Christmas - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Christmas - Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <META Pragma: No-Cache> <META name="Pragma" No-Cache> <META Cache-control: No-Cache> <META HTTP-EQUIV="expires" CONTENT="Wed, 26 Feb 1997 08:21:57 GMT"> <META name="description" content="Profile of Christmas, with candid descriptions of attractions, recommended restaurants, lodgings, campgrounds."> <base href="http://hunts-upguide.com/"> <link href="/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <center> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="45%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left" class="tinyfont"> We welcome your feedback & experiences.<br> <a class="whitelinkunderlined" target="_top" href="http://hunts-upguide.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/feedback.pl">E-mail us</a> <br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=10 height=8 alt="---"><br> If you feel an ad<br> is inappropriate,<br> please say so! </b> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="63%" height=82 bgcolor="#306799" align="center" valign="top"> <table cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="/images/online_words.gif" width=386 height=13 alt="The online version of the popular regional travel book""><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=2 alt="---"><br> <nobr><font color="#FFFFFF" size="+2" face="Georgia,Times New Roman,Times"><b>Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA</b></font></nobr><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=7 alt="---"><br> <img src="/images/candid_words.gif" width=391 height=13 alt="A candid guide to enjoying and understanding the U.P."> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" rowspan=3>  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=9 height=25 alt="|"></td> <td width="18%" rowspan=3 valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#99CCFF" cellpadding=6 width=160 height=418 style="border: 3px solid #000000; " > <tr> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> </table> <p>  <a target="_top" href="http://www.wunderground.com/US/MI/Christmas.html?bannertypeclick=bigtemptr"> <img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/bigtemptr_both/language/www/US/MI/Christmas.gif" border=0 alt="Click for Christmas, Michigan Forecast" height=94 width=185></a> <br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=20 height=3 alt="---"><br>  <center> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 width="100%" height=9> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=790 height=9 alt="---"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="17%">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="100%" valign="top">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor="#306799"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#306799"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b> <a class="sidebar" href="/" target="_top">Home</a><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="5"><br> <a class="sidebar" href="pictured_rocks_munising_au_train.html" target="_top">Back to Pictured Rocks/Munising/Au Train</a> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="20"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%"> <table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=10 bgcolor="#FFE09B"> <tr> <td align="left"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=100 height=10 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"> <center><font color="#C82F2C"><b>CHRISTMAS<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <a name="e569"><b>Bay Furnace Picnic Area.</b></a> The remnants of an 1870s blast furnace that made pig iron are next to this pleasant picnic spot with a splendid view of Grand Island across the bay ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/christmas_bay_furnace_picnic_area.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">    </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="9" height=500 alt="|"> </td> <td valign=top width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td valign=top align=center bgcolor="#018650" colspan=2> <center> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"><br> <b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><a class="whitelink" href="pictured_rocks_munising_au_train.html" target="_top">Region: Pictured Rocks/Munising/Au Train</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>CHRISTMAS</h1> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td align="left">  <font face="Georgia"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=450> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/700.gif" width=450 height=229 alt="Christmas" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>Christmas was a promotional town name from the start. An entrepreneur in 1938 bought this swampland and built a gift factory. The holiday gift industry still lives, but for many has been eclipsed by the casino down the road with the green roof.</b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> Alger County's first town, Onota, was built around Bay Furnace outside today's Christmas but destroyed by fire in 1877. Fifty-two years later, Christmas, an unincorporated area with a few motels and resorts, was given its name by state conservation officer turned entrepreneur Julius Thorsen. His Christmas Industries shop, constructed in 1939, made a very limited product line, doilies and rugs, for instance, before it burned down in 1940, vanquishing <center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=449> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/722.gif" width=449 height=142 alt="Christmas shop" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>Tourists stop here to send post cards and gifts postmarked from Christmas.</b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> Thorsen's dreams of creating an extensive tourist complex. <br><br>The name survived, and the souvenir shops and roadside Santas and reindeer, cut out of plywood, sprang up along the highway. Much later, Christmas got a postal substation so it can mail messages with a "Christmas" cancellation during the holiday season. Roadside Santas live on in front of souvenir shops. <b>Santa's Workshop</b> (906-387-2929) claims to have the <b>world's tallest Santa</b>, the world's tallest Old Woman in the Shoe, and the <b>world's largest concrete Frosty the Snowman</b>. Sundays from 2 to 7, April through November, children can meet Santa face-to-face to tell him how good they have been and put in requests for Christmas gifts.<br><br>A fairly big <b>Kewadin Casino</b> (906-387-5475) is along M-28 here, open seven days a week. It's a branch of the five-casino empire of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The 48-room <b>Pair-A-Dice Inn</b> motel (906-387-3500) was been built next to the casino, but it is currently closed.