Empire always struck me as the quintessential northern Michigan community and, as home to the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore's headquarters, it holds a pretty special place in our hearts.
The combination of hometown hospitality, beautiful scenery and a laid-back atmosphere makes it a great choice for a relaxing trip any time of the year.
Here are a few of our favorite spots along Highway M-22 in Empire and the immediate area.
Empire
Empire is just 25 miles from busy Traverse City, but the serene and relaxed atmosphere you find here makes it seem like it's a world away from the busy big city.
Empire has a wide sand beach at its village park along Lake Michigan with a spectacular view of Empire Bluffs and Sleeping Bear Dunes. It's a great place to stop to see a sunset, watch folks flying kites or to enjoy a swim. The area's summertime popularity has, unfortunately, resulted in Empire having to introduce a small charge for parking at the beach, although sneaking in a short visit to take photos without paying for parking is quite possible during the quieter months.
Empire also hosts a couple of fun and quirky events like the annual Asparagus Festival in May and the Dunegrass Festival each summer featuring a bill of folk and bluegrass music.
Want to learn a little more about Empire's history as a lumbering town? Check out the historical marker about the Empire Lumber Company at the beach.
Also be sure to check out the Manning Memorial Lighthouse at the beach. The 35-foot tall structure is a small-scale, but fully functioning, light tower that is one of only three memorial lighthouses in Michigan (the other two are in Detroit).
Need help plotting your explorations around the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore? Make sure you stop by the park's Philip A. Hart Visitor Center just off of Empire's Main Street. You can get your National Park passes, brochures and maps about park trails, information about park events, see a display about the park's history and natural resources, shop at the gift shop or find a nice, clean public restroom.
We love driving down Wilco Road, a short stretch of winding road that snakes down the hill coming out of Empire and empties back on to M-22.
I didn't have a video camera a few years back, but I didn't let that stop my from attempting to recreate the experience of making that drive using a series of still photos in a blog post (Let's just say I've learned to improvise a bit over the years when it comes to getting the right images to go with a story!)
This story also allowed me to yet again learn something new from my readers when a former airman stationed in Empire for a couple of years as a young man stopped by Midwest Guest a couple of years after I originally wrote the story and confirmed my conjecture about the origin of the road's name (it comes from radio slang that basically means "message received, will comply").
Stop by Joe's Friendly Tavern for the quintessential bar burger and brew (either beer or draft root beer!). Tim has memories of eating breakfast here with his family after they attended church in Empire, and this is still a regular stop for us when we're in town.
We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast inn a few miles down the road from town when we lasted visited Empire two months ago. We drove through the beginnings of a snowstorm as we arrived at The Sleeping Bear B&B that winter night, but the cozy inn and grounds resembled, as Tim said that night, a picture postcard...provided the perfect ending to yet another favorite road trip to M-22.
Want to learn more about Empire and the establishment the National Park Service's lakeshore park at Sleeping Bear Dunes? Check out Sixties Sandstorm: The Fight over Establishment of a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 1961-1970 by Brian C. Kalt
Be sure to also check out Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this road trip series about Michigan's Highway M-22.
© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved
OOH!! We LOVE Empire. That beach is so easy to get to and I love the views of Sleeping Bear Dunes up the coast. Great tips here!
Posted by: JessieV | April 19, 2015 at 07:48 AM
I particularly enjoyed seeing the sunset from the beach at Empire earlier this year...but it was might cold out there in February! Empire's a beautiful little town to walk through and visit any time of the year, though.
Posted by: Dominique King | April 19, 2015 at 10:12 AM