Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHILE YOU'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
No big surprise that skiing, sledding, and skating are popular sports in northern
Michigan. But a gold star to anyone who can name another popular north Michigan
sport beginning with an
S.
If you guessed scuba diving, go straight to the front of
the class.
Because thousands of ships have sunk in the Great Lakes, wreck diving is many
Michiganders' sport of choice. In Lake Michigan's Manitou Passage alone, there
are estimated to be at least 130 downed vessels. Many of them are still buried un-
der the sand. Take the
Three Brothers
, for example. For years, this 160-foot steamer
that disappeared off South Manitou Island in 1911 eluded treasure hunters. Finally
in 1996, when sands and currents shifted, the ship was discovered in a mere 12 feet
of water.
Local dive shops rent gear and organize guided diving trips, including a popular
one to the Manitou Passage State Underwater Preserve, 282 square miles of blue
water surrounded by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Of course, if you'd rather not bother with the scuba gear, the
Francisco
Morazon,
a steel freighter that sank in 1960, sticks right out of the water in the Man-
itou Passage.
Even if you aren't brave enough to get out your cello, the Interlochen concert calendar
boasts more than 600 events per year, putting it ahead of even New York City's Carnegie
Hall. Choose between orchestra, band, choral, and chamber music concerts, instrumental or
vocal recitals, pop music shows, and everything in between.
John Philip Sousa and Van Cliburn are just a couple of the distinguished guests who have
performed in Interlochen's hallowed concert halls, which include the outdoor Interlochen
Bowl, Kresge Auditorium, a massive roofed concert hall that's open on the sides, and Corson
Auditorium, a winter-friendly enclosed venue.
In 1927, the camp was founded as the National High School Orchestra Camp, and when
Sousa was a guest conductor for the band between 1930 and 1931, the name was changed
to the National Music Camp. In 1977, Interlochen Center for the Arts was adopted as the
umbrella title for all the various organizations, and finally in 1990, the camp was again re-
named the Interlochen Arts Camp to acknowledge the fact that this prestigious boarding
school offers training in theater, dance, visual arts, creative writing, and motion-picture mak-
ing—though it will forever shine gloriously as the music school that it is.
Prices for the adult camp (“Interlochen for Life,” as it's called in the brochures) range
from around $250 for the three-day guitar festival (or $89 per day) to $549 for the five-day
