Our Fall Cabin Getaway in Northern Michigan
I had no plans to go anywhere for fall break. None. The week snuck up on us, and I figured we’d just hang around the house — slow mornings, maybe a movie night or two. But one random night, I opened Airbnb “just to look,” and somehow stumbled onto the cutest little A-frame cabin in a northern Michigan town I’d never even heard of. Population: less than 1,000.
The photos showed it near Lake Huron, but I assumed it was one of those listings where the photographer got creative with angles. So when we pulled up and realized it was actually on the water, I think my jaw hit the floor. The backyard opened straight to the lake, and there was a little lighthouse right out back, like something out of a storybook.
It was just me and the kids — a quiet little getaway before the chaos of the holidays starts to roll in. The kind of reset that doesn’t ask for anything fancy: just slow mornings, mugs of coffee, hot cider & hot chocolate.
Our first morning there, we made homemade cinnamon rolls and ate them out on the deck while the sky slowly brightened. The air was chilly, the lake still, and even though the sunrise hid behind a thin layer of clouds, it felt peaceful — like the whole world was taking a deep breath with us.
Then came the sweetest, well honestly scary surprise for the girls LOL. Brandon showed up at the cabin door with an unexpected day off and that grin that always gives him away when he’s been hiding something good. The kids screamed, I cried a little, and suddenly our quiet trip turned into one we did’t see coming. We ended up spending the afternoon exploring, even climbing up inside a lighthouse nearby!
On our last morning, it was just me and the kids again. I made pancakes and sausage, and we carried our plates outside to that same little deck. This time, though, the clouds were gone and the sunrise showed off. Golds and pinks rippled across the water, and for a few minutes it felt like the lake was putting on a private show just for us. It was one of those moments you try to freeze in your mind, knowing it’ll be the one that comes back to you on an ordinary Tuesday later.
After breakfast, we packed up and drove to Frankenmuth for the day and, of course, made a stop at Bronner’s. It’s impossible to walk in there and not feel at least a little bit of Christmas work its way into your heart. We wandered through aisles of ornaments, sipped cocoa, and let the sparkle of it all pull us right out of fall and into that warm holiday anticipation.
By the time we drove home, I felt like something had shifted — not in a big, dramatic way, just that quiet kind of reset you don’t realize you needed until it happens. A few days by the water, an unexpected visit from Brandon, a lighthouse, and a little Christmas magic tucked into a fall break that wasn’t even supposed to happen.
Sometimes the best trips are the ones you never plan.
