Curtis-Helmer-McMillan - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Curtis-Helmer-McMillan - 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 Curtis, Heller, and McMillan, 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="18%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left"> <b><font size="-2" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <font color="#FEE384">We welcome<br> your comments<br> experiences &<br> corrections.<br></font> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=10 height=8 alt="---"><br> <a class="whitelinkunderlined" target="_top" href="http://hunts-upguide.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/feedback.pl">E-mail us</a> </font> </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"> <a target="_top" href="/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/click.pl?nextfile=http://hunts-upguide.com/up_travel_map.html"><img src="/ads/Small_map_ad_ver_6.gif" border=0 ALT="UP Travel Map ad" width=160 height=418></a> <p>  <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="tahquamenon___seney__grand_marais___whitefish_point.html" target="_top">Back to Tahquamenon & Seney, Grand Marais & Whitefish Point</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>CURTIS-HELMER-MCMILLAN<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr>  <tr> <td align="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </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="tahquamenon___seney__grand_marais___whitefish_point.html" target="_top">Region: Tahquamenon & Seney, Grand Marais & Whitefish Point</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>CURTIS-HELMER-MCMILLAN</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> <table align="right" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=154> <tr> <td> <a href="manistique_lake_map.html" target="_top"><img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/110.gif" width=154 height=250 alt="Manistique Lake minimap" border=0></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <a href="manistique_lake_map.html" target="_top"><b>Click to enlarge</b></a> </font> </td> </tr> </table> Two of the largest U.P. lakes are Big Manistique Lake and South Manistique Lake, separated by an isthmus where the busy, rather charming little resort village of <B>Curtis</B> is located. Each has enough marshy shoreline to provide good cover and food for fish. Anglers are out in the lakes' many bays near dawn and dusk. <B>Big Manistique Lake</B>, over 10,000 acres in size, is the shallower of the two, in many places just five or ten feet deep. It's known for <B>yellow perch</B> fishing. During the early 20<SUP>th</SUP> century, tons of fish caught here were iced and shipped south to Chicago. <B>South Manistique Lake</B>, 4,000 acres, never gets deeper than 30 feet. It is has an immense, underfished fish population with large muskie, some of them 40 to 45 pounds. South Manistique also has a lot of smallmouth bass. Walleye have traditionally been plentiful. Then heavy fishing depleted their numbers somewhat, and the DNR started a stocking program. Now walleye are reproducing so well that stocking isn't necessary. A good place for advice, bait, tackle and fishing-related T-shirts and such is the <B>Fish and Hunt Shop</B> on the east end of Main Street (906-586-9531). Owner Mike Soder has built his business into probably the biggest snowmobile dealership in the eastern U.P. His right-hand man, Dan Duberville, a former fishing guide, is up on snowsleds but much more of a traditionalist. He himself prefers snowshoes. <br><br>The Manistique lakes are also ideal for <B>boating</B> and <B>active water sports</B> like water-skiing and jet skis. Visitors from Oakland County outside Detroit are amazed at how uncrowded the lakes are.<br><br>Historically Curtis benefited from its railroad depot and its location between Big and Little Manistique lakes. Resorts and fishing camps took hold here after 1900 as loggers moved on. Curtis's railroad hotel was moved to a wooded site on Big Manistique Lake. It's now the popular Chamberlin's <B>Ole Forest Inn</B> restaurant and bed and breakfast. Farmers from Indiana and Ohio came in August, after threshing was done, to escape the heat and relax. Hay-fever sufferers visited in August and September. Once perhaps a hundred small resorts were around Curtis. Now most of those properties are the summer homes of snowbirds, but some resorts remain in town and around the lakes. (The chamber of commerce web site, <A target="_top" href="http://www.curtischamber.com/">www.curtischamber.com</A> does