Alex Jordan began building a house in Spring Green, Wisconsin on Deer Shelter Rock. He purchased 240 acres to build his dream house, after his tent blew away while camping there.
He built much of the house himself from his imagination. People came to visit the curiosity and the frustrated Alex decided to start charging admission. The money he earned from admissions was reinvested in the house. In 1960, he opened the house up to the public.
In 1988 Alex sold the House on the Rock to Art Donaldson. The family of Donaldson still operates the house as a privately held business and charges admission fees to tour the original house and add-ons.
We were not sure we wanted to pay the admission fees, which are pretty steep for our budget. We decided to go ahead and buy the tickets based on the webpage for the House on the Rock and comments on the Internet. After touring all three levels on the Ultimate Tour, we would gladly pay this admission fee again in a hearbeat!
Touring the House on the Rock
We knew we were going to love this museum when we stopped at the entrance to record our introduction for our YouTube channel. The entrance has two gigantic urns covered with dragons and filled with flowers. As you continue to drive down the driveway, you will see more gigantic urns with many different types of dragons and all filled with flowers. The beauty and uniqueness of these urns piqued our interest immediately.
There are two things you must bring when you visit the House on the Rock. Number one is your imagination. You will be blown away by the creativity that defines every room and corner of this house. The second item you must bring is one-dollar bills for tokens. We wished we had brought more one-dollar bills to for all the music machines. I don’t know if $10 will even be enough. We wanted to put tokens in every music machine we saw, enjoying the variety and the mechanics. You will not be disappointed spending your tokens!
No outside food or alcohol are allowed in the House on the Rock. You can bring sealable bottles for nonalcoholic drinks while you tour, and we recommend you do. The House on the Rock does have food areas on the tour. However, we didn’t purchase any food or drinks but simply brought our own bottles. It is best to remember that you will be exploring for several hours. It took us over three hours to tour all three sections, and we could have stayed longer if we had purchased more tokens. So, you will need to bring something to drink.
3 Different Tour Sections
There are three sections to the House of the Rock and you can purchase tickets for different self-tours. We recommend purchasing the Ultimate Tour. You must purchase this tour online. When you purchase this ticket, make sure to give yourself at least three hours for all three sections. Tickets are almost $34 per person plus tax. Yes, it is expensive. However, for the approximate $90 we spent on the tickets and tokens, we toured the house for several hours. And we could have stayed longer.
The House on the Rock is not a quick walk through a house. Instead, it is an exploration. You cannot possibly take it all in. The details, artistic creation, and the entire wowness of the tour will have you gently strolling from one area to another. And, of course, you must stop and take in the musical shows as you spend your tokens.
Section 1
Section one of the tour is the Asian Garden, the Alex Jordan Center, the Original House, and the Gate House. Included in Section one is also the Infinity Room. Before entering the house, you will pass through the Asian Garden. The garden contains a water spouting dragon with more sculptures, shrubs, and flowers. The garden is small but gorgeous.
After the Asian Garden, you will begin your tour of the house. You are overwhelmed by the artistic decorative touches and collections everywhere. I cannot really remember exact details from the tour of the house as we were just beginning our tour and it kept getting better. In this level of the self-guided tour, the Infinity Room was our favorite part. It is really cool to see the 3264 windowed room decrease in size the further it extends away from the rock.
The Original House and the Gate House spurred our imagination. However, the second and third levels blew us away.
Section 2
The second section of the tour includes the Tribute to Nostalgia, the Spirit of Aviation, the Music of Yesterday, the Streets of Yesterday, the Carousel, and the Heritage of the Sea. We really slowed down beginning on this section of the tour. We were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude and creative genius of this section.
You will not believe your eyes when you enter the Carousel Room. Initially, your eyes are diverted to the largest, most glorious carousel you have ever seen. The lighting, the music, and the detail of the carousel will hold your attention for several minutes. Eventually you can tear your eyes away to behold the other amazing features of this room, including the orchestra and the carousel rides on the ceiling. Unfortunately, you cannot ride this work of art. However, the beauty and magnitude of this carousel will entertain you to no end.
