Posts in michigan
Outside Coffee Co
Outside Coffee Co

One of my favorite places to visit in our neighborhood is… Outside Coffee Co! If you’re ever passing through Grand Rapids (or you live here!) and have never been, you definitely have to add it to your “must do” list. It’s open all-year long, no matter the weather. In the winter, they have these adorable igloos set up with warmers inside or you can sit outside by the fire! Plus, their menu is delightful. They have seasonal drinks and various toasts, along with lots of vegan-friendly options. Plus, they have soft serve ice cream, which is always vegan. I love stopping in for a coffee (their chaider or pumpkin spice has been a go-to this season) or their seasonal flavor of soft serve. Love this place!

Outfit details:

Madewell Fishtail Anorak
Levi’s Premium Wedgie Straight
H&M Cardigan (similar)
Madewell Cuffed Beanie
Madewell Small Transport Crossbody
Target Wenda Cut Out Bootie

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outfits, michiganTieka Knightautumn, west central michiganComment
Fall in Fennville
Fall in Fennville

It’s always been a goal to spend a full fall day in Fennville, so I’m excited we finally made it happen this year! Normally every fall, we head up north, and I wanted to make it a point to spend a full day closeby. Fennville is about 45 minutes from Grand Rapids… so it’s a super easy day trip, and there’s so much to do! We hit up Virtue Cider, Fenn Valley Vineyards, Crane’s Pie Pantry, Pier Cove Park, and ended with dinner at Salt of the Earth. I loved this day… it was so fun to hop around, try a bunch of different (very fall) places, to see the waves roll in at Lake Michigan, and to enjoy an amazing dinner in their little downtown area. Keep reading to hear more about our fall day in Fennville!

Outfit details:

Free People Plaid Cocoon Coat (similar)
H&M Knit Tank (similar)
Madewell Wide-Leg Crop Jeans in Hayes Wash
Madewell The Small Transport Crossbody
Madewell Angular Hoop Earrings (similar)
Madewell The Carina Boot

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michigan, outfitsTieka Knightsouthwest michigan, autumnComment
Guide to Escanaba

Alrighty! Here’s a little recap of our trip to Escanaba… the places I’d recommend to drink, eat, and adventure to! If you know the area better than I do, and you have any more tips/recommendations, let me know in the comments! We loved our trip to Escanaba. Like I mentioned before, I planned this trip to the area because there were five lighthouses I hadn’t seen yet… and needed to check off my list. But I ended up loving this weird, desolate town. 😉 It’s full of character, and I loved the food, wine, vibes and things to do. It was definitely a slower weekend (as most weekends in the upper peninsula are), which I always appreciate. Sometimes it feels like I’m letting out a breath of air I’ve been holding in once I hit the U.P., it’s sort of strange to explain. I just love it up here; and Escanaba is definitely part of that reason now too!

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michiganTieka Knightupper peninsulaComment
Peninsula Point Light
Peninsula Point Light

Moving onto the last lighthouse from our trip to Escanaba… the Peninsula Point Light! So the locals call this the Stonington Lighthouse, and I was getting so confused… like am I missing a lighthouse during this trip?! But it’s because it’s out on Stonington Peninsula! So first, it takes about 30 minutes to go down the peninsula and down a narrow dirt road before you reach the lighthouse. Second, this tower is all that remains after a fire and demolition. You can open the door, and climb up by yourself, for a gorgeous view of the bay. Third, this is the only place you can spot the Minneapolis Shoal Light from shore (it’s so distant, but I was able to snap a picture on the furthest zoom!) and…. fourth, this is a gathering place for monarch butterflies each fall where they rest before continuing south across Lake Michigan on their annual migration to Mexico. Long story short, this is such a special place.

Outfit details:

Levi's Premium Wedgie Straight
Tradlands 101 Martine Black Tencel
Ray-Ban Clubmaster Sunglasses
Madewell The Transport Tote
Madewell The Boardwalk Ankle-Strap Sandal

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michigan, outfitsTieka Knightupper peninsula, summerComment
Menominee North Pier Lighthouse
Menominee North Pier Lighthouse

During our trip to Escanaba, we headed down to spend a day (ish) in Menominee! To be honest, there’s not much to do in this town (that we figured out) but there’s a lighthouse there… so of course, off we went! Menominee is right on the Michigan/Wisconsin border, so it was kind of fun to cross over into Wisconsin for a second just to say we did (haha), to do a little wine tasting at Yooper Winery, to eat some Wisconsin cheese curds at Ogden Club, to walk around their strange, quiet little downtown, to grab malts from the local ice-cream shop, and to walk down the pier to the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse. This one was built in 1877, and has been shifted and changed many times! There are several markers on the pathway that say where the lighthouse used to sit… it’s been moved/extended three times!

Outfit details:

Madewell The Perfect Vintage Jean in Fitzgerald Wash
Madewell The Boxy-Crop Jean Jacket in Lunar Wash
Ray-Ban Clubmaster Sunglasses
Madewell The Transport Tote
Steve Madden Cybell Espadrille Sandal

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michigan, outfitsTieka Knightsummer, upper peninsulaComment
Sand Point Lighthouse
Sand Point Lighthouse

One of the main reasons I wanted to travel to Escanaba was to see five new lighthouses I hadn’t seen before in the area… and the Sand Point Lighthouse was one I was most excited to see! It’s definitely a landmark of the city and it’s beautiful. This one was built in 1867, and warned the ships off Sand Point and the sand reef that reached out into Little Bay De Noc. There is so much rich history in Escanaba! It used to be home to several ore docks, so there was constant traffic of ships that would carry out iron ore and lumber from local sawmills. Another big thing about this lighthouse is that it employed one of the first women lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes!

Outfit details:

Levi's Premium Wedgie Straight
Madewell The Jean Jacket in Pinter Wash
Madewell Central Shirt in Pure White
Madewell The Transport Tote
Target Sandals (similar)

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michigan, outfitsTieka Knightupper peninsula, summerComment