list 50 resorts, six motels, and four bed and breakfasts, but some are beyond the Manistique Lakes area. <br><br>Over the years some of the local resort staff married into families of well-to-do resorters, gradually elevating the social tone, you might say, to a level beyond the folksy friendliness of typical former logging towns in the area. A Curtis woman married a man who worked for National School Studios, photographers of hundreds of millions of mug shots for class photos in U.S. schools. He rose to become it head. His and her brothers' families summered in Curtis and hired many local people, creating a connection that remains today and enriches town life. The family has donated land to the Curtis Community Arts Council for <B>Curtis Park</B> on the north side of Main Street at the west end of town. Its 40 acres include <B>woods and trails</B>, a pavilion, and the <B>Park Center for the arts</B>, with a beautiful lake view. (Civic leaders hope to expand the park south to Little Manistique Lake.) See <A target="_top" href="http://www.superiorsights.com/ccac">www.superiorsights.com/ccac</A> for more about the <B>arts council</B> and its <B>programs and classes</B>. Arts council members are thrilled to stage their first <B>summer community theater</B> production in 2005, with a director from Cleveland State University. <B>Art on the Lake</B> takes place here over Labor Day weekend. The Portage Players have created striking scenes starring Finn and Fern, fetchingly costumed puppets nine feet tall. Who knows what they'll come up with for the Curtis centennial year of 2005? One definite: <B>Bill Haley & the Comets</B>, with one original band member. A key creative organizer is Linda Soder, who owns and runs the gas station and Kozy's Resort with her husband, Rick. (He's the local historian.) <br><br>As a <B>centrally located vacation base camp</B>, the Curtis area has some real advantages. Major attractions in the Eastern Upper Peninsula make good day trips: the nearby Seney National Wildlife Refuge, <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_pictured_rocks_national_lakeshore.html" target="_top">Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore</a> at Grand Marais, Tahquamenon Falls, Lake Michigan beaches at Manistique. An extra plus for in-town resorts: <B>kids can walk and do things on their own.</B> Ice cream shops, gift shops, and bait shops are Curtis's strong suits. The <B>Trading Post</B> supplies souvenirs, sundries, good books and art supplies. Locals hang out downtown at the Three Lakes Restaurant and two bars, Tally-Ho and the Whitefish. <br><br>Vacationers can check their e-mail at the appealing <B>Curtis Public Library</B> (906-586-9411). It occupies the 1911 town hall and auditorium. Turn north onto Davis at the bank on Main Street. Library hours are Monday noon to 7, Thursday and Friday 10 to 4:30. Quotations decorate bookshelf edges and wood valences over windows. For instance, "Adventure is not outside a man but within." And "It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder. It's the stillness that fills me with peace." These are a gift from local woodworker Bill Kolasinski. It's a half block north of Main on Davis. Turn at the bank. Next door is the <B>Curtis Historical Museum</B>, open irregularly most days in summer. <br><br><B>Helmer</B> is a wayside hamlet on H-33 at the northeast bay of Big Manistique Lake, six miles from McMillan and M-28. There the <B>Helmer House Inn, </B>again open as a restaurant and bed and breakfast, hearkens back to Helmer's earliest days around 1880. A Presbyterian minister built it as a mission, then sold it to Gale Helmer, who turned it into a resort hotel and added a post office/general store, now a gift shop. <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> <p align="right"><a href="tahquamenon___seney__grand_marais___whitefish_point.html" target="_top">Back to Tahquamenon & Seney, Grand Marais & Whitefish Point</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"> CURTIS-HELMER-MCMILLAN<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>CURTIS-HELMER-MCMILLAN<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: Germfask, Seney, Newberry.<br>Arranged from south (Curtis) to north.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e345"><b>PIZZA STOP in Curtis</b></a><br> (906) 586-6622 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <br>Fresh, made-on-the premises sauce and dough account for the excellent reputation of Pizza Stop pizzas ($4 to $19.75). Subs, served warm, are also very popular (3.50-$4.50 for the 6-inch; 12 inch is $6.50-$7.50). The owners do all the cooking themselves, so it's consistent. Seats 21. No smoking. <i>March, 2008.