Manistee

There are legends that say Manistee means “spirit of the woods,” named by Ojibwa. Quite honestly, I only went to Manistee once and it was for the purpose of hiking through Manistee National Forest. This is definitely an area I would love to return to in the near future. The forest is so gorgeous, it’s ridiculous. I know they do snowshoeing and cross-country skiing through the trails so I will need to return in the winter next time.

The city itself is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I pictured a secluded little town, but there is a lot to do here. The downtown area is right on the water, lined with quaint boutiques and eateries. With the exception of employees, it was hard to tell the tourists from the locals, but everyone was super friendly! Surprisingly, there are a ton of museums and landmarks to explore in Manistee. Unfortunately, time didn’t permit me to visit them. I did manage to spend a day at Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary though. It is 75 acres of mature forest, hiking trails and 1,700 feet of beach. Eagles, woodpeckers and an abundance of water fowl were everywhere.

This would probably be a nice place to live if you don’t mind a lot of tourists. It certainly seemed like a very safe and incredibly friendly city.