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Visitor information next to Hardee's

Explore Munising has multiple services for visitors to the Upper Michigan shores of Lake Superior.

The Explore Munising website – www.ExploreMunising.com highlights area natural features and fun events. The site also gives viewers a live peek at what is happening in the community through their 3 strategically placed web cams at:

  • Munising Bay – see dockside activity
  • Downtown Munising along the M-28 route
  • Grand Marais downtown
Munising Grand Marais visitor center

The Explore Munising Visitor Center is conveniently located right on M-28, as you arrive in Munising from the east. It is open 7 days a week during the summer season. Guests are greeted with concierge services that help them maximize their time here. Whether they want to tour Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, relax in the Hiawatha National Forest, visit Grand Island, hike to waterfalls or enjoy sites, shopping and dining in local communities, a stop at Munising Visitor Center is essential. Visitors especially appreciate getting Explore Munising’s FREE waterfall map or buying the exclusive Explore Munising waterproof map with distance details marked for hiking and kayaking excursions. On site ticketing for Pictured Rocks Cruises is another convenience offered to travelers.

visitor centerThis year, the Munising Visitor Center expanded their selection of delightful gift and souvenirs. Local folks are often surprised to find lovely gift treasures and the helpful tourist information for their friends and family coming to Munising. Regional U.P. artists works are featured throughout Munising Visitor Center, with beautiful photography, watercolor art, wood and metal hand crafted items, handmade soaps, to wearable art with U.P. Reference items including books, atlases, maps, puzzles and calendars featuring area scenes are available . There are specialty foods for snacking.  The Kids Korner has a nice collection of children’s books, cuddly stuffed animals, and outdoor play toys for adding fun to family vacations.

Gwinn FurnitureSince 2011, Explore Munising has been offering marketing services that enhance the visibility of local entrepreneurs. When owners Brenda Kelley St. Amour  and John St. Amour opened the Visitor Center on M-28, they wanted to promote the area and extend Munising hospitality to visitors from nearby U.P. towns to international travelers.

 

 

Munising Visitor Center Named “Best of the Lake”

Best of the LakeThe Munising Visitor Center has been selected as “Best Visitor Info Center” by the readers of Lake Superior Magazine, as announced in the magazine’s August/September 2017 “Best of the Lake 2017” issue, and on the magazine’s website, www.LakeSuperior.com.  The annual awards were launched by the magazine in 1993 to bring deserved recognition to establishments and locations around Lake Superior.

“We are honored to be recognized by the readers of this prestigious publication,” stated Brenda Kelley, owner of Munising Visitor Center and Explore Munising.  “We feel it is a validation of the customer-centered approach that we based our operating plan on when we opened our center in 2012.  We have listened to the questions that tourists have, and have designed the products and services we offer to create an informative, rewarding, and sometimes even stress-relieving experience for them when they choose to come in to our center.  We are known for the high-quality, waterproof maps that we have produced for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Island National Recreational Area hiking trails, and area kayaking, shipwreck, and waterfall tours, and we are an authorized agent for the purchase of Pictured Rocks Boat Cruises tickets.  Our center has a studio featuring area artists, a bookstore and gift shop, and one of the area’s largest selections of quality items for kids. We offer a free concierge service, and our restaurant/dining section complete with menus is very popular. We are proud to also represent the Munising Visitors Bureau and many area businesses, as well as the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Manistique Tourist Council, so we can even provide our visitors with assistance for their travels outside of the Munising area.  All of our staff members enjoy engaging our visitors in conversation so that we can provide the best possible service to them, and we have made many friends that return year after year, even if it’s just to say hello.  We absolutely look forward to meeting each and every person that comes in to our center, and making many more new friends!”

For more information contact Brenda at Kelley Marketing, LLC, 906-387-5710, or browse the rest of our website.

US Forest Service Urges Caution Due to Fire Risk

Release Date: May 20, 2016

Gladstone, MI – As we move into the weekend, fire danger remains very high throughout the Upper Peninsula, and is extreme in some locations. Fire officials at the U.S. Forest Service urge residents and visitors to be cautious with the use of fire while enjoying the outdoors in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

“We’re still extremely dry in many areas, and all it takes is one careless mistake for a wildfire to endanger our lives and communities,” said Jon Agner, Fire Management Officer serving Hiawatha National Forest and Ottawa National Forest. “If you see a wildfire, it is critical that you find a safe location and call 911 immediately.”

Dry conditions, warm temperatures, low relative humidity, strong winds, and potential for lightning storms are contributing to the very high fire danger levels in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Fire officials offer the following tips to go by while enjoying the area’s many outdoor recreation areas.

