4. Re-live scenes from Titanic (but not the iceberg/sinking scene). Longer than a football field and rising some five stories above the water, the SS Keewatin is an incongruous sight among the small pleasure-craft floating in Kalamazoo Harbor at Douglas. (It actually had to be cut in half before it could pass through the narrow, twisting channel that connects the harbor to Lake Michigan.) Pretend you're one of the moneyed-class as you explore the luxurious decks and cavernous cargo holds of "the last of the classic steamships of the Great Lakes."

5. Climb Mt. Baldie in 282 not-so-easy steps. At 180 feet, Saugatuck's Mt. Baldhead is the highest point in the area. (Still, it seems like a stretch to attach the word "mount" to this tall, tree-covered pile of sand.) Huff and puff your way up the wooden steps (yes, there are 282 of them), then catch your breath while taking in the sweeping views of Saugatuck, the Kalamazoo River basin, and Lake Michigan.

6. Do a gallery crawl. Saugatuck has thrived as an art colony since the early 1900s, and today its galleries and studios – there are more than 25 – remain its biggest draw. One of the most popular is Good Goods on Mason St. Wander from room to room in this handsomely restored Victorian home built for a ship's captain in 1881 and check out the eclectic mix of glassware, furniture, pottery, jewelry, and paintings.

7. See a 280-year-old swan in Holland. Okay, it's actually a windmill called De Zwaan, or The Swan, brought over from the Netherlands in 1964. The only working Dutch windmill in the United States, De Zwaan towers 12 stories above lovely Windmill Island in the eastern shallows of Lake Macatawa. It's the centerpiece of a park that also includes the Posthouse Museum, an antique carousel, and a miniature Dutch village called "Little Netherlands."

8. Board a submarine in Muskegon. Credited with sinking 30 Japanese vessels, the USS Silversides is one of the most highly decorated WWII submarines. And it's been profiled on the silver screen – remember Destination Tokyo, starring Cary Grant? Check your claustrophobia at the dock, then climb down the hatchway for a fascinating self-guided tour through the sub's narrow passages and tiny rooms. And when you get to the torpedo room, please remember not to pull the lever that says "fire."

9. Tour two 19th-century masterpieces. Michigan has lots of splendid Victorian homes, but few rival the mansions of the Hackley-Hume Historic Site. Built by lumber baron Charles H. Hackley and his business partner Thomas Hume, the two homes sit side-by-side on Webster Avenue in Muskegon and have been painstakingly restored to their original elegance. Pay special attention to the exterior paint (13 different shades on one house, 12 on the other!), the beautiful stained glass, and the ornate woodcarvings of animals, human faces, dragons, and flowers.

10. See the Silver Lake Dunes in style. Why slog up these enormous dunes on foot when you can enjoy them from the comfort of a Dune Scooter? (It's sort of like an elongated, open-top jeep.) Mac Wood's Dune Rides offers scenic cruises that cover some seven miles and last about 40 minutes. Bring your camera – the views from the summits are amazing.