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Minimize Memorial Day Gasoline Bills with Traverse Northern Michigans...



With a little planning and some great advice from Traverse, Northern Michigan'ss Magazine Travel Editor Lynda Twardowski, travelers don'st have to blow their Memorial Day holiday budget on gasoline. Despite fuel prices averaging more than $3.00 per gallon, AAA predicts that Memorial Day automotive travel will be up, with 32 million Americans expected to travel by car. Traverse expects visitors from all over the Midwest to head Up North to Traverse City, Michigan and the entire Northern Michigan area.







Twardowski, offers suggestions on destinations and activities to help families spend money on fun rather than gas. Twardowski'ss and the whole Traverse staff'ss insight on where to go and what to do in Northern Michigan is compiled in a handy travel guide called Destination Northern Michigan. To access all of Destination Northern Michigan for free, visit DestinationNorthernMichigan.com. Or, call (231) 941-8174 for a printed copy.



Travelers can offset gasoline prices by minimizing the use of their car, says Twardowski, and be able to escape, unwind and explore as much as ever. Her savvy tips can help holiday travelers nationwide:



Gas Saver Tip #1 -- Stay In a Harbor Town This Holiday

Make your destination a harbor town. You'sll find restaurants, entertainment, galleries, shopping and the beach all within a comfortable walk. You can enjoy the sites, smells and sounds of summer Up North, leaving the car parked all weekend. Some suggestions include:



Manistee. The boardwalk traces the Manistee River all the way to the First Street Beach, a smooth stretch of sand that has it all: concession stands, tennis and volleyball courts and a bark park for your pet. Stay at historic Ramsdell Inn (888-823-8310); eat at Tuscan Grill (231-723-4200) and enjoy many shops and galleries. (See the Shop Manistee article in the Destination Benzie & The West Shore at DestinationNorthernMichigan.com.)



Manistique. The reason to vacation in this Upper Peninsula beach town is two miles of Lake Michigan beach complete with soft sugar sand, open sky, wildflowers, beach grass and secluded spots. Stay at the Colonial Motel and Mattress Co. (906-341-6656) in a knotty-pine cocoon of folksy charm.



Elk Rapids. Travelers can stay directly across the beach at The Portside Cottage (231-264-6858), one of many cottages available in this East Grand Traverse Bay resort town. Antiques, galleries and restaurants are all accessible by foot.



Gas Saver Tip #2 -- Camp Out & Stay In The Park

Get all your provisions on your way to a campground and once there, don'st start the car until it'ss time to go home. Most state and national campgrounds are located at trailheads for some of the most wonderful natural sights and along stunning waterways. Some suggestions include:



Wilderness State Park, just west of the Mackinac Bridge, boasts 16 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, 26 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 250 campsites. This park is a favorite of Traverse staff in any season. (231-436-5381)



Ludington State Park, in Benzie County, is called the Queen of state parks for good reason; its miles of pristine dunes are surrounded by Lake Michigan, Hamlin Lake and Sable River and it offers two beaches, a lighthouse and 11 trails through dunes and woods. (231-843-2423) (See the Ludington State Park article in the Destination Benzie & The West Shore at DestinationNorthernMichigan.com.)



Tahquamenon Falls State Park is appropriately located in the Upper Peninsula in Paradise. The Upper Falls are the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, dropping nearly 50 feet and measuring more than 200 feet across. Four miles downstream, campers can get sites a short walk from the Lower Falls, a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island. (906-492-3415)



For State Park Reservations call 1-800-447-2757



If you do find you need to dash off to the store for forgotten charcoal or shish-kabob skewers, see if the campsite next to you needs anything and carpool. You can split the gas and share a few stories and some marshmallows round the campfire later.



Gas Saver Tip #3 -- Pedal, Paddle & Sail Through Memorial Day Weekend

Motorized toys like all terrain vehicles (ATVs), motor boats and jet skis will also cost you at the pump. Try non-motorized activities like renting bicycles, canoes, kayaks or sailboats. Not only will you enjoy not having to dump dollars into these toys, but you'sll also find the ride is a lot quieter. Some suggestions include:



Bicycle Mackinac Island. Of course Mackinac Island is the definitive biking community with several Island rental sources. Check out Mackinac.com ahead of time, or wait until you get there. There seems to be a bicycle rental just around every corner.

Paddle the Platte River. You can take it easy with a 2-hour trip or try something more challenging over 4 hours. Riverside Canoe Trips offers canoes, rafts, tubes & kayaks. (231-325-5622; canoemichigan.com)



Sail Grand Traverse Bay. Charter a sailboat from Bay Breeze Yacht Charters (231-941-0535 bbyc.com) or rent a boat at Break'sn Waves Inc. (231-929-3303 breaknwaves.com) both in Traverse City.



Destination Northern Michigan, produced by the same award-winning editorial team as Traverse, Northern Michigan'ss Magazine, is your guide to the sights and activities that make Up North travel memorable. Destination Northern Michigan takes you across the north--from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron, Mackinac Island to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Tunnel of Trees to downtown Traverse City. Along the way we introduce you to Northern Michigan'ss festivals and guide you to great restaurants. Our online edition links to the places and products that make Northern Michigan so special. Get Up North in a click by visiting DestinationNorthernMichigan.com.



About Prism Publications, Inc.

Prism Publications Inc, founded in 1981 by Deborah Wyatt Fellows, publishes Traverse, Northern Michigan'ss Magazine, Northern Home & Cottage, and Destination, a Northern Michigan travel guide, in addition to several other print and online publications. Traverse and its staff have won more than a dozen national and international awards for excellence, including most recently a 2007 silver award for general excellence from the City and Regional Magazine Association. Prism has also published Reflections of a Life Up North, a coffee-table book of stunning photography from Traverse paired with a collection of Fellows's columns, which will be reprinted in June, 2007. Prism Publications is also a proud sponsor of the National Cherry Festival'ss Cherries D'sVine event on July 8, 2007. The privately held company is headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan. For more information, visit TraverseMagazine.com or call (231) 941-8174.



Note: Traverse Travel Editor Lynda Twardowski is available for interviews. Please call Rachel North.






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