Category: Roadside Attractions

Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Nick, Jacque, Elizabeth & John Kelly

Date: June 13, 2026

Truly an early roadside attraction that began in 1878 with hiking trails, bike paths, swings, shaded walks and picnic pavilions, it has expanded over the years with amusement rides, waterpark, Storybook Forest, miniature train rides, food booths, Fred Rogers Neighborhood Trolley and much more. Idlewild is the third oldest amusement park in the USA and the twelfth oldest in the world.

Early Park visitors came by the Ligonier Valley Railroad before cars took over and people arrived via the famous Lincoln Highway. This was my first visit in 61 years. Photos #1 & #2 show me riding rides in 1960. My Aunt Marie used to work there at a ticket booth when I was young and provided us with ride tickets.

Our visit began with a private lunch with two characters, Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat. We enjoyed pizza, salad, desserts and refreshments. The grandkids enjoyed riding rides, a train and visiting Daniel Toger’s Neighborhood where we rode through the exhibits on a trolley. Being a hot 85 degree day, the waterpark was wall to wall bodies, so we decided not to swim. But instead rode more rides.

Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 12, 2026

Built on the former site of the US Playing Card Company, this is a public art display of several giant playing cards located at Factory 52.

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 8, 2026

Built in 1887, this incredible porch is 660 feet long in front of the Grand Hotel overlooking the traits of Mackinac and Lake Huron. The porch is lined with red geraniums, American flags, and countless comfortable, white rocking chairs. We had just finished bicycling twice around the island (eight miles per lap on Lake Shore Drive) and rested on the porch taking in the beautiful view of the green grounds, pool and Mackinac Bridge in the distance. Unless you are a hotel guest, it costs $12 per person to gain access to the porch. Is the man in the rocking chair (Photo #5) a famous movie star?

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 7, 2026

This suspension bridge that connects the Upper and Lower peninsulas Michigan. The five-mile-long bridge (26,372 feet) spans the Straits of Mackinac, a body of water connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

The length of the bridge’s main span is 3,800 feet (1,158 m), which makes it the third-longest suspension span in the United States and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages (or total suspended length) in the Western Hemisphere. When it opened in 1957, it was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world measured by the main span between towers.

The bridge is also one of only three segments of I-75 that have toll booths.

Driving south from the upper UP on Labor Day, we were delayed as the bridge was closed from 6:30am to 12 noon for the annual Bridge Day Walk which drew 34,000 participants.

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 6, 2026

Located at Whitefish Point along Lake Superior, it contains historic buildings, artifacts from shipwrecks and the bell from the SS Edmond Fitzgerald wreck.

In 1861, the stone tower was replaced with the present steel tower by the order of President Lincoln. 

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 3, 2026

Located attached to Jay’s Sporting Goods, this roadside attraction offers a large variety of donuts, coffee, t-shirts and police related items. One donut, probably a man’s dream donut, was their long john donut wrapped in bacon!

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 3, 2026

At Seashell City were thousands of souvenirs, books, shells and gifts but the star attraction was the Giant Man Killing Clam. The clam weighs 500 pounds but hasn’t really killed anyone but it has the ability if its jaws close on an unsuspecting diver or swimmer. It was a dangerous place, as ou can see from the funny photos we were attacked by sharks.

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 3, 2026

Next to Big Buck Brewery is a giant 45-foot tall, long neck beer bottle. This landmark is easily viewed from northbound I-75, but you don’t appreciate its size until you stand beside it.

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 8, 2026

This boulder and plaque mark the location where Christopher Reeve (Richard Collier) meets Jane Seymour’s character (Elise McKenna) in the 1980 film “Somewhere in Time”. The boulder is just off the perimeter bicycle path along Lake Shore Drive just below the Grand Hotel.

Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: September 7 & 8, 2026

After bicycling all day on Mackinac Island, we took the ferry boat back to Mackinaw City and biked along the North Central State Bike Trail – that is until we saw the giant 63 foot long hot dog on top of a building south of the majestic Mackinaw Bridge. We had to stop. Wienerlicious was the restaurant’s name and very appropriate. Even though I am a 90 per cent vegetarian, I went off the grid and had to try something here. I ordered Mackinaw, a bacon wrapped wiener with cheese sauce.  It was delicious. My wife ordered a giant pretzel. This fueled us to bicycle two miles back to the campground.