Plan Your Family Summer Vacation

Iron County may be experiencing Mother Nature’s moods swings between Winter and Spring, but soon warm weather will be here to stay!  Now is the time to start planning your family summer vacation.  There are many attractions to be found in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, why limit your vacation to just one?  Did you know Iron County is a centralized area with great lodging accommodations for you and your family to enjoy several activities in the surrounding areas.  There are so many unique activities in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin that cannot be found in a city, and all within a 2 hours drive or less!  Here are 7 days of planned activities for the whole family to enjoy, not all of these activities will last all day so there is plenty of time to visit local attractions as well!  For local lodging and attractions visit www.ironcountylodging.com.

Iron County may be experiencing Mother Nature’s moods swings between Winter and Spring, but soon warm weather will be here to stay!  Now is the time to start planning your family summer vacation.  There are many attractions to be found in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, why limit your vacation to just one?  Did you know Iron County is a centralized area with great lodging accommodations for you and your family to enjoy several activities in the surrounding areas.  There are so many unique activities in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin that cannot be found in a city, and all within a 2 hours drive or less!  Here are planned activities for the whole family to enjoy, not all of these activities will last all day so there is plenty of time to visit local attractions as well! 

Day 1 – ATV

Renting ATVs/UTVs is easy with Journey North Co located 30 miles away in Florence WI.  Choose from a variety of ATVs/UTVs (side-by-sides) styles to fit your needs and let your adventure begin!  Looking for more fun by water? Explore their boat rental options (but hurry, they have limited stock at this time).  For more information: call 715-391-9799, email, or stop in: 1020 Olive Ave, Florence, WI 54121 (Google map location). 

There are hundreds of miles of ATV trails between Iron River and Iron Mountain; with easily readable trail maps, even an ATV novice will be able to navigate the trails in no time.  Local trails are meticulously groomed, visitors will not be let down with what we have to offer.

Day 2 – Mine Tours

Do you love old historic sights, and learning new things?  If so, check out one of the surrounding mines for a tour!

Adventure Mining Company is an hour and a half drive from Iron River.  Located in Ontonagon County at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula, the Adventure Mining Company in Greenland, MI is only a 30 minute drive from Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. They offer guided underground tours of one of the best preserved copper mines in Michigan. Walk through part or all of the tunnels on the first level or try your hand at rappelling with a rope and harness to the second level of the mine…the choice is yours! 

Also at the Adventure Mine site are miles of free-use hiking and mountain biking trails. Enjoy a hike or ride through the forest by old foundations and early prospect pits or even up to the top of Adventure Bluff on some of the most unique and challenging single-track trails in the Midwest. If you’re up to the challenge, be sure to join us in mid-July for the annual Miner’s Revenge Mountain Bike Race. The only race of its kind!

Quincy Mine in Hancock, Michigan is 2 hours away from Iron River.  Quincy Mine Tours offers several options and include a visit to their museum, a video-tour of the No. 2 Shaft-Rock House and a guided tour of the enormous and complex Nordberg steam-powered hoist engine and the building it is in.  On their Full Tour you will ride on the cog-rail tram car down the hill to the mine entrance and then ride by tractor-pulled wagon into the mine, seven levels underground. A ride on the tram car (without going underground into the mine) is an optional addition to the Surface Tour.  You should allow about an hour and a half to two hours for the full tour.  Check our more information about Quincy Mine Tours and Quince Smelt Tours to plan your trip!

Iron Mountain Iron Mine located in Vulcan, Michigan is approximately an hour and a half away from Iron River. The Iron Mountain Iron Mine is a popular Upper Peninsula tourist attraction that began in 1958.  Visitors come from all over the world to visit this attraction.  Underground train tours are conducted daily from 9 am to 5 pm from Memorial Day to October.  Guides are very experienced since some have been working for the Iron Mountain Iron Mine for 20 years, 10 years. For more information call 906-563-8077 or visit them at 4852 Hwy U.S. 2 • Vulcan MI 49892 (Google map location)

Day 3 – DeYoung Family Zoo

If your family loves animals, visit the DeYoung Family Zoo in Wallace, Michigan.  Located 2 hours from Iron River, you and your family can find an abundance of exotic cats and other funny animals.  For more information call 906-788-4093 or find them at N5406 Co Rd 577 • Wallace, MI 49893 (Google map location)

Day 4 – Iron County Historical Museum 

The Iron County Museum is one of the largest outdoor museum complexes in the U.P. – located within the cute town of Caspian MI. The Iron County Museum includes 25 buildings, over 100 exhibits, 2 art galleries, and they host a variety of museum events throughout the season ranging from Tapas & Tastings to History Happy Hours.  Plan your visit to the museum today, groups and special tours are welcome!  For more information call 906-265-2617 or visit them at 100 Brady Ave • Caspian, MI 49915 (Google map location)

Day 5 – Mini-Golf & Go-Carts

Have some family fun time in Spread Eagle (Florence), Wisconsin.  Located 45 minutes away from Iron River, Bears Den Mini Golf and Go Karts offers mini-golfing and go-carts for all ages.  This is a very affordable activity for the whole family to enjoy.  Open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For more information call 715-696-8009 or visit them at 527 U.S. Rte 2 • Florence, WI 54121 (Google map location)

Check out the Badwater Ski-Ters in the Vagabond park just a couple miles away from Bears Den for a free showing of water skiing sports.  Rain or shine, every Wednesday and Sunday summer nights at 6 pm starting June 10th.

Day 6 – Waterfalls

Located in southern Ontonagon County near Paulding, Bond Falls (Google map location) is a beautiful waterfall (with a total drop of 50′) for pictures year-round. Free, roadside parking is available near the Bond Falls Outpost on Bond Falls Rd. The park hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Pets on a leash are also welcome.  A picnic area with grills, picnic tables and toilets is located at the Bonds Falls Loop Trailhead.

Day 6 – Rest & Relax!

Check out downtown Iron River Michigan or venture over to Crystal Falls Michigan for some downtown shopping fun, local eats, seasonal events…

Spring, Summer, Things to do and tagged atv, atv rental, boat rental, deyoung family zoo, go-carts, historical museum, historical tours, mini-golf, Mining, orv, orv rental, underground train, utv, waterfalls. Bookmark the permalink.