(upbeat music) - [Tom] On this episode of "UTR," we're back up in Munising for a downtown you'll wanna walk around, an awesome kayak adventure, and a historic restaurant that's back in a big way.

We'll even wander through the woods to a wonderful waterfall.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places and things that make Munising a UP paradise.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] A visit to the Stahls auto collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machines, dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

- [Tom] I've been around the world, but there's one place I keep coming back to, and the more I explore, the more I realize it's the place to be.

I'm Tom Daldin, and this is "Under the Radar Michigan."

(upbeat music) You know, Munising is one of those rare towns that has enough cool stuff to attach to a huge metro-pla-popolis, but lucky for us, it's a picturesque little town in the middle of absolute paradise in Michigan's awesome Upper Peninsula.

Now, what do I usually say here?

Oh yeah, bonus.

Yep, right on the south shore of mighty Lake Superior in Michigan's middle UP, sits the tiny town of Munising.

This place is an amazing adventure lovers bucket list eliminator with more cool stuff to do per capita than you can count.

It's of course most famous for the stunning boat tours of the majestic Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

I know.

These huge, colorful sandstone cliffs are in Michigan, but you'll also find dozens of healthy hikes to wild and wonderful waterfalls, tremendous hiking and biking trails to traverse, and miles and miles of lake shore to explore.

Heck, they even have a huge pristine island right off shore that you can visit that's so grand that's exactly what they named it.

And don't even get me started on how cool town is.

There's lots of great new and yummy places to retreat and eat, cool, fun and funky shops to see, and people so friendly, you just might wanna move here.

They've even got some pretty awesome places to stay, Like the Roam Inn, as seen on "UTR" episode 1205.

Yeah, I think it's pretty safe to say that Munising is going to end up on your vacation short list.

But first, a short reminder of exactly where I found it.

Munising is located in the middle of Michigan's Upper Peninsula on M-28, just 45 minutes due east of Marquette and right on the beautiful shores of very large Lake Superior.

Now, first things first, I think the best way to start our magnificent Munising adventure is with an artful and informative walk about town.

And for that, I hooked up with someone who is was absolutely in the know on all the places I needed to go, Kathy Reynolds.

Yeah, Kathy, before we even get into how wonderful you guys are at expressing your history and your art, I have to ask you, because I love Munising, I've been coming up here for years and to me, this town's magical.

It's just the right size, it's in paradise.

Are you from here originally?

- I'm not originally from here.

My parents had a second home here back.

In the 70s, 80s, we would come up for the summers and that type of thing and then I eventually, my parents moved here permanently, and then that's what I did.

So I am a transplant.

- Well, I mean, you stayed for a lot of years.

I mean, what do you love about this house?

- I've lived here over 20 years.

So it's a small town, it is beautiful, the weather.

I've lived in different parts of the country, but I can say, and I've lived in different parts of the Midwest, that I think this is really the most beautiful place in the Midwest.

It's not on the top three.

- [Tom] Oh.

When you drive into town and you see the Bay in Grand Island and you see this quaint, cute, beautiful little town with art and shops and people, it's the quintessential little slice of Americana in Michigan.

- Exactly.

- [Tom] It really is.

- Exactly.

You know, I mean, I live in the woods in a log home on a river, a hundred year old log home.

I mean, you couldn't ask for better.

And then I get to come to work and my office overlooks Lake Superior and Pictured Rocks.

I mean, you couldn't ask for better.

- Yeah.

- You know, to live and to work here.

- Now getting to the art and history, you guys again have done such an amazing job of expressing your art and your history here and it's so multidimensional that at reading about it, it's like, I couldn't wait to get here.

But yeah, explain, you have the Art Alley.

I mean, go ahead and explain.

- [Kathy] Yeah, we've got Art in the Alley, we've got the banner art program.

We've got different installations throughout town, whether they're small down by the Lakeshore or they're may be at the Veterans Memorial.

We have different art installations there that highlight every different branch of the service.

We have historical murals, we have murals that deal with nature.

We have them that deal with particular aspects of different parts of the history.