<br><center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=550> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><b>...continued below...</b></font> <br clear="all"> <hr> <center> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <hr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/723.gif" width=550 height=212 alt="Kewadin Casino - Christmas" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>With its prominent location right on M-28, the Kewadin casino here has prospered. There are 211 slots as well as blackjack and poker tables. </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> <p align="right"><a href="pictured_rocks_munising_au_train.html" target="_top">Back to Pictured Rocks/Munising/Au Train</a></p> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="37%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td height="4" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=1 alt="-"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#C7302D" width="37%">  <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF"> <b> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <font size="-1"> CHRISTMAS<br> RESTAURANTS,<br> LODGINGS<br> & CAMPGROUNDS </font> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <font size="-2">These are our choices, not ads.</font><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor="#FFE09B" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>CHRISTMAS<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: Au Train, Munising, Chatham, Eben.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e571"><b>FOGGY'S STEAKHOUSE & LOUNGE</b></a><br> (906) 387-3357 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Foggy's features the popular <b>grill-your-own-steak</b> format while offering a full menu, including sandwiches ($6 to $8) any time. Nestled along a creek, it has expanded into huge place with a log cabin façade — a hot spot for snowmobilers. Fun atmosphere, good food, says a woman who works at a local gift shop. Foggy's being in Christmas, there's a fair amount of <b>year-round Christmas décor</b> and twinkling lights. All steaks are $20, from an 8 oz. filet to a 22 oz. top sirloin. Dinner entrées (mostly $13 to $19) usually come with a soup and salad bar and soft-serve ice cream. Lunch items include subs, Mexican, Reuben, fish, and pizza. <i>Historical note:</i> Foggy's started out as the home of the resourceful Walter Giedrojc, who raised beaver for sale and made home brew on the side, said to be some of the best around. When Prohibition was repealed, he changed his home into a tavern and named it "Beaver Park." <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On M-28 in Christmas, kitty-corner from the Kewadin Casino, on lake side of the highway. Open daily year-round, from 11 a.m. (from noon on Sunday) to 10 p.m. May open for breakfast in summer and snowmobile season. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar.</i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CDCCAD" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>CHRISTMAS<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: Au Train, Deerton, Marquette (for Seacoast at Sand River), Munising.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e572"><b>YULE LOG RESORT</b></a><br> (906) 387-3184 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> or (906) 387-5940<br>This vintage resort from 1957 is neat as a pin. A row of seven small, pleasantly furnished knotty-pine cabins leads down to <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a>, where two larger cabins with picture windows look out on the lake and Williams Island. These premium cabins have two bedrooms with a double bed in each, and full kitchen and living room. They are $87/day, rented by the week in July and August. Other cabins vary in size and bed configuration. <i>All rates are from 2004.</i> The cozy "honeymoon cabin" ($64/night) also has a lake view, full kitchen, and sitting area. All cabins have cable TV, coffeemakers, a mix of well-maintained older furniture, and two outdoor chairs. Smoking is allowed. Guests can use office phone. On our visit in June smoke wasn't noticeable. Four cabins ($62) have a separate bedroom and a sitting room with double bed, dining table, and kitchenette. One of these has a sleeper-sofa, too. Two units can be connected. The smallest cabins ($44) have a double bed and minifridge. <br> There are <b>picnic tables</b> and a <b>playground</b> by the water. Most years there's a <b>sand beach</b> with some rocks; it all depends. The resort's location makes for a low horizon looking north across <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a> --- ideal for getting a good look at the<b> northern lights </b>when they are out. The charming <b>rock garden with gnomes</b> disguises the septic field. It's the legacy of Lois and Bob Gatiss, parents of Richard Gaddis, current owner with his wife, Terry. Foggy's Restaurant and the Christmas casino are within walking distance, around a third of a mile, along wide highway shoulders. Reserve early! There are very few places on <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a>, and at such reasonable rates. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>M-28 in Christmas, across from Santa's Workshop. Open May through October. Handicap access: small bathrooms, at least one step in front. Children: no extra charge. Pets allowed in all rooms. $15/pet/visit.</i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#B6DBA4" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>CHRISTMAS<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: Au Train, Munising, Inland Lakes area.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e573"><b>BAY FURNACE CAMPGROUND/Hiawatha National Forest</b></a><br> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> (906) 387-2512; fs.fed.us/r9/forests/Hiawatha, then "camping." Not reservable.<br>50 rustic campsites (no showers or electricity) are on two asphalt loops close to Lake Superior. Some sites are wooded, others open. Surprisingly, some sites are usually available in summer. Come early in the week in late July-early August to be sure. There are a small beach and beautiful views across to Grand Island. This campground is a favorite of divers exploring nearby shipwrecks. The ruins of a limestone charcoal furnace are at the picnic area on the entrance road. <i>(—May, 2008)</i> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>From M-28 at Christmas, look for sign to Bay Furnace campground. It's not far north of the highway. $14/night. Open May 15-Sept. 30. Wheelchair-accessible: 2 sites.</i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 align="center">  <br> <center> <font size="+1" color="#454545" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica">Copyright © 1997-2007 Midwestern Guides</font> </center> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>