After gazing with your mouth agape for several minutes, trying to take it all in, you are ready to leave the Carousel Room. To exit the room, you must enter the mouth of a monster. I love so many of the zany features of this tour, including this monster.
The Heritage of the Sea is another room you will enter where you will be blown away. The centerpiece is the whale and kraken that is several stories tall! You cannot see all of this huge display until you eventually walk the ramp up all the way to the top! However, when you first enter this room, you must check out the octupus orchestra! We loved this musical machine and every time a token was played, we stopped, listened and watched.
In this room, you will walk up several stories with displays of miniature ships, sailing memorabilia, etc. all the while taking in the immensity of the whale and kraken. At the top story, you can see the boat in the whale’s mouth and take a picture of yourself standing in front of the mouth of this gigantic whale. There are also more displays at the top for you to take in.
Our favorite part of the entire tour of the House on the Rock was all the music machines. We did not bring enough one-dollar bills for tokens, and we soon ran out. However, luckily, the couple in front of us had more knowledge of touring the House on the Rock. They bought a lot of tokens and played many of the orchestras for us. We really appreciate their patience and sharing their money with us!
The musical machines are so much fun! You can’t help but want to play every machine with your tokens. The different orchestras play everything from country to classical and the mechanics will astound you. However, remember to save some tokens for Section three and the circus orchestra, which was by far the best to us!
The Tribute to Nostalgia in Section Two is also an amazing walking tour. You will see unique classic cars, an imaginative factory, hearses, etc. We had a lot of fun visiting this portion of section two although we went through it more quickly. In fact, there really is not a section you will not enjoy on this tour.
Section 3
Section three of the Ultimate Tour includes The Organ Room, The Dollhouse Room, The Galleries, and The Circus Room. I could not get over how much effort went into setting up these displays, especially the miniature dollhouses and circus performers. As you wander through them, you will return to your childhood. However, you cannot play with them although you really, really want to.
The Organ Room has many paths that makes exploring fun. Although amazing, we really loved the dollhouse and circus displays. We couldn’t believe how lucky someone had been to set up the acrobats, lions, and audiences for the big show. The quality of the dollhouses, furniture, and features made me wish I was a little girl again. Thank goodness they were behind glass! Otherwise, I don’t know if we could have stopped ourselves from playing with all the figurines and toys.
But what is really going to blow you away in this section is the Circus display with the huge, I mean huge, orchestra. Passing by the pyramid of elephants, where we had to stop for a photo, you enter into another area that will carry your imagination away. You need tokens here! When you first start climbing, you will see part of the orchestra in the circus trailers stacked in the center. Yes, you need to stop and take it in. However, you must continue to walk up in order to play your tokens and see the entire orchestra!
We could not seem to leave this area for an amazingly long time. Every time someone would play a token for the orchestra, we just stared with our mouths hanging open trying to take it all in like children, watching the figures and instruments as the circus theme played. I cannot describe the sheer joy of watching this display over and over. You must see this for yourself!
Included in Section 3 is the doll carousels and a small Japanese garden with a waterfall. The large carousel in Section 2 was our favorite. However, the small Japanese garden was a nice, small place to sit quietly for a few minutes and reflect on what we had seen.
We Would Visit Again
Usually, after we have visited a place, we mark it off on our Google Map. Been there, done that. However, the House on the Rock is one place that we will always visit if we are in the area. The sheer joy and childlike indulgence of this place made it very special to us. We will, though, bring more dollars for tokens so we can play repeatedly! We learnt our lesson the first time.
If you are ever in this area, visit this amazing place. You will not be disappointed if you love quirkiness, imagination, and sheer childlike wonderment. You will not remember everything you see – there is just too much. But you will remember your favorite parts and, as you recall these, it will be difficult to remove that smile on your face!