Big Sable Point Lighthouse

Last weekend, Eric and I had the amazing opportunity to be lighthouse keepers for a weekend at Big Sable Point Lighthouse! Well... not exactly lighthouse keepers, but we were able to stay for the weekend in the lighthouse! This opportunity isn't available to the public, so I jumped at this chance! Long story short, I hosted a social media workshop for their board last winter... and in exchange they offered to give us a free stay at Big Sable. This lighthouse has so much meaning to us, so of course, I was thrilled. It was the first lighthouse Eric ever took me to (as a surprise), and we also have our names engraved on a boardwalk here. Plus, it's one of my favorite lighthouses in Michigan. I absolutely love that you have to walk two miles to get there. It's just such an adventure, and this weekend was exactly that.

Outfit details:

Madewell Wrap Top in Eyelet White
H&M Denim Culottes High Waist
Madewell Indio Sunglasses
A Warning Sun Hat c/o ModCloth (similar)
Madewell Boardwalk Sandals (similar)

outfits, michiganTieka KnightAugust 7, 2018northwest michigan, summerComment

Grand Hotel Gardens

After biking it around the island and kayaking out to the lighthouse, I was excited for some relaxing at the Grand Hotel! Eric and I changed for dinner, and walked over to the historic hotel to tour the lobby and gardens and grab a drink in their upstairs cocktail lounge. It was so pretty. It's on my wishlist to stay here someday. I'm glad I finally got the chance to visit though, take a peek around, marvel at the insanely beautiful gardens, drool over their outdoor pool, and grab a fancy cocktail (ahem, most expensive cocktail I've ever had). Hahaha. It was definitely a fun experience while staying on Mackinac Island! I'd say the $10 tour is worth it alone for the gardens.

Outfit details:

The Jean Jacket in Pinter Wash c/o Madewell
Floral dress c/o Pitaya (similar)
Madewell Indio Sunglasses
Woven Circle Bag via Etsy (similar)
Tassel Earrings via Artists Market of Mackinac Island (similar)
Pittsburgh Ease Flat in Black c/o ModCloth (similar)

outfits, michiganTieka KnightJuly 30, 2018summer, upper peninsulaComment

Round Island Lighthouse

Seeing the Round Island Lighthouse up close was a major bucket list item crossed off my list. This is by far one of my favorite Michigan lighthouses. I've seen it multiple times on the ferry to Mackinac Island, but always dreamed of stepping foot on the island and seeing it like this. They were doing yearly tours until conditions became too unsafe and they stopped doing them... but I had no idea you could kayak out to the lighthouse until just this summer. As soon as I saw that was an option, I immediately booked the trip and off we went! It was the best experience. I honestly just stood there for a long time taking in the moment of being there. I felt so lucky that this is such a huge part of who I am... exploring all of these lighthouses. It's honestly meant so much to me.

Outfit details:

Levi's Wedgie Fit Jeans via Zappo's
Old Navy Tee (similar)
Madewell Indio Sunglasses
Target Sandals (similar)

outfits, michiganTieka KnightJuly 25, 2018summer, upper peninsulaComment

Round Island Passage Light

After our bike ride adventure around Mackinac Island, we headed back to our bed and breakfast to freshen up and head out to dinner! We returned our bikes and walked down to watch the sunset by Biddle Point. Since you can't technically walk to the Round Island Passage Light (it's a shoal light), I've considered this one "checked off my list". I'm over halfway through seeing all of Michigan's lighthouses! My rule is... if you can travel there and set foot on the land the lighthouse is on, that's a must in order to check it off my list. If it's a shoal light, or on private land, and I can only see it by boat/plane, then I'll consider it checked off the list. I have so many more to go! It's taken me about 8 years to see 65 of them, so this will be going on for a while. And then maybe I can make it a goal to see all of the lighthouses on the Great Lakes! ;)

Outfit details:

H&M Wide Leg Jeans (similar)
The Jean Jacket in Pinter Wash c/o Madewell
Loft White Top (similar)
Madewell Tassel Earrings (similar)
Round Woven Bag via Etsy (similar)
ModCloth Flats (similar)

outfits, michiganTieka KnightJuly 23, 2018summer, upper peninsulaComment

Biking Mackinac Island

An absolute "must" when visiting Mackinac Island is... riding bikes, of course! There are no cars allowed on the island, so the only transportation is walking, biking, riding horses, or taking a horse-drawn carriage. One of the best things to do on the island is to bike all the way around (which is an 8-mile loop). It provides some of the best scenic lookouts, and gets you away from some of the crazy crowds down on Main Street! We rented bikes on this trip, but I really wish we would have brought our own. We just thought with all of Eric's drum equipment it would be too hectic getting it on and off the ferry, but it would have been worth it. These bikes were expensive to rent... and we only had them for a few hours. Plus, my bike is way cuter. Haha! So pro tip... if you can, bring your own bikes!

Outfit details:

Madewell Perfect Summer Jeans in Fitzgerald Wash
H&M Top
Madewell Indio Sunglasses
Round Woven Bag via Etsy (similar)
Target Sandals (similar)

outfits, michiganTieka KnightJuly 18, 2018upper peninsula, summerComment

Good Day Café

Phew! So much has happened in the last couple of weeks... but I still have one more post from our super short trip to Mackinac Island from last weekend. On Friday morning (after Eric's gig), we woke up and headed down to Good Day Café to grab iced lattes. This place is super cute! I think it's pretty new on the island (I haven't seen it before). I loved it. Very Instagram-worthy, their iced lattes were delicious, and they had a ton of different pastries, ice-cream, smoothies and more. I'll definitely stop back here on our next trip to Mackinac Island (which is coming up this weekend!)