As a prime vacation spot, northwestern lower Michigan is home to a number of different lodging facilities, from rustic campgrounds to high-end condos with nearly every amenity known to mankind. Somewhere in the middle are old-time resorts, which often started as family compounds before opening to the public.

They typically boast a central inn with a lakefront view, surrounded by cabins. Beyond that perhaps a restaurant at the inn or a separate location (though the COVID-19 pandemic is changing those plans), tennis and basketball courts, and other family-oriented activities. Many draw the same families at the same time each year, so vacations become a time to revisit old pals from across the state or across the country, kindling or rekindling friendships or romances. Many are the stories of couples who first met at one of these summer havens. 

They also offer extended families an opportunity to reconnect with plenty of space for everyone to sleep and spread out. Multiple generations can come together to celebrate summer, with games of tennis, tetherball, and simple lakeside fun. In this week's Northern Express - sister publication of The Ticker - writer Ross Boissoneau goes behind the scenes at classic resorts from around the region, from Point Portage Resort and Jolli-Lodge to Chimney Corners and Watervale Inn, with stops at White Birch Lodge, Fountain Point Resort, and Hotel Walloon in between. Take a trip down memory lane at summer resorts that have been perfecting fun for generations by checking out this week's Northern Express, available to read online or at one of nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.