  • When traveling, only pull over into developed areas such as rest stops, to prevent heat from catalytic converters or exhaust emissions from sparking fires in roadside grass. Before leaving, ensure tires and brakes are in good shape as well.
  • Never throw burning matches or materials out a vehicle window.
  • Before starting campfires, verify that fires are allowed at that location. Be aware of any current restrictions that may limit or ban the use of fire in your area.
  • Campfires should only be started in designated locations and must be contained within the fire rings provided. Only burn firewood that fits entirely within the fire ring. Keep water nearby.
  • Keep debris and extra firewood away from campfires or outdoor BBQ grills.
  • Never walk away from a burning or smoldering campfire. Use water and dirt to completely extinguish the fire. The ground/coals should be cold to the touch before it is safe to leave.
  • Remember that fireworks are NEVER allowed on public lands.

For more information, contact a local National Forest office or your local fire management agency.

Janel M Crooks
Public Affairs Officer
Forest Service
Hiawatha National Forest
p: 906-428-5829 (M,W,Th)
p: 906-387-2512 (T,F)
c: 906-241-3017
f: 906-428-9030
jmcrooks@fs.fed.us
820 Rains Drive
Gladstone, MI 49837
http://www.fs.usda.gov/hiawatha

New Munising Web Cams Added

We’re happy to announce we’ve added two new web cams to our website courtesy of Jamadots. The cameras are located in beautiful downtown Munising on Superior Street. They look to the southeast and the southwest so you can get great views of what’s happening in our area. Visit our web cams page and then follow the links!

Fall’s Festival of Color has Arrived!

colorsMany of you have asked, “When is the best time to plan my trip to the Upper Peninsula to see peak fall color.” At the Munising Visitor Center, we are asked this question often and the answer is always the same, “That all depends.”

The Upper Peninsula’s northern hardwood forests have a variety of tree species. The predominant ones are sugar and red maples, red oak, birch, and aspen. We also have tamarack, or larch, which are coniferous trees that drop their needles each year when they turn a golden yellow.

There are several environmental factors that influence leaf color. Most are related to weather before and during the time leaves change color, and it’s very difficult to predict what specific weather will be weeks beforehand. The general opinion when asked of those in tourism as to “When is the best weekend to plan,” the usual response is “For travel to the Upper Peninsula expect the last week of September, first weekend in October.”

2015 has brought about the change of colors approximately a week or two later than usual. This year the Upper Peninsula experienced a dry summer with above average temperatures. Recently temperatures have brought cool nights and lower daytime highs.

In an article written by Dr. Ahyre Clatterburk, where he notes conditions that generally yield specific results we found the following to be helpful:

  • Warm, dry weather with extended droughts or moisture deficits, yields color that is not as vibrant, is short lived (a week or so) and the timing can be delayed a week or more.
  • Adequate moisture yields a longer period of leaf color.
  • Sunny days create more vibrant leaf color. Leaf color is less vibrant (more dull) with several rainy or overcast days in a row when the leaves are turning color.
  • Cool nights with temperatures in the 40s and low 50s, but not freezing, with daytime highs in the 60s and 70s tend to retain leaf color longer, and the colors are more pronounced, especially if the days are sunny.
  • Freezing overnight temperatures and early frost will slow color. Leaves will turn brown and drop.

Exploring the Upper Peninsula at any time of year is a treat. Hwy 13, M94, and H58 are popular color routes. These tree-lined routes provide a canvas for beautiful fall foliage.

Visit www.exploremunising.com for lodging and restaurants in Munising, Michigan and Grand Marais, Michigan.

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Munising Weather and Snow

Visitor Center Review:

Upcoming Events:
  • Pictured Rocks Days – Munising
      • June 10 & 11
  • Shakespear on Tour – Grand Marais
      • June 14
  • Splash-In on the Bay – Grand Marais
      • June 15-18
  • Community Yard Sale – Grand Marais
      • June 17

View our complete events schedule.

Goodies
Patches, Magnets & Decals
travel guide

Click above to view our huge selection and order online!

Guides & Maps
Kayaking/Hiking Map
waterproof map

Click above to order our 12x18 waterproof map of Pictured Rocks & Grand Island.

Snowmobile/ORV Map
ATV ORV map

Click above to order a waterproof snowmobile/ORV trail map of the central Upper Peninsula.

Hiawatha National Forest map
Hiawatha National Forest map

Click above to order this handy Hiawatha National Forest map.

'Waterfalls of Michigan' Guide Book
MI Waterfalls Guide book

Click above to order a copy of this MI waterfalls book.

Stop by our Munising Visitor Center

If you're visiting the Munising and Grand Marais areas during summer and fall seasons, then the Visitor Center should be your first stop.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MUNISING VISITOR CENTER

Munising Visitor Information Center

Where is Munising, MI Located?

Munising is located in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan and along the southern shoreline of Lake Superior. Learn more about getting to this year-round destination! LEARN MORE ABOUT GETTING HERE