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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

JUST OUT! A new edition of Hunts' Mapguide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Over 300 entries, all conveniently located on maps and chosen because we think they are the coolest things to do in the U.P. (No ad tie-ins!) Great choices for restaurants, hikes, shops, adventures, museums, boat trips, waterfalls, vistas, road trips, and much more! To learn more click UP MAP GUIDE

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U.S. 2 FROM THE BRIDGE
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Father Marquette Memorial. Interpretive panels focus on how native people used plants and animals, and Marquette and Jolliet's 1673 journey from St. Ignace to the Missisippi. ... more

Totem Village. A disabled logger's 1950s folk art environment and museum paId tribute to Native Americans when mainstream culture looked down on them. Classic crafts, toys, books and music. Outside: a small woodland zoo. ... more

Souvenir Barn. A free bridge-viewing site on the roof of an old-timey souvenir shop. Outstanding view of Mackinac Bridge, Straits, and possibly freighters. ... more

Curio Fair. Another nostalgic tourist trinket shop, adorned by seashells. An 8-story high tower gives views of both the Mackinac Bridge to the south and forests to the north ... more

Totem Village Museum. A handicapped logger took up wood carving and created a folk art homage to Indian values, getting in touch with his own Ojibwa ancestry in the process ... more

Deer Ranch. Sizable pens in a cedar grove have created comfortable habitats for captive deer which kids can observer up close ... more

Mystery Spot. Endless billboards build traveling kids' excitement for this classic roadside attraction, fun for adults and kids alike ... more

Gros Cap roadside park and St. Helena Island overlook. Take in a fine view, while picnicking, of St. Helena Island and its lighthouse 2 miles offshore ... more

Hiawatha National Forest/St. Ignace Info Center and administrative unit. A picnic spot and native plant garden outside. Inside, handouts and good advice about camping, fishing, berry-picking spots, and wilderness areas ... more

U.S. 2 FROM THE BRIDGE

Deer Ranch

Behind all the Minnetonka moccasins and deerskin accessories, large pens in a cedar grove have been fenced off for placid-looking, relaxed deer — 26 adults and some 20 fawns, bottle fed and kept in the store and house unttil they're 50 days old. When grown, these deer are sold to other breeders with the goal of raising pets.

This is a good way to see deer up close - Michigan whitetails, some white whitetails from Pennsylvania (not albinos because of their brown eyes), and now an albino buck, blind in one eye.

June is the best time for children to come, owner Harold Kriesche says, because fawns are being born and new ones may be walking around the store. They don't bite because they are looking for a bottle, and kids are allowed to give them bottles at feeding time at 2 and 6 p.m. and be photographed with them. After 6 weeks or so, they are put in pens which children can enter to feed and pet the fawns. (Deer don't have molars.)

All the deer can be photographed. fed, and touched, but follow the rules. "Put your fingers in any deer's mouth at your own risk," visitors are warned. "Fawnee bites!" - because Fawnee has been bottle-raised and reflexively chomps down with her back molars on anything put into her mouth.

An estimated 90% of Deer Ranch's visitors are repeat customers, often enthusiasts of deer hunting.

North side of U.S. 2 West, 4 miles west of the bridge. (906) 643-7760. Usually open from 2nd week of May (snowmelt permitting) thru Oct. Open daily at 10 to 5 or so. July and August 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Reopens for deer hunting season: hours 10-6. $4/person, under 4 free. Wheelchair access: use side door. Free admission for handicapped visitors.

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