Though they’re rarely necessary to guide Great Lakes ships home anymore, Michigan’s lighthouses are still alluring destination points for travelers, photographers, and history buffs. What draws us to these relics of Michigan’s storied past? Their grand stature? The mysterious, isolated lives of their keepers? The legends of the days and nights they succeeded — or failed — to keep early sailors safe?

Several lovely lighthouses scattered throughout northern Michigan’s stretch of Great Lakes allow you to visit and ponder those questions for a few hours, a few days, or weeks in utter solitude. In this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, write Brighid Driscoll provides a guide to four area lighthouses that make for an inviting getaway. Whether it's the St. Helena Lighthouse west of the Mackinac Bridge, the two-for-one-combo of the lighthouses of Presque Isle, Point Betsie Lighthouse (pictured), or McGulpin Point Lighthouse in Emmet County, this handy guide will give you plenty of inspirational fodder to start planning your next lighthouse vacation.

The Northern Express is available to read online, or pick up a free copy on newsstands at nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.