Nothing screams good ol’ fashioned Americana quite like hopping in the car, grabbing an old atlas, starting up your favorite playlist, and setting off on a road trip. That’s just a fact of life. And when it comes to road trips, you need look no further than Michigan for a world-class driving destination.

A land chock-full of legendary locales, Michigan boasts miles upon miles of incredible coastline, and a boatload (see what I did there?) of majestic lighthouses to watch over it. If the beach isn’t your thing (it is), maybe gigantic sand dunes are? How about Bavarian villages, stunning forests, and covered bridges? Whatever you’re in the market for, I promise you that Michigan is selling.

Maybe as a local, I’m biased, but the fact remains that the Great Lakes State has been picking up some serious steam as a tourist destination, becoming a $25-billion-a-year industry in the past decade or so. You can’t deny that there’s just something special about setting off in a fit of wanderlust to canvas the Big Mitten State.

So, let’s start those engines, because I’m bringing you my ultimate list of the best road trips in Michigan.

Best Michigan Road Trips – My Ultimate List

The Gold Coast – 300 Miles of Paradise

Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature rising.

Sure, Elvis was talking about his hunk of burning love, but a solid 300-mile stretch of pristine beaches, charming port towns, and sun-kissed sand dunes is bound to have the same effect, right? This seemingly endless strip of beach extends up the Western Coast of the “Mitten”. That is to say, Michigan’s lower peninsula, all the way from New Buffalo to Mackinaw City. There’s some truly stunning scenery to be found on the Lake Michigan coast, and Highway 31 will take you all the way up.

Some of my favorite bits include:

• Holland and Saugatuck, two neighboring port towns hosting a collection of vacation-primed resorts, a healthy arts scene, the legendary Oval Beach, and the incredible Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Don’t forget to grab a photo with Big Red!
• Grand Haven, known for its annual blowout Coast Guard Festival, which attracts around 580,000 people every year. This beach town is also a mecca for stunning sunsets and some great kayaking, on both Lake Michigan and a handful on inland rivers.
• Ludington and the Silver Lake area, a massively underrated stretch of sand dunes, lighthouses, and bed and breakfast places that