(upbeat music) (upbeat music) - [Tom] On this awesome episode of "UTR," we're in Ludington for a huge historic village, a classic family fun resort, and a hike to a longtime lighthouse.

Heck, we'll even stick a fork in some food from a family who chose chicken to change their destiny.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places, and things that make Ludington a lovely place to be.

(bright music) - [Announcer] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More information at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat music) - We've been around the world, but there's one place we keep coming back to, and the more we explore, the more we realize it's the place to be.

I'm Tom Daldin.

- I'm Jim Edelman.

- And this is.

- [Both] "Under the Radar "Michigan."

(upbeat music) - Ludington is one of those classic towns that has it all figured out.

An awesome downtown to walk around, beautiful Lake Michigan beaches, outdoor adventures around every corner, enough maritime history to fill a freighter, and a laid back mindset that makes you wanna extend your vacation before you even unpack.

But when you venture beyond the beach towels and sunset selfies, you'll discover that there's even more waiting beyond the shoreline.

Historic villages preserving Michigan's past, family-owned resorts creating lifetime memories, people protecting iconic lighthouses, and local businesses built on determination, hard work, and heart.

So let's live it up in Ludington.

Oh, and FYI, Ludington is located right on lower Mid Michigan's western shore, where forests, lakes, rivers, and Lake Michigan all come together, which means whether you're looking for history, adventure, relaxation, or great food, you're in the right place.

You know, one of the great things about traveling all around Michigan is noticing how much history is hiding in plain sight.

And I spy with my little eye something that's loaded with history.

(upbeat music) (Tom laughing) Tucked away just a few minutes from downtown Ludington sits historic White Pine Village, where stepping through the front gate feels a little like hopping into a time machine, minus the questionable science and flashy special effects.

With more than 30 historic buildings and thousands of artifacts, this place brings Mason County's early days back to life in a big way.

From a print shop and a sawmill to farmhouses and a one room schoolhouse where Googling the answer wasn't exactly an option, every building here helps tell the story of the people who built this community from the ground up.

And lucky for me, I got the grand tour from Executive Director Rebecca Berringer.

So tell me, this village incorporates how many years?

- So this village up here to our right is the first Mason County courthouse and stick building that was built in 1849.

So people really started coming to the area in that timeframe.

But the real big boom was after the Civil War, and then we started having a lot of people coming in, veterans especially to the area, they were coming from lumbering jobs, maritime jobs.

But ultimately we started seeing people coming in the 1840s.

- Okay.

And then it runs up until the '50s?

- [Rebecca] Yeah, the village runs up about the 1950s when we get down the main street era, that's where sort of you're in that early 1900 timeframe up to the '50s, yeah.

- You know, when I look at all these buildings, I know they all didn't go up in one weekend.

So how many years did it take to go from your first building, which is the courthouse, to where we are now?

I mean, that's a lot of collection.

- We're coming up on our 50th anniversary on July 3rd, and then the courthouse was actually at the location that it's at.

And it was really dilapidated.

And there were people in the community who were very concerned about it.

So about 1965 is when that sort of became a project for the Historical Society.

Mason County Historic Society is what runs White Pine Village and our maritime museum downtown.

But anyway, that particular timeframe in the '60s to 1976 is when they really started developing the village, repairing the courthouse.

And then up here we brought in some of the older buildings.

And once you're going through the village, about two thirds of the buildings are original to the county.

- Ah.

It's amazing, you know, we're a bit out of town.

We're up on the bluff.

And this was still, the courthouse was here.

- Yeah, so this was the county seat at one time.

Buttersville Peninsula was the county seat.

And so government, you know, business took place.

That family actually built the home and then turned it over to the government for about six years.

They actually lived in the upstairs, in the lower level, they had the courthouse and they have a jail in it as well.

- You know, there's also a really homey feeling to coming in and smelling that fire that's kind of wafting down on us.

And it just, it feels like, like I said, when I got here, it's like I'm walking back in time.

- [Rebecca] Yep.

And that's what we want.

We want people to feel that, because you learn so much more from history when you can connect it to an emotion, when you can feel something about that timeframe.

And so that's what, you know, smells like the fire in the trapper's cabinet or cooking in the farmhouse bring, but that's also brought by our volunteers who dress up in costume and in character and they come out here.

And when people can feel history, that memory stays.

And you know, we have young people that are gonna grow up and be lifelong lovers of history because of it.

And we're so excited to see that.

