There’s a gorgeous lighthouse just a few miles south of Oscoda
If you’re a regular visitor to Oscoda, you’ve probably heard plenty about Tawas Point State Park. If you haven’t, you should know there’s a reason it’s referred to as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest.”
According to Pure Michigan, Tawas Point State Park is a “stopover site” for “hundreds of migrating birds in the spring and fall,” making it an especially popular place to visit for birdwatchers. You’ll also catch glimpses of deer and fish, and can enjoy a calming walk to the point itself, where the land narrows to a small strip that separates Tawas Bay from Lake Huron.
Tawas Point State Park has plenty of amenities, including a modern campground and overnight lodging on Tawas Bay, where the water is shallow and often warm.
Perhaps the most drawing feature of the park, beyond even the birds or the shoreline, is Tawas Point Lighthouse, which has been remodeled several times and remains “the sole representative of a true Victorian-era style station” on the Great Lakes.
According to the Michigan History Center, the lighthouse operated from 1876 to 2016, and is a point of fascination for maritime buffs.
“It also offers spectacular views of sunrises over Lake Huron and sunsets over Tawas Bay,” says the Michigan History Center.
The Tawas Point Lighthouse is actually the second lighthouse built on the point. The first was constructed in 1853. By the 1870s, as the point grew, the lighthouse found itself “more than a mile inland.”
That’s when plans began for the current lighthouse; which is ironically now more than a mile from the tip of the point itself. In 2016, the Coast Guard decided to place a light on a pole at the point, turning off the lighthouse for good.
Still, volunteers continue to maintain and steward the lighthouse, offering guided tours through a museum and 85 spiraling stairs.
When you’re done exploring the lighthouse, you can read the surrounding bricks, engraved with the names and memories of visitors and locals, as well as swim and fish. There are multiple boating access sites in the area.
Tawas Point State Park is located at 686 Tawas Beach Road in East Tawas. According to the Michigan History Center, admission for lighthouse tours is $5 for adults, $2 for children aged 6-17, and free for children under 6, though some days are “by donation.”
For the most updated hours and prices, visit michigan.gov/mhc/museums/tawas.