</i> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>17162 Main near H-33 at the east end of downtown Curtis. Open Tues, Wed & Thurs 11:30-9, Fri-Sat to 10, Sun 4-9. Closed Mondays. Wheelchair ramp. Small restrooms. No alcohol.</i> <p> <a name="e346"><b>CHAMBERLIN'S OLE FOREST INN</b></a><br> (800) 292-0440; (906) 586-6000; chamberlinsinn.com <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Chamberlin's is known for ample portions of food that's often very good, served in a gorgeous setting. The big, comfortable old hotel was moved from its original site by Curtis's train station to a wooded bluff overlooking Big Manistique Lak . Sunsets over the lake, framed by large trees, are enjoyed from the dining room and wrap-around porch, where cocktails, appetizers, and desserts are served. (It's fine to have dessert without dinner.) The inn has a bar with cable TV (the only area where smoking is permitted), and a big stone fireplace in the lobby. Dinner favorites are planked whitefish ($18), slow-roasted prime rib ($17-$21), and lake perch when available. Dinners include a fresh-baked bread basket, potato, and soup or an often-praised crispy, fresh salad. Many weekends there's easy-listening entertainment. Sandwiches, meal-size salads, and homemade soups are served at lunch and, in the off-season, in the evening, too. Bed-and-breakfast guest rooms are upstairs.<br>Bud Chamberlin came upon the abandoned resort while out snowmobiling and decided to restore it. Snowmobilers are the primary winter clientele. Reservations requested; in summer, there's excess demand.<br>Full breakfasts are supposed to be served only to overnight guests, but if you arrive when the kitchen's going, you too can probably get breakfast. <i>March, 2008.</i> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On the south shore of Big Manistique Lake, on H-33 one mile north of Curtis. H-33 connects U.S. 2 (8 miles south of the inn) with M-28, about 9 miles north. Open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 Mem. thru Labor day, 2-9:30 otherwise, except closed in April. Bar open to 11. Restaurant is handicap accessible. Children welcome. Full bar.</i> <p> <a name="e347"><b>HELMER HOUSE</b></a><br> (906) 586-3865 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> The Helmer House restaurant reopened in 2004 to good reviews. The menu has something for everyone, from pasties to steaks. New owners Tuffy and Jodee Burton and their daughter Holly have done a lot of work to the restaurant and upstairs guest rooms for the <B>bed and breakfast.</B> (See Lodgings.) Everything is now air-conditioned. The smoke-free dining room occupies a large, enclosed front <B>porch</B> <B>overlooking Big Manistique Lake</B>. (Smokers are served in the bar.) Jodie is especially proud of their lightly battered fried whitefish, their steaks ($13 for a sirloin, $19 for ribeye), and their fettucine Alfredo. Whitefish and perch can also be grilled. Entrées come with salad, fresh vegetable, potato, and bread basket with cinnamon bread. The sandwich and salad menu is served any time. A burger ($6) comes with homemade fries. Prices are from January 2005. In winter, guests enjoy watching <B>deer</B> gathered when food is put out by the pond. Thanks to a newly acquired <B>liquor license</B>, restaurant guests can now enjoy beer or wine with their meals. A children's menu is available. <br> The building was once a mission, a summer hotel, and a stop for the stagecoach between Curtis and Seney. The grandson of the second postmaster-innkeeper revived the place, turning the abandoned house into a restaurant and bed and breakfast. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>2747 CR 33 in Helmer, 6 miles south of M-28 at McMillan and 6 miles north of Curtis. From M-77 at Germfask, take H-44 east to Helmer. Open daily year-round, weekdays from 4 to 9 p.m., weekends from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wheelchair access: two steps. Family-friendly. Full bar </i> <p> <a name="e349"><b>TRIANGLE RESTAURANT (MCMILLAN)</b></a><br> (906) 293-8469 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Good service and good basic food recommend the Triangle right on M-28 east of McMillan. The big windows look out not only onto the highway but to woods. The full menu appeals to travelers and locals alike, with breakfast all day, homemade pies and pasties, and fried baskets ($7.25) and sandwiches served any time. Daily lunch plates (mostly $6.95 and less, served for supper, too) may be beef stew, spaghetti, or cook's choice. Whitefish dinners ($11.95) are served any time. Fridays bring the all-you-can-eat fish specials: 5.96 for pollack, 10.95 for perch, or 8.95 for whitefish. All come with soup and salad bar, starting at noon. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>21053 M-28 where it curves and intersects with Manistique Lake Road 2 2 miles east of McMillan. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Handicap accessible. Family-friendly. No alcohol. </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>CURTIS-HELMER-MCMILLAN<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: Blaney Park, Engadine, Seney, Newberry.<br>Arranged from south (Curtis) to north. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e350"><b>J. T. GORDON'S AT PORTAGE CREEK</b></a><br> (906) 586-6033 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> "There's a world of people looking for a charming getaway," says antiques-lover Tom Gordon, who has indulged his love of decorating here at his retirement home, antiques shop, and motel on land that was part of his family's resort, one of Curtis's original resorts. The long, cottagey motel is actually a remodeled CCC barracks Tom moved to the site. It enjoys an idyllic setting with a <B>porch</B> facing shady <B>Portage Creek</B> between the two Manistique lakes, in the middle of Curtis but back from the road<B>. </B>Guests can <B>fish</B> for bass, perch, and walleye just steps from the porch. In winter guests can <B>showshoe</B> a quarter mile along the creek to the next bridge. <br> Each room opens onto the long porch facing the water. They're delightfully furnished, in a cozy cottage style with knotty pine walls and Waverly curtains and bedspreads. Rooms can interconnect. Two guest rooms are efficiencies ($55 for one double bed, $65 for two doubles in 2005) with a tiny kitchenette and a small sitting area. Two rooms have one double bed ($45/night). No smoking in two of th four rooms. Don't be misled by the low rates; these are <I>very</I> pleasant - and they don't have to be rented by the week in summer. All have cable TV, no phones, and fans. After three decades of teaching English abroad, Tom came home to Curtis, where many siblings live. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>17172 Main Street at the bridge in Curtis. Probably open year-round. Handicap access: one room accessible. Children discouraged. Dogs welcome. </i> <p> <a name="e351"><b>GORDON'S RESORT</b></a><br> (906) 586-9761 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Sally Gordon Gibbons has two new log-sided cottages <B>on Portage Creek</B>, across from her brother's resort, and a remodeled cottage across the road on South Manistique Lake. It's a fine setting, on the water yet in town, which kids love. The two-bedroom cottages on the creek sleeps up to six; it's $275 for three nights or $600 a week. The four-bedroom lakeside cottage with a bunk room and whirlpool is $450 for three days or $1,000/week. Smoking allowed. By the week in summer. Ask about off-season rates. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On Main Street on the creek in Curtis. Open year-round. Handicap accessible: call. Family friendly. Call about dogs.</i> <p> <a name="e352"><b>NORTH SHORE RESORT</b></a><br> (906) 586-9833; (800) 589-9833 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Right in the center of Curtis, this is a bustling place in summer. Four clean,<B> two-bedroom housekeeping cottages </B>face <B>Little Manistique Lake</B>. Each has a cable TV, a sofa sleeper, a grill, and comes with a 14' fishing boat. They sleep 4 to 5. Most cabins are from the 1940s, with <B>knotty pine paneling</B> and a lakeside screened <B>porch</B> (glassed-in in winter). They have no phones. There's space for a nice <B>yard</B>, trees, a <B>fish-cleaning station</B>, and a <B>bonfire spot</B>. The resort is on the riverside boardwalk. Cottages are rented by the week in summer, otherwise with a two-day minimum. Currently $450/week, $65 a day, except in snowmobile season with four adults $75-$85 a day. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On Main Street near H-33, behind co-owner Lori Rushford's North Shore Beauty Salon and Gift Shop. Open year-round. Handicap accessible: no. Families welcome. No pets.