We're working on another one this summer that's going to go up that deals with transportation and the history of transportation in town, from horses to cars, all that type of thing.

And so we try to incorporate as much as we can, because it's not just about the visitor experience, but it's also about that hometown pride.

- I was just gonna say, you get the whole community involved, which creates a sense of place.

- [Kathy] Yes.

- For everybody here.

Now, the Art in the Alley, is that all local?

- [Kathy] That is all local art.

Right now there are over a hundred pieces of local artists here in Alger County.

We do submissions every few years that people submit some more art to, and we hang that in Art in the Alley.

I'd say we get about a thousand people a week easily through that alley.

So that has been extremely popular.

And the town is honestly very, very proud of their art and that alley and everything else.

- And we should also say that this, Munising is not just a summer destination.

I've been up here in the winter, it's beautiful up here in the winter, right?

- Oh, it's beautiful here in the fall.

People, they tend to think, okay, I need to go to the Northeast, New England.

I've lived in New England.

The colors here are just as beautiful, but not the traffic.

- Well, I love Munising so much.

It's hard to believe that it's gotten better.

I mean, even when I came over here 14 years ago, I loved it then.

It's what you guys are doing.

Yeah, you guys are doing it right.

- Thank you so much.

We really appreciate it.

And love everybody coming to town.

- [Tom] As Kathy and I continued our conversation, it became more apparent just how proud this entire community is of its history, its creative spirit, and its natural beauty.

All these artful illustrations and the compelling stories behind them truly give you a sense of how special this place is and these people are.

Next time you make your way to Munising, slow down, look around and take in all the art and history.

And who knows, you just might see something you never saw before.

And let's face it, isn't that what this show's all about?

Now, if your middle name is adventure like me, well actually my middle name is Don.

But if your middle name is adventure, I've got something that's gonna float your boat.

Literally.

Now we all know that Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore up here in Munising is world famous and one of the most amazing and breathtaking sites you'll ever see.

But imagine seeing these colossal cliffs up close and personal in a kayak.

Well, that's exactly what Pictured Rock's Kayaking Tours is all about, getting you prepared, getting you out there and making sure you have the experience of a lifetime.

That's right.

They offer the only offshore kayak launch at the park, which means they actually take you out, get you into one of their cool kayaks and launch you off the back of one of their super cool boats right at the coolest part of the park.

Can you say kayak convenience?

Well, before you could say Tom's your uncle, we were out in the middle of this monumental, natural wonder.

So I dawned my protective kayaker's cranium cover and the fellers loaded me in and launched me off for adventure.

And as I paled along these massive prehistoric cliffs, I paused at will and wondered how the heck I was lucky enough to be in such a beautiful and incredible place.

And when the day was done, I had some fun reminiscing with ship's captain and contagiously cool person, Deidre Phillipson.

Now, Deidre, usually on the show, I have a conversation with somebody and then I do the experience, whatever it might be.

This time we did it backwards.

We actually went out kayaking and now we're back.

And I have to say, oh my gosh, we had so much fun.

I mean, first of all, walk people through this experience.

I mean, you come here, you show up, it's almost like charter fishing.

You show up and you guys do the rest.

- We do the rest.

You check into the office, we give you gear, we give you a safety speech, we walk you down to the boat, you get on the boat, we bring you out to the best parts of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

We launch you off the back of the boat safely.

You know, bathroom's on board, boat stays with you the entire time.

And then we load you back up on the boat and bring you back home safely.

- Yeah, because I have been out there on a boat tour before, but never in a kayak.

When you're down there at water level and you're seeing these huge, colorful cliffs that just launch out of the water, it's an amazing experience.

And then going through the caves, - [Deidre] That's called Limbo Cave.

And the reason we call it Limbo Cave is as the water sometimes fluctuate, they're down quite a bit this year, but there's been times that you can kind of hand walk yourself through that cave.

- [Tom] I was actually touching, I mean, I felt like I was touching antiquity.

Because it's so old.

But it was spooky, but I loved it to go back there and it's so calm.

