Point Betsie Lighthouse / Beach
The Point Betsie Light has been guiding ships since 1859. Back then there were only 33 states, Detroit’s population was just 45,000, and Abraham Lincoln was yet to be elected president. Today Point Betsie is still operational and a very popular tourist attraction. We visited Point Betsie to look for rocks on the beach, but we stopped to check out the light as well. You can normally tour the lighthouse, but due to the pandemic, that was not an option when we visited. Located just north of Frankfort, the beach is a known location to find a Michigan oddity called Frankfort Green. You’ll find dozens of people combing the beach for this green-blue slag, a byproduct of smelting, that washes up onto the shores from Frankfort's days as an ore processing town. We didn’t find any on our visit, but we did find a few pretty stones and enjoyed the lighthouse. Whether you’re headed to Point Betsie for the slag or for the sights, you’re in for a good time!