- Yeah, that's exactly it.

One of the things that I like as a woodworker is watching how this state evolved the lumbering era.

And it's not just unique to the UP or to Northeastern Michigan.

It was everywhere there was a tree, someone was there to cut it down and stick it on the water and float it down to a big sawmill.

- So yeah, I mean, really this is this area, and we call this White Pine Village because white pines were the tree that were predominantly in this area.

Lumbering is what brought people here, you know, in Ludington and Mason County really was a unique location because we have Great Lake Michigan right here.

We have the Pier Marquette River.

So logs could be floated down.

So they were able to move out into the woods as they cleared the forest and have ways to get that lumber here.

And so the sawmill was a vital component to that, being able to, you know, get them to the larger sawmill and get them out on the ships and being able to, you know, deliver them to places like Chicago and Milwaukee and so forth.

- Totally.

Well, there's a lot to see here.

So let's wander off and, oh my gosh, you got an ice cream parlor?

- [Rebecca] We have an ice cream parlor for sure.

Let's go into the ice cream parlor.

It's great.

- [Jim] At Historic White Pine Village, visitors can wander through beautifully preserved buildings, watch demonstrations, attend special events, explore heirloom gardens, and discover what daily life was really like for the people who helped shape Mason County.

And its places like these that remind us before Ludington became a vacation destination, it was a community built by some incredibly hardworking people.

(logo whooshing) - You know, when most people think about a classic Northern Michigan vacation, they usually picture something like, well, a beautiful lake, a comfy cottage, a really relaxing chair, and not an alarm clock in sight.

Ha ha, wake me when the s'mores are done.

Nestled along the shore of beautiful Hamlin Lake is Sunset Bluff Resort, and it's been helping families make Michigan memories for generations.

But recently, this classic getaway started a brand new chapter when Natalie and Jason Grothause grabbed it.

They traded their corporate careers for cottages, campfires, and lovely lake views.

What they found was a beloved resort with decades of loyal guests, 13 cozy cottages, and a whole lot of potential.

And their renovation totally transformed the place while still hanging onto the laid back atmosphere the guests fall in love with year after year.

So I pulled up a piece of Michigan magic with Natalie and Jason.

This place is so old school retro classic cool.

How did you guys end up here?

Because I understand you grew up in Ohio.

Went to Texas.

Went to Colorado.

And now you're here in Michigan.

- Yeah.

Well, so I was with a really great company for quite a while, and I just felt like there was something else that we were meant to do with our life.

Jason was a handyman and so we kind of always joked about owning some kind of a vacation property.

And so we said, "Let's make that happen."

And Jason suggested Michigan because we had vacationed in Michigan while we were growing up in Ohio.

- It's pretty nice.

- Yeah, it is beautiful.

- It is beautiful, yes.

- And so we had connected with a realtor and we ended up coming out here looking at multiple properties across the lower peninsula.

And we fell in love with this place.

And you can see why, even when it was blanketed under snow in January of '24 when we looked at it, we knew that this was where we were meant to be.

- Well, you say you always joked about owning a vacation property.

Well joke's on you.

Did anybody ever tell you how much work these places are?

- No, no they did not.

But it's well worth it.

- I mean, to maintain, this place is immaculate.

It's almost, you almost feel like it's 1964, and well how old is this place anyway?

- Well the original lodge was built in 1900.

And then I know that the little wood A-frames, those were built in the '70s because we've met some of that family.

And then the other cottages have just been added over time.

Even the people we bought it from who owned it for 37 years, they added that house and another one up top.

- A great thing about places like this is people come back generation after generation, people have been coming here for decades.

So Jason, it's gotta be a challenge to maintain that, you know what I mean?

Maintain that feel, that old school feel.

But still update these places because you've done a great job updating.

- [Jason] Yep, yep.

We added air conditioning and a lot of mini splits and whatnot.

So yes, it took a lot of effort from Natalie and I for the first season to do a lot of the work ourselves.

But we contracted some of it out.

You know, just to get it all done by the start of the season, and- - Lots of painting.

- Lots of painting.

- We did lots and lots of painting, replaced all the beds.

This fire pit didn't exist before.

We added fire pits and chairs to every house so that everyone could enjoy, you know, the outside.

I mean, they were already enjoying the outside, but it just gives a little bit more to enjoy in the evening time.

- Enjoy the lake or whatnot.

- The sunset will happen right back here.

- At our house, we're big dog people.

They're part of the family.