I have to tell people, the water out there, this is Lake Superior, but it was like glass today and it was so relaxing and amazing and it was, I'm speechless again.

Oh, darn it.

- [Deidre] See, it does happen.

A lot of people, they do, they say, oh, Lake Superior, she's so rough and they're scared.

But here we are, in advertising these beautiful days, they do happen and we're out there with them.

So that's the convenience of the boat as well.

If the weather is gonna pick up, if something is gonna change, we can get you back on the boat.

- And speaking of convenience, I understand too if somebody has mobility issues that you can actually help them get aboard, help them get into a kayak and they can experience this like anybody else, correct?

- [Deidre] Correct.

I'll never forget the gentleman that came in with his daughter.

I'm gonna say she was about 18.

She had no leg mobility at all.

And he picked her up and he carried her and he put her in the kayak.

And this allows people that think that they would never be able to do this, even on the older generation type, that we've heard, "I've had eight hip surgeries" and this and that.

And we're like, well, we're just gonna help you.

There was a gentleman the other day, he was extremely tall and he said, there's no way I can get in here between my hips and my knee.

And I was like, well, do you think maybe you could try to sit on the back of our demo kayak and slide in?

Well, he did.

And he said, I can do this.

And he went out the next day.

- Yeah.

It is so wonderful the fact that you've got these wonderful young people that they're so professional, so polite, they're putting the kayaks in the water, they're making sure you're safe, making sure you have the right equipment.

And then you launch right off the back of the boat and then you're in paradise.

- Yeah.

- And nothing makes you feel more alive, I swear, than to be in a kayak at the base of those giant cliffs, going through those caves and through the archway.

And also, it makes you proud to be in Michigan, that we have that.

I mean, like I said, the first time I saw it I'm like, this is in Michigan!

- Yeah.

- It's something that now I know why people from all over the world come here to experience this.

- Yeah, we hear that a lot.

Like people cannot believe this is Michigan.

I mean, I'm a local girl, this has been my backyard forever.

- Yeah.

- And so it's easy for us to kind of not appreciate it as much as everyone else that comes up.

But you know, since joining this company, I have a complete different perspective.

I mean, it never gets old.

- Yeah, your job.

Nice job.

- Not so bad, man.

I do like my office views.

- Love your office, love your office.

I'm gonna get a desk next to yours.

- I love it.

Anytime.

- [Tom] This truly is an aquatic adventure of a lifetime.

So if you want a unique Michigan memory to meld with your mind, spend an epic day with Pictured Rocks Kayaking Tours in Munising.

Trust me, it's something you'll be talking about for a long, long, long time.

And speaking of time, for gosh sakes, this is Under the Radar.

I think it's about time we got something to eat.

Besides all that paddling that Kai, Calvin, and Logan did, gave me a powerful appetite.

Yep, it was time for me and the fellas to munch.

But we didn't wanna just eat, we felt more like dining somewhere in time.

And for that, we picked a place that felt downright enchanted.

Just 15 minutes west of Munising, on M-28 in Au Train sits the historic Brownstone Inn.

And if you're looking for a special night out or just a regular night out where you can feel special, this is your place.

Built way back in 1946 out of all local materials, the Brownstone Inn is an absolute landmark along the Scenic Lake Superior Highway.

It's UP charm and comfort mixed with a creative menu will make you wish this place was on your daily drive home.

So before they prepare me a plate, I thought it prudent to ponder some historical perspective with Ana Dolaskie.

Full disclosure.

We were here 14 years ago and what you've done with this place, it still has that historic feel to it.

But you opened it up, it's brighter.

It's such a wonderful, just to come in here, your blood pressure drops 10 points.

What inspired you guys?

- That's saying a lot for you.

- Yeah, it is saying for me.

I called my doctor, he is so happy.

So what inspired you guys to buy this historic little piece of property?

- We can't say no to opportunities.

You know my husband.

No, I think there's a certain charm about this place that when you walk in, that's inescapable.

There's just a certain desire to have something a little closer to Marquette and bridge that gap for us.

So it has so far seemed to be working splendidly.

