Michigan Attractions

• Excellent beaches and facilities on Lake Huron and Thunder Bay River.
• Golf Northern Michigan's championship courses.
• Ice Fishing at the Fletcher Floodwaters to name just one spot.

Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve

Eighty shipwrecks lie on the bottom lands of Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve, a popular scuba-diving area. Lake Huron's unpredictable weather-its murky fog banks and sudden gales-coupled with rocky shoals helped Thunder Bay earn the unfortunate name of "Shipwreck Alley." During the Great Lakes' 200-year shipping history, scores of vessels ended their careers on the lake floor off Alpena, Michigan. The known wrecks rest as close to the surface as 12 feet and as deep as 180 feet. Some of the wreck sites remain largely intact while other sites are only remnants of vessels' boilers, engines, rudders, windlasses, and anchors. However, the known wrecks are only a small section of the total wreckage's that have occurred. Many of the wrecks remain undiscovered.

Sinkholes

There are about 200 of these natural wonders in the Alpena area, but only the Stevens Twin sinks and the Bruski sink are open for public viewing. Pick up a brochure at the Community Development Building to find the site, near Maple Lane and Leer Road.

Festivals and Events

• The Michigan Brown Trout Festival - This is the longest continuous fishing tournament on the Great Lakes. This 9 day family festival has local bands performing, an art fair, sidewalk sales and over 155 prizes with a $100,000 tournament prize.
• The Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival - This four day festival in October tours nine local area lighthouses: 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, New Presque Isle Lighthouse, Old Presque Isle Lighthouse just to name a few. This festival also has raffles, a welcome dinner and aerial helicopter tours.
• RiverFest - This festival is held in June along the shores of Thunder Bay in downtown Alpena. Activities such as a river race, music, storytelling and timber show brings locals and non-locals alike to participate in the fun.
• Art on the Bay
• Car Shows
• Lets Get Moving Northern Michigan - Let’s Get Moving Northern Michigan! (LGMNM) encourages adults, children, and families to set personal goals and to make activity part of their daily lives. Participants are encouraged to become, or continue to be, physically active during a 100-day period and keep track of the number of “aerobic miles” they have earned. The North Central Council of the Michigan Hospital Association will award a plaque to the Northern Michigan community with the most miles logged. (Alpena has earned this award in 2003 and again in 2004 as the “large” community winner. Each community will be classified as small, medium or large and the North Central Council will award a plaque to the community with the most miles logged in each category.
• Alpena Blues Fest - Three days of fun and over a dozen blues musicians gather at the Alpena County Fairgrounds allowing blues enthusiasts to come together to share this interest with others in the community.

Cities you can visit in Alpena County, Michigan

Alpena, Green Township, Herron, Hubbard Lake, Lachine, Long Rapids Township, Maple Ridge Township, Ossineke Township, Sanborn Township, Wellington Township, Wilson Township