And I understand you can bring little Rover here.

- Yep, so it's one of the changes that we made buying the resort.

Eight of our houses, eight of the 13 are pet friendly now.

Kept some of them pet free for people who might have allergies, but yes, people can bring dogs with them.

And that has been definitely a welcome change.

- Are you guys seasonal or are you open year round?

- Year round, yeah, not all of them.

Some of them down here by the lake, it gets too snowy and so those get winterized.

But we have houses up on the upper level that we keep open and host fishermen, hunters, or families just looking to get away to the snow.

And Ludington State Park has some fun snow activities as well.

So people can enjoy that.

- How do you like living in Ludington?

- Oh my goodness, love it.

You know, after living in big cities the past 12 years, Austin, Texas, and then Denver, we were kind of nervous about going back to a little town again.

And Ludington, everyone is just so friendly and it's just, yeah.

- Very helpful.

- Very welcoming, and yeah.

- Yep, one of the things that people absolutely love about this place is that it offers something that's becoming harder and harder to find these days, a chance to slow down, unplug, refind your family, and remember that not every notification in life comes from your phone.

So whether you're fishing from the dock or just enjoying a lazy day, Sunset Bluff Resort is the kind of place where memories aren't just made, they're handed down.

(logo whooshing) - You know, when people think of Ludington, there's one place that always comes to mind.

And getting there is half the fun.

Well unless you're carrying a bunch of camera equipment, then it's mostly exercise.

Aren't you gonna help?

- No!

- Figures.

Standing tall along the Lake Michigan shoreline since 1867, Big Sable Point Lighthouse has become one of Michigan's biggest stars.

And unlike some celebrities, this one earned its fame the old fashioned way, by standing here looking awesome for more than 150 years.

The journey begins with nearly a two mile hike through Ludington State Park, which means by the time you arrive, you've earned the view.

Big Sable was created to help guide ships safely along a notoriously dangerous stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline.

And while technology has changed dramatically over the years, the lighthouse still serves as an active aid to navigation today.

I caught up with Executive Director of the Lakeshore Keepers, Jack Greve, to learn more about the lighthouse and the efforts to preserve it.

Give me the rundown of the Big Sable lighthouse.

- Yeah, so we're looking at 160 year old, nearly 160 year old lighthouse here in the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

You know, if they say if walls could talk, certainly they would have a lot of things to say.

Certainly this lighthouse and the lighthouses all along the lakeshore have stories to tell, experiences to still give out to people.

And this one in 1867 certainly has that.

The iconic white and black stripes on it.

It's very recognizable for a lot of people as they come out here to Ludington State Park and beyond.

- So give me a rundown of what you at the Lakeshore Keepers do because you're not just managing this lighthouse, right?

- Yeah.

So we actually manage five locations.

Our mission is to preserve, promote, and to educate the public and make our lighthouses accessible to all.

Now what does that mean, accessibility to all, for a lighthouse that is 112 feet tall that we can't put an elevator shaft on, right?

So we're not gonna be able to be approved for that.

You know, there's certain things that we can do.

Certainly our hours of operations are an accessibility point.

Our new camera is at the top of the tower.

You can actually go to our website and view those views from the top of the tower now without having to physically climb.

You know, we try to have as many touch points as possible with that.

Our volunteer program certainly is one of those too.

We have five lighthouses from Manistee down to Whitehall that we manage.

And we have over 300 volunteers at the organization from 22 states that come in.

Yep, so we provide them lodging for a week period of time, and they travel all the way from California.

We have several keepers from California, several from further down in the Alabama area and Florida region, you know, that come up here and experience the nice cool weather of West Michigan during the summer.

- You're taking care of this as well, right?

I mean, that's a lot of work.

- It is, we do have a lot of supporters, certainly always looking for new donors and otherwise, but it takes a village, right?

And we have to be able to rely on other people to maintain this site.

It's not a one person or one entity job, need to expand it beyond that.

- Totally.

If you could have people who are watching this take away one thing that is important about the lighthouse keepers, the lighthouse itself, the dunes, what would that be?

- You know, the experience, the experience of coming out here and seeing it for yourself.

You know, you might not think volunteering is your cup of tea or your space to be involved with.

But, you know, come out here and talk with our volunteers.

They're out here every day that we're open.

And certainly they'll tell you otherwise, or at least mention that why they do it themself, right?

You know, the experience of just being by the lakeshore, it's calming, it's peaceful.

