This past week I scooped up the last of summer, and witnessed the switch from summer to fall in Old Mission Peninsula Michigan. Seriously. One day it was 95 degrees and sweaty, and when I awoke the next morning to the patter of rain, I had to bundle into my sweater. The leaves outside had bloomed into orange patches.
Mackinac Island is one of the most unique places to visit in Michigan… but it also has all the makings for a gluten free traveler’s nightmare. A remote island, only accessible by ferry, with one main road, no cars, and hours from any large grocery shops? That sounds like the kind of place where a gluten free traveler could waste away on limp salads and cross-contaminated side dishes. Could being the operative word. I am so pleased to say that my gluten free Mackinac Island experience was incredible.
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is a luxurious Victorian-era hotel that hosts the world’s longest front porch. It is verging on legendary in Michigan. I think every little Michigander grows up dreaming of one day staying at the Grand Hotel Mackinac Island.
Words are how I remember. Photos are beautiful reminders, but how did it smell? Taste? Feel? These are the impressions that really send me back. When I take a trip that is particularly meaningful, I like to take a small moment to jot down those memories. Maybe in a month or more, I’ll read back and suddenly feel myself return to the place… In this case, that place is a tiny car-less island in Northern Michigan, on a few stunningly blue August weekdays with my mom.
Today I’m bringing you not just any gluten free travel guide, but my most researched one ever! You could say I’ve been researching it my whole life 😉 Jokes, but today I am telling you all the best greater Lansing gluten free restaurants. I grew up in Lansing so I have had years of doing my own research! I also recently went on a press trip hosted by the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau, who showed me even more gluten free restaurants in Lansing. And finally, I managed to pick the brains of my new Dietitian, who gave me an entire book about her recommended Lansing gluten free restaurants!
One thing about loving travel is you’re always looking for the next destination. Far flung tropics? Towering fjords? Bustling bazaars and deserts? Count me in. We spend so much time scrolling through flight deals (that can’t just be me…) that it’s easy to miss what’s right under our noses! I figured it was high time to quit doing that…for me, that means getting familiar with things to do in Lansing, Michigan – my current home base!
Sometimes when you travel, you’re not interested in the top ten sights or the best restaurants or Doing Every Possible Thing. Yes, this even happens to travel bloggers 😉 I’ve found myself increasingly craving this kind of travel: travel where I can soak everything up, take a moment to breathe, and not worry about seeing all the sights. I think this is partially because of my health issues lately, that when I travel I want to have the most relaxing experience possible and not further aggravate any of my symptoms. Also, the two trips I’ve taken so far in 2018 (Florida & NYC) were to places I’ve been many times, so I don’t feel that pressure to see the top sights because, well, I already have.
I might as well hibernate for the rest of my life because I’ve already achieved my ultimate goal – I recently got to sustainably swim with manatees in Florida. I’ve gone to Florida almost every year since I was born (to visit my grandparents), so the opportunity to sustainably swim with manatees in Florida has been a long time coming!
**Note from Sarah: I’m super excited today to share with you a muggle’s guide to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Being a muggle who has never been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter myself (and also still painfully coming to terms with the fact that I am, in fact, a muggle), I’ve asked one of my best friends, Julia (who has her own awesome fashion blog, and is actually the one who inspired me to start a blog in the first place) to help me out! I’ll let her take it away…
