The best coffee and the best breakfast/lunch can be found at 2 The Moon bakery. Eva recommends the Full Moon breakfast, and Matt recommends the Hashwich (but really any of the breakfast foods are excellent).

Hammer’s Pub & Grub is a Lake City institution. Try the fried fish, M-43 local IPA on tap, and (for vegetarians) the taco salad in the fried bowl. Eva assures me they will sub avocado if you ask nicely.

Speaking of Lake City institutions, the Tasty Treat has been an absolute pillar of the community since 1948. Bob & Laura will provide an opportunity to get some ice cream after the reception, but it’s the kind of place you won’t be sad to visit twice (plus, it’s worth trying the variety of fried foods). Be warned: the sizes are big. Eva says there's no shame in ordering the kiddie size, but Matt says there's some shame and requests proof of anyone who finishes a large anything.

The town bar (it’s literally 1 of 1) is the Town Pump Saloon, established in 1969. It's excellent for pool, beer, and general dive bar vibes. They’re open til 2am every night - we’ll see you there! Not at 2am, obviously, we have a bedtime.

County Beach - this is a great spot for a day hang. It’s a short drive or medium walk (short Eva walk) from town, but has a large sandy beach, warm shallow water, some grassy areas, an ice cream/food stand, and bathrooms that aren’t port-a-potties.

City Beach - this beach is closer to downtown, but much smaller than the county beach. There is a boardwalk in the strictest sense of the word (a series of boards upon which you can walk). Also, the bathrooms are port-a-potties.

Boat rentals - For the nautically inclined among you who don’t want to tow your own boat from Oxon Hill, Maryland, you have the option to rent pontoon boats and jet skis from Lake City Power Sports. As with many things Lake City, we’d recommend calling them rather than emailing. Your other alternative for jet ski procurement is negotiating with Jim Guidarini directly for one of his, but it’s almost certainly going to be more enjoyable to go through LCPS.

Pickleball courts - Adjacent to the library is either two tennis courts or four pickleball courts, the scene of the annual 4th of July tournament (featuring several instances of Jacob Morello and Daniel Ki getting absolutely humiliated by senior citizens and, in one notable case, a youth pastor. Plus, there's a rich history of avant-garde fashion displays of varying enthusiasm). You can coordinate with Jacob Morello for gear or matches, but then you will be responsible for dragging him off the court to make sure he is on time to the ceremony.

Disc golf - there is a small course in Lake City (although the roughs are unforgiving and the mosquitos are weapons-grade. To quote Jake McGoogan, “git good”) and a few other options a short drive away. UDisc rates Lake City as the #174 best town in Michigan for disc golf (and #3,161 in the US) but the course in Manton a short drive away is good for the #38 town in Michigan. If you do try the Lake City course, keep an eye out for a translucent pink Innova Sidewinder with Matt's name on it that looks like it's been sitting for three-ish years.

If you prefer ball golf, Missaukee Golf Club is very close to Lake City, or El Dorado is in Cadillac, Michigan and is allegedly a beautiful course. But you could also get into disc golf for a much cheaper version of the same frustration.

Generally, we wouldn’t recommend it. But, if you go to Main Street Rocks and Crystal Shop, let us know how that works out for your chakras.

More seriously, the place worth visiting is Sassafrass, which has cute home goods, vintage sundries, and vibes. Luckily, it's not in downtown proper, so we can still make fun of the rock shop.

(Traverse City is about an hour northwest of Lake City)

Traverse City has a beautiful waterfront and a very walkable downtown filled with fun shops (half of Eva’s wardrobe is from Cali’s, and Matt has been know to lose the plot in Backcountry North and Boyne Country Sports). Things are close together, making it a good choice for a diversion - rain or shine.

If you are willing to venture out of downtown, one of our absolute favorite spots to eat is Farm Club for amazing meal, good beer, and excellent outdoor seating vibes. There are good choices in town as well - we’d recommend Mama’s Lu or Red Ginger.

(Glen Arbor is about an hour and a half north and west of Lake City, about 30 minutes past Traverse City)

Glen Arbor is close to our favorite MI hike, Pyramid Point. It is home to the original Cherry Republic Store where you can pick up some yummy Michigan cherry products and have a cherry-inspired lunch. Don’t miss the Cottage Book Store while you are there, particularly anyone who daydreams about opening a bookstore in a cozy cottage-like environment (although we don't necessarily recommend this trip for spouses of those who daydream about opening a bookstore in a cozy cottage-like environment).

(Frankfort is about an hour west of Lake City)

Frankfort is close to the studio of Gwen Frostic, a Michigan treasure. You can visit her her nature-inspired studio (including an incredible gift shop that sells her prints), and then head into downtown Frankfurt to take in the beautiful beach and light house on Lake Michigan.