Michigan’s U.P. Has Da’ Ultimate Yooper Tourist Trap
Even though most likely, it will never happen, many people consider the
upper peninsula of Michigan to be its own entity and really a completely different state than the lower peninsula. The truth is, it’s all a part of one giant web of one of the most beautiful states in the entire country.
What makes it so unique is that it’s got its own personality and own flavor which is a mixture of growing up in the rural woods and being very close to Canada. What you end up with is a more relaxed, silly and unique way of life, which many Yoopers have come to embrace.
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Out of all the cool attractions in the upper peninsula, one that is most well-known is in Ishpeming, where you can find Da Yoopers Tourist Trap. This mix of a museum, gift shop, and wild attractions has everything, from a museum section dedicated exclusively to farting, to a bunch of stuffed deer eating salt while hunters are strung up by their ankles, as Roadside America points out:
Da Yoopers Tourist Trap has a gift shop and a small "museum" of artifacts -- but the best attractions are outdoors. Big Gus, the world's largest working chainsaw, sits on a rise pointing towards the highway. Even larger is Big Ernie, the world's largest working rifle. Big Ernie, Billy tells us, fired a rock wrapped in duct tape 2.5 miles into a corn field. "Yooperland" has its own cozy ice shanty of hinterland culture, celebrated by Jim "Hoolie" DeCaire, master of all things Yooper and the owner of this attraction.
I’m going on a weeklong vacation to the upper peninsula in 2025, so this is definitely a spot I plan on visiting. Let us know below if you have ever been here and what your experience was.
24 Bridges to Enter the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that Aren't the Mighty Mac
Some people just don't enjoy crossing the majestic Mackinac Bridge. For others it's not in the route of thier travel. There are at least 24 other bridges that travelers can use to enter Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Here they are from east to west