Presque Isle State Park and the impressive Marquette University are the highlights of a trip to this Upper Peninsula cluster. Whether you want to indulge in exquisite whitefish dishes downtown or brave unexplored lakeside terrain, this town is a good sampling of life in rural Michigan.

The lakeside parks offer endless activities including hiking and swimming in the summer and cross country skiing during snow season. Presque Isle is almost surrounded by the lake, offering visitors a prime opportunity to delve into local wildlife. The college district is all you’d expect, bustling with life and up all night.

Marquette has been tentatively dubbed the capital of the Upper Peninsula, and it’s not hard to see why.