News File Photo The New Presque Isle Lighthouse featured in this News File photo was one of the many Lake Huron destinations to hit tourism in 2020. Many of these sites are expected to bounce back in 2021.

ALPENA – The great lake that draws visitors to northeast Michigan saw fewer visits over the past year as tourist destinations, from restaurants and lakeside resorts to lighthouses and glass-bottomed boat tours, saw much of 2020 in response Coronavirus pandemic have been closed.

After one of the best tourism seasons of all time in 2019, the region was hit by travel restrictions in 2020, according to Mary Beth Stutzman, President of the Alpena Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

However, as the doors reopen, lakeside festivals look promising, and the waves of the local Great Lake lure visitors into nature, the towns on Lake Huron are poised to provide coveted hideaways as we head into 2021.

In just over a year, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary will attract 100,000 people to the area, according to Katie Wolf, Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s liaison officer.

Many of those visitors didn’t come last year as the doors of the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center were closed and the season of Lady Michigan, the glass-bottom boat operated by the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Reserve, cut in half by COVID-. 19 Limitations.

“We hope for a smooth sailing this year” Said Wolf.

Wolf is planning a full season of shipwreck tours this summer in the hopes that the crowds who travel to Alpena to take a boat trip stay here to enjoy local restaurants, shopping, and accommodations.

North of Rogers City, the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Society last year lost the $ 30,000 to $ 50,000 used to maintain lighthouses, usually generated through donations and gift shop sales.

The lighthouse is a popular stop for visitors flocking to their northern cottages in the summer, and Pat Williams, a member of society, is hoping for the summer of 2021.

“Everything is better than last year, isn’t it?” Williams said.

Last year the Rogers City Nautical Festival was canceled due to security concerns. The festival is a must for this year, according to Kim Margherio, Community Events Director of the Rogers City Downtown Development Authority, as are several new events, from an art walk in June to a pirate festival in July.

A boom in new boaters coming to Rogers City Marina will give the city another boost, Margherio said.

According to official data, Alpena’s Michigan Brown Trout Festival, which was scaled back sharply in 2020, is well on its way to a full performance this summer.

Harrisville – where the site of the nearby Sturgeon Point Lighthouse is open for picnics and hiking, although the lighthouse must remain closed to visitors this summer – was not too badly affected by last year’s disruptions, according to Mayor Jeff Gehring.

The loss of revenue from canceled events was offset by a surge in tourism during the year as the Downstaters sought the outdoors and visited Up North’s communities and businesses, Gehring said.

After a difficult financial year in 2020 at Presque Isle’s old and new lighthouses, staff have ordered new sweatshirts and other gift items in hopes that visitors can make up for the money they lost last year when the shops closed had to, according to Bev Huard, administrative assistant for Presque Isle Parish.

“We’ll go ahead and have a good summer” Said Huard. “That is our hope.”

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