</i> <p> <a name="e353"><b>CHAMBERLIN'S OLE FOREST INN</b></a><br> (800) 292-0440, (906) 586-6000 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> The inn's guest rooms over the restaurant are bigger than those at many old hotels. They're largely furnished with turn-of-the-century antiques and reproductions. Some rooms ($110 and up for two) have private baths, and some ($89 for two) share baths. Some have cable TV. Jacuzzi rooms are $120/night. The third floor has been remodeled into a family suite ($130) that sleeps six. Hearty breakfasts are included in the room price. Guests can use the office phone. All rooms are no smoking. Guest rooms are over a bar and restaurant at the top of an open stairway, so some evening noise is to be expected. Common areas at the inn include the big <B>lobby</B> with fireplace and a great front <B>porch</B>, both also used by restaurant guests. In <B>fall color season</B> the wooded setting overlooking Big Manistique Lake is particularly beautiful. There's good<B> fishing </B>for walleye, pike, bass, and perch, a dock for small boats, and a <B>swimming beach</B>. A deck and <B>stairway down to the lake</B> has several landings with <B>benches</B> for sitting and watching the sun set. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On the south shore of Big Manistique Lake, on H-33 mile north of Curtis. H-33 connects U.S. 2 (8 miles south of the inn) with M-28, about 9 miles north. Handicap accessible: no. Families welcome. $10/extra person. No pets.</i> <p> <a name="e355"><b>INTERLAKEN RESORT & BURNT ISLAND</b></a><br> (906) 586-3545 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Multitudes of recreational amenities are provided at this year-round family resort. It's on a wooded hillside going down to the north shore of Big Manistique Lake, a very large lake with no crowding of boats. Eight modern two-bedroom and three-bedroom <B>housekeeping cabins</B> come with microwaves and TV/VCRs with a large library of videos to borrow. Also dish TV, bring your own box and hook in.) Each cabin has a picnic table, grill, outdoor furniture, and covered porch with a water view. Nine-person <B>hot tubs </B>are in two enclosed gazebos, one for children, one for adults. There's a guest laundry. Guests have <B>complimentary use of canoes</B>, <B>paddle boats</B>, pontoon boats, a tanning booth, and a fishing boat with motor. The grounds have plenty of room for an <B>elaborate playground</B>, a lakeside pavilion and <B>picnic area</B>, volleyball, and horseshoes. There's a game room with many free games. Cottages are rented by the week from mid June to Labor Day, otherwise daily or weekly. Call for rates. Smoking permitted. <br> The resort owns all of <B>Burnt Island</B> and two rustic cabins on it, which guests can use without additional charge. A weekly summer highlight is a<B> complimentary steak or lobster dinner</B>, occasionally with live entertainment. On a snowmobile trail. 8 miles from mountain-biking or cross-country skiing at Seney National Wildlife Refuge. <i> March, 2008</i> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On H-44 a little west of Helmer. Open year-round. Handicap access: 2 cabins ADA accessible. Family friendly.</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>CURTIS-HELMER-MCMILLAN<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: Germfask, Seney.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e356"><b>SOUTH MANISTIQUE LAKE CAMPGROUND/ Lake Superior State Forest</b></a><br> (906) 477-6048 (office). No reservations. www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/ <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> This popular 4,000-acre lake is known for walleye, yellow perch, pike, and bass fishing with some bluegill. This is a convenient location for visiting Seney Wildlife Refuge, Lake Michigan beaches on U.S. 2, and the Soo Locks. Of 36 rustic campsites), 2/3 are on the lake with open water views. Others are shady, with good privacy. This popular campground fills with the May walleye opener. Otherwise there are usually a few less desirable spots open. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>6 miles southwest of Curtis via S. Curtis Rd. and Long Point Rd. <B>From the southeast</B>, go north on H-33 and west thru Curtis on H-42, take the turn to the south and circle back south around lake. <B>From the west</B>, take M-77 to CR 447 between Blaney Park and Germfask, east on 447, then jog north (left) and east (right) onto South Curtis Road and the campground. Now fully handicap accessible. $10/night. </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>