On Thursday morning, August 25th, we departed Mackinac Island for the relatively short cruise to Charlevoix, MI. It took us about 5 hours to get there and we stayed at the City Marina, located in Round Lake, just past the Charlevoix bridge. The city is a quaint town with a population of around 2,500 and it serves as the county seat for Charlevoix County which also includes Beaver Island. It is also located on Lake Charlevoix, the third largest inland lake in Michigan providing glass-like water and plenty of scenery to explore.

We took a day trip on Lake Charlevoix on Friday and Natalie and the girls enjoyed anchoring out and jumping off the upper deck of Take Five.

Jumping into the lake while anchored out. Charlevoix, MI
Kameryn and Natalie after a swim. Charlevoix, MI
Preparing to dock. Charlevoix, MI

There were plenty of shops to explore downtown within walking distance of our boat and Natalie and I were even able to enjoy a kid-free dinner out on Friday evening.

Natalie heads back to the boat. Charlevoix, MI
Our view from a rooftop bar overlooking Round Lake where we docked. Charlevoix, MI
Kameryn helped fill the tanks in preparation for the trip over Lake Michigan. Charlevoix, MI

It was a quick, but enjoyable stop as we began preparations for our long trip over Lake Michigan to Wisconsin and Door County. The plan was for a 9-hour cruise and the weather was looking marginal at best, but an early start would get us there safely despite some unwelcome lake conditions during the last two hours of the trip. Stay tuned for the final leg of our trip back home.

More Charlevoix Pictures HERE