Country Garden Quilts


Mary Poirier's choice of colors for quilt fabrics reflects the bright pinks, blues, and greens of the beautiful front-yard flower garden from when her shop was in Michigamme. She's helped by her retired husband, Bud. They help customers create their own color combinations with customized quilt kits. The shop is quite a local gathering spot.

Customers appreciate the new location, in a tiny building next to Da Yoopers' Tourist Trap, but Bud says it's going to take some work to create a "Country Garden" on the highway. The back yard has promise for a garden with picnic table. Ask about the 10-day spring "Shop the Top Hop," in which 10 Upper Peninsula quilt shops have extended hours, give out free patterns, and more. —August/2010

1335 U.S. 41 West, in West Ishpeming, up the hill between Da Yoopers and Car Quest. (906) 485-5006. Summer hours Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat 10-3. Off seasons: Tues-Sat 10-5, Th to 7. Wheelchair-accessible.

Downtown Ishpeming. Unusual historic buildings house a large antiques store, a longstanding outdoors store, a classic Italian grocery, a specialty homebuilders' store with an upstairs gallery of art and home accessories, and a vintage Carnegie library ... more

Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum. See where miners dressed, walked through tunnel to cages to be lowered down in mine. Retired miners tell tales of work life, cave-ins, tragic accidents. Engaging mine model, artifacts, mineral specimens from Ishpeming Rock & Mineral Club. ... more

Lake Bancroft Park. In dramatic surroundings, you can picnic while enjoying good views of Ishpeming and its monumental mining headframes ... more

Jasper Knob, Cliffs Cottage and vicinity. Climb a huge outcrop of deep-red Michigan jasper (“the world's largest gemstone”) and get a nice view of Ishpeming's southeast side ... more

U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. In a ski jump-shaped building, the story is told of how U.S. skiing developed from a minor sport brought by Scandinavians, enhanced by Hollywood, Sun Valley, and the illustrious WWII ski assault team ... more

Artisans Gallery & Clay Studio. A working pottery studio and quality crafts gallery showing U. P. pottery, painting, weaving, wood, and glass works. ... more

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Museum. The roadside attraction from a popular satirical U.P. comedy group combines free outdoor exhibits like the world's largest chain saw and deer playing cards at deer camp with Yooper novelties, books, and a good rock shop ... more

Al Quaal Recreation Area. This woodsy 300-acre city park offers a 1,200-foot iced toboggan run and swimming on Teal Lake ... more

Tilden Mine Tour. Tour the vast open-pit iron mine and taconite processing plant and see industry on an awesome scale. ... more