- In the history of this place, it was built by a Detroit city police officer who's a gold medal athlete.

- Athlete, yeah.

In the 1940s.

- That's amazing.

And just this, what this place is made out of, I guess the steel structure and the windows were made from an old Ford factory.

- Yes.

I mean, virtually, mostly everything that you see around here was harvested locally.

So all the wood, all the wainscott was from a Kingsford veneer mill.

So I think people really gravitate toward the local history of the place.

And that's really what we sought to be after too.

- Yeah, when I read that the wainscotting here was taken from a factory that made gliders for the Normandy invasion of World War II, it's like you can't get more historic than that.

- And you don't see that stuff around anymore, you know.

So like I said, the charm is here, we just did a little bit of a facelift.

The staff here is a legacy staff, so we didn't wanna come in and mess with things too much.

That's the beauty of it.

- Places like this must come with, sometimes the staff is as historic as the structure.

- The staff, listen, how much time do you have?

'Cause I can go on and on about the staff.

But the staff really is what is the foundation of this place.

Part of the reason why we said yes so quickly is because we knew we had such amazing staff that had been here for decades, that was willing and ready to stand by us.

We've been open for almost a year.

We had a few setbacks, but the staff really stood by us because they believed in us and what we were fighting for.

And I just think that right off the rip was amazing.

I wouldn't trade these guys for anyone.

- In a place this magical and this kind of fairytale, it's like you don't need to change much.

- No.

- Maybe just brighten up a little bit, but everything from, that's why we stopped an ate here 14 years ago.

And season one is we're driving by and you see this enchanted little stone building and it says restaurant in the outside.

He's like, we have to go inside there.

Not to mention the view of Lake Superior right across this tree.

- Just a minor detail on that.

I Don't think that the community would have wanted us to change too many things about this place.

You know, we wanted to keep that charm and just give it a little bit of our vision.

- Yeah.

Even the authentic formica atop on the bar.

I mean, that's so retro, that's so cool.

That's classic.

And in the waiting area out front with the, what's that, a giant elk or something?

- [Ana] The giant elk in there, we got some bear and a little trinkets here and there.

But just wanted to make it feel very northwoods.

You come here and you're on vacation, you're not in a rush.

Time just slows down.

And what better way than to have cold beer, some root beer floats and eat some amazing, comforting food.

- And speaking of the comfort food, what is your vision here for the food?

- [Ana] All-American, very familiar is what we're after.

We've got different entities in the community that seek to solve a certain problem.

And this for us was just to keep it simple, keep it family friendly, keep it reasonably priced and everybody is welcome.

You can find anything from burgers, from fish, to pasta, steaks, a sirloin for two.

I mean, come on.

Anything your heart desires and after a long day of adventure, if you're out kayaking or whatever else you do in the north woods, like this is the place you want to come to and have a full meal.

- Well you're doing everything right.

And if you are looking for a little bit more history, I've got an eight by 10 glossy autograph photo of myself.

I'd be happy to let you put it behind the bar.

I'm not sure if it would be good for business, but.

- We could find a spot right there by the waiting area maybe.

- Yeah, next to the elk.

Thanks.

- Next to the elk.

I love that.

- [Tom] Well the great staff and the awesome ambience here made me feel so special that, well as always, I over ordered.

So in the name of research, I enjoyed about three of the best meals I've had in a long time.

I think I may have even eaten my napkin.

If a classic atmosphere, a great meal, and a beautiful drive are three things that make you feel alive, take a trip to the Brownstone Inn in Au Train.

'Cause I guarantee your experience will be 'Au some'.

Get it?

Au Train, 'Au some'.

Oh boy.

Now you ever wonder why people in Munising are so happy, healthy and relaxed?

Well it's called the waterfall effect and you're about to be affected by it right now.

You see, whenever water collides with itself, like in a waterfall, it releases what's called negative ions.

And when these invisible little guys are tossed into the air, we reap the benefits When we breathe them in.

They instantly improve your mood and sense of wellbeing by increasing your serotonin levels.

Your body even absorbs oxygen and filters out toxins better.

