The Pines

Posted on by dan@dankaho.com in Entertainment, Food

The Pines is a restaurant in the heart of Mercer which features live entertainment and dancing in an outdoor setting during the summer season. It is a short 5-minute drive or 20-minute walk from Paradise Point. They have ample seating, good entertainment, dancing on a wood platform, and a huge selection of both libations and sweets.

The Pines is one of our favorites as they have great food, excellent hosts, and entertainment in the outdoor beer garden. They specialize in German food but they also have a wide selection of entrees and weekly specials. They serve ice cream in their parlor during the summer months and feature many delightful sweet treats. The downside is that they often have long wait times. If you plan to go here, always call first!

More information can be found at: http://www.thepinesmercer.com/

Big Top Chautauqua

Posted on by dan@dankaho.com in Entertainment, Located in Wisconsin

The Big Top was founded over 20 years ago and features Broadway-quality entertainers, as well as local musicians and their original shows. The facility is a huge canvas tent high on a ski hill overlooking Lake Superior. The views are awesome and over the many years of shows we have attended, we have never been disappointed. The Big Top is very close to Bayfield and access to the Apostle Islands. The Big Top is an easy 60 mile drive on good roads so you should plan on about a 90 minute drive. We typically leave in the morning to do fun things in the area, have plenty of time for a great dinner with an awesome view, and then enjoy wonderful performances in beautiful setting. Shows end around 10PM, so you’ll be back to see the stars before retiring in Paradise.

More information can be found at: https://www.bigtop.org

Porcupine Mountains State Park

Posted on by dan@dankaho.com in Activities, Hikes, Located in Michigan

This is a very large wilderness park offering awesome views of the Porcupine Mountains, Lake Superior, and wilderness lakes. There are backpacking, hiking trails and old mining facilities you can visit. You can either enjoy a drive to the top to see the sights or you can take many trails depending on what you want to see. There are two entrances, the closest of which is about an hour drive. The main entrance is on the NE corner and adds another hour to your drive. This is a minimum full day trip and can easily be a full day trip if you bring a lunch. There is no internet or cell phone coverage in this area. There are several places to get ice cream on the drive home making this trip an even better treat!

More information can be found at: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79133_79207_81180—,00.html

Copper Peak

Posted on by dan@dankaho.com in Activities, Hikes, Located in Michigan

This is the world’s tallest ski jump which has recently been restored for use. They offer tours where you can take the chairlift up about 2/3 of the way and then for the daring, you can walk the steps to the very top to enjoy an awesome panoramic view of the area’s mountains and Lake Superior. The entrance is at the south end of the hiking trails into the Black River Harbor area. There is a fee for admission and the typical visit takes about one hour, including a trip to the ski jump museum.

More information can be found at: https://copperpeak.net

Black River Harbor on Lake Superior

Posted on by dan@dankaho.com in Activities, Hikes, Waterfalls

This is a wilderness area that is about an hour drive north of Paradise Point. There are multiple hiking trails around five waterfalls cascading over several miles down to Lake Superior. The Harbor is an old CCC facility with a large stone breakwater, crystal clear water, and beaches of flat rocks. This is a minimum half day trip and can easily be a full day trip if you bring a lunch. There is minimal internet and cell phone coverage in this area.

More information can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ottawa/recarea/?recid=16846