Boyne Mountain, Michigan

An Ultimate Family Vacation in the Midwest

By Elisa Ast All

It's winter and you desperately need a vacation. But where should you go? The tropics, where, depending on the weather, you may be able to enjoy sun and surf? Or the mountains, where you can enjoy the excitement of the slopes? What if you want both, but you can only take one vacation? Decisions, decisions!

What if we told you there was a place you can go to enjoy the rush of skiing, snowboarding and tubing and, after you've had enough, you can warm up in a perfect 84-degree Fahrenheit world of water fun? What if we said there were enough activities there to keep both adults and kids endlessly entertained? If you're like most travel-savvy parents, you'd probably say it sounds ideal. That's why we've named this amazing destination an iParenting Ultimate Family Vacation!

One Magnificent Mountain

Boyne Mountain in Northern Michigan was founded as a ski resort by Everett Kircher in 1947 after he purchased it from retired state senator William Pierson for only $1. Little did he know that Boyne would go on to become the largest privately owned ski and golf destination in North America.

Modeled after Swiss and Austrian ski villages, the Boyne Mountain compound is expansive, yet charming. You get the feeling that you've stepped through time and space to arrive in a more innocent place, where the only item on the agenda is family fun.

The mountain itself greets you full force. Watching the chair lifts run up and the skiers and boarders fly down is exhilarating. Even the novice skiers among us could not wait to step into a pair of skis.

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