Oh, and don't ask me what a negative ion is.

Remember, I'm a TV show host.

Well here in Munising, they have so many wonderful waterfalls you can walk to.

I had to immediately enlist an expert to efficiently elucidate their whereabouts, AKA Angela Gerou.

Okay, first off Angela, you have to understand that you're looking at a low plains flatlander.

- Uh huh.

- I'm not used to this.

You live with this every day.

- Yeah.

- Especially the fact that this was a whole 800 foot hike off the road.

- Yeah.

- To this incredible waterfall.

- Beautiful.

- I mean, how lucky are you?

- I take it for granted far too often.

I mean the fact that I can just come and see this at any point in time, it's unbelievable.

And I don't get out to it enough.

- I mean, we do have a waterfall in the lower peninsula, it's Ocqueoc Falls, it's on Lake Huron.

And what is it here, six feet high or something?

Yeah, it's beautiful.

It's like a trickle kind of a thing.

But the amount of waterfalls you have up here from town, how many are there?

Have you counted on?

- Oh gosh!

I mean, upwards of, I believe 12 to 15.

- That are right around town.

- Right around town, yep.

- People can just take their families to, as you can see, families are coming and going.

- Yeah.

- Because again, where I live, we don't.

This is so special.

- Yes.

- What tips would you have for people who are coming up here just to do the waterfalls?

- I mean, I definitely recommend always stopping.

There's a waterfall map that's available at any of the visitors centers.

There's also, at all the hotels, they have them as well.

And those help you immensely.

being able to get to and from and seeing which ones are the most accessible for you.

And then of course, always pack your bug spray.

- Yeah.

- I mean, that you can't be left without and just good shoes.

- What's a good time of year to see the waterfalls?

'Cause obviously right now we're here in June so the water's flowing really well.

- Correct.

We just had a lot of rain over the last few weeks so the water is flowing great.

But really anytime from spring to the end of October in the fall it's gorgeous 'cause all this foliage is all beautiful colored for the fall leaves and everything like that.

So, yeah.

- A wedding photo with the falls in the background would be great.

- Yes.

Plenty of wedding parties come out here and do their wedding photos 'cause it is so easy, especially in a dress to get back here.

- I don't mean to make our crew seem wimpy, but we did that whole 800 feet.

But there are, I mean, like Miners Falls is about sixth of a mile.

- Correct.

- I mean, 0.6 miles.

- Yep, 0.6 six miles, yes.

- So that's a little more aggressive.

I mean you can probably some of these waterfalls are a couple mile hike in.

- Oh, definitely.

Chapel falls and Mosquito falls, that area, which is further out in the National Lakeshore is you can tailor that hike 'cause there's a lot of other things you can see.

But you can make it from anywhere from a mile to a three to four mile hike.

- Right, so you want an aggressive all day hike.

You can do that way.

- Exactly.

- Or if you wanna just sachet up here like we did the whole 800 feet and you still get to see- - Still get this.

- This majestic feet of nature.

- Yes.

And what's nice about this is, like you said, the 800 feet, families can get out here very easily.

You're not trying to haul your kids in, lug them in.

- Right.

Because I mean, places like Disney World and Cedar Point, they're all great.

- Yes.

- But this is something you should take your kids - Yes.

- Obviously to see.

- Yeah.

- 'Cause this grounds them with the planet, with nature and it's just such an awe inspiring site.

Plus it's good for you.

- Yeah.

It's a different appreciation that you have.

- Yeah.

Does the effect from the negative ions last until you get home and you're paying bills?

- We hope so, right?

- I hope so.

- Before the credit card statement comes from the trip.

- That's why I need a lot of negative ion.

Well I don't know if it was the water, the walk, the woods or those wacky little ions, but the more time Angela and I spent on the trail, the more at one I was with the world.

I can't recommend more that you do some walking to see and feel these wondrous waterfalls for yourself.

I also can't recommend more that you make your way to Munising in the very near future.

Because the more you hang around this awesome little town, the more you'll realize, it's paradise found.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] A visit to the Stahls Auto Collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machines dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)