Step away from your day to day and come to a space where it's peaceful and experience Lake Michigan for what it's worth.

I mean there's so many great qualities of being next to the water, being next to the sand and feeling that sand in your feet and just enjoying your day.

- So when you go to the top of this lighthouse, that's work too.

That makes you have to get up there, how many steps?

- 130.

- Okay.

- 130 to the top spiral staircase.

There are landings on the way as you go up the lighthouse itself, immaculate port holes.

You get to look out the circular port holes, as you can see in the exterior here.

And great images that you see out there.

It's truly framed.

And it's the nature we just talked about.

It's seeing Lake Michigan, seeing the access trail, seeing in the wilderness space, some breaks as you go up the tower with those landings.

As you get to the top, you get into the lantern room area, you're able to, you know, kind of see up and where the Fernet lens used to be.

And then you get to be able to actually step out in the gallery level as well and be able to see all the way around.

We actually have little placards up there.

And how many miles you are from Milwaukee, from Chicago, from different spaces.

So it brings the sense of how far you are away from different locations.

- It's not that long.

You gotta work for things in life.

And I think, you know, it rewards you in such a way that is just spectacular.

Today, thousands of visitors make the trek each year to climb the tower, soak in the incredible views, and experience a piece of Michigan maritime history firsthand.

And thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers, preservation groups, and supporters, the Big Sable continues doing exactly what it's done for generations, standing watch over one of the most beautiful stretches of Lake Michigan shoreline you'll ever see.

(logo whooshing) - You know, one of the reasons I love doing this show is the great food that we find, but sometimes the story behind the food is even more fantastic.

And when you see this food, you'll see what I mean.

If you've ever been to Ludington, chances are you've heard of Cluck Bucket.

It started as a humble food truck, but it's turned into a local favorite that serves meats cooked on a charcoal grill, handmade pretzels, fresh bowls, smoothies, coffee drinks, and enough tasty options to make ordering a legitimate challenge.

But around here, it's not just about the food.

Behind the name is a family story built on hard work, determination, and finding a way forward when life throws you one heck of a curveball.

So to learn more, I spent some time with Mama Clucker herself, Sheri Eaton.

I want to talk about your mac and cheese because my whole family, they're mac and cheese nuts.

But before we get to that, Mama Clucker, I love the name, I love your story.

Your story is a little more extreme than ours.

I mean, Jim and I lost our jobs, had to reinvent ourselves, and we came up with this show and it worked.

Your life took a big turn, didn't it?

- Yeah, yeah.

So we had moved here to Ludington, and two months later, my husband was rushed to the ER by myself and had an aortic dissection and was in coma, medical induced coma for the next five days.

I didn't know what he was gonna wake up and be.

- [Tom] That must have been so scary.

- It was very scary.

My children were 15 down to one.

- Seven kids, right?

- Yeah.

Seven.

So that was a, yeah, that was a very scary time.

And didn't know what we were gonna do.

We moved here to do construction and I mean, I've got guns, but I don't know anything about construction.

I usually deconstruct.

So then we were talking and the whole idea of Cluck Bucket came about and we've just powered forward ever since.

- I mean, were you foodies?

What made you, I mean, I know at that moment you thought, "I have to provide for our family," which is a scary moment.

But you delivered, you did it, you pulled up whatever bootstraps you were wearing at the time, and you did it and you started this, and it started as a humble little food truck, right?

- Yes, we did.

So we had talked about, I worked in Middlebury, Indiana at a large restaurant down there.

It was my first job.

Loved it.

Learned a lot of great things.

My grandma was always in the kitchen, and I loved being at grandma's house and all the things that she did and made from scratch.

And so we had said the summer before, we were here in a seasonal campsite and we made the comment about, "Man, if there was this idea of what we have, our pit here in Ludington, can you imagine if people could eat that chicken?

It's so phenomenal."

And so when this all happened, we knew that we could reach out to who owns the pits, like who made the pits down in Indiana, a family owned place and say, "Hey, can we get a pit and bring it to Ludington?"

And so we had that idea that hey, people need to taste this.

This is great food.

Like the idea of how to cook it.

And then we just took the simple chicken and just kept making more and more and more things with it.

Now we have a menu of a lot of things.

- Oh yeah, you've got pretzels, you've got the mac and cheese.

I'm gonna get to that.

I was gonna say you serve, so go through the list of what you guys serve.

- So here at this location, this is called our Cluck Bucket downtown location.

And then we have the