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Stories a place tells about itself, passed down and still repeated.
Ann Arbor, MI
Tiny decorative doors began appearing around Ann Arbor after artist Jonathan B. Wright created miniature 'fairy' entrances in the 1990s and early 2000s. Several public examples survive around downtown buildings and shops, creating a walkable scavenger hunt for miniature architecture.
Au Train, MI
A weathered human face carved into the sandstone along Lake Superior has become one of the Upper Peninsula's stranger shoreline landmarks. Local interpretation connects the carving with a nineteenth-century story involving a French voyageur and an Ojibwe leader, although the exact origin of the carving is not firmly documented; reaching it requires a shoreline walk.
Watersmeet, MI
For generations, people have gathered at the end of an old roadway to watch a mysterious light appear in the distance, inspiring stories about a ghostly railroad worker and other supernatural explanations. Experiments have strongly connected the phenomenon to distant vehicle headlights, but the established public viewing area keeps the Paulding Light one of Michigan's most enduring legend-tripping stops.
Blaine Township, MI
Stop on Putney Road, south of Joyfield Road, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Rose City, MI
Stop on the end of Reasner Road, past Heath Road, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Bete Grise, MI
The pale sand along Bete Grise Bay can produce a squeaking or humming sound when rubbed or disturbed under the right dry conditions. Local legend gives the phenomenon a more romantic explanation, saying the beach sings back to a woman who once called across the water for her lost lover.
Traverse City, MI
A sprawling fallen willow on the former Traverse City State Hospital grounds has been covered in layers of colorful paint by generations of visitors. Local folklore claims the tree is connected with spirits from the old hospital and even calls it a portal to hell, while today it remains a strange trailside folk-art landmark.
