Michigan has a long history and its residents are no strangers to ghost stories. But where is the absolute creepiest place in the state?
It’s definitely up for debate. Personally, I think Mackinac Island is kind of creepy. They have the whole drowning pool legend up there. Frankenmuth is a little creepy. I’m not sure why.
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Thrillist posted a list of the creepiest place in every state, and for Michigan, they named South Manitou Island in Leland, in Lake Michigan, off the coast of the Grand Traverse County area.
Here’s what Thrillist said about the island and why it made the list:
16 miles offshore from Lake Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, South Manitou is home to 300-foot sand dunes, deserted shores, and empty campgrounds. And with respect to the abandoned buildings of Detroit and Flint, it’s about as creepy as you can get in Michigan.
One legend suggests that a ship of cholera-stricken passengers stopped at the island, and sailors buried them in a mass grave while some were still alive.
If that alone doesn’t stir you to set sail to the island, there are two cemeteries, a cedar forest where unbodied voices are often heard, and off the coast is the shipwreck of the SS Francisco Morazan, where a young boy is rumored to have died after an attempt at exploring it on his own.
Fair warning to all who seek refuge.
Thrillist writer
If you’re looking for an easier creepy place to visit, check out the story of Michigan’s infamous ghost town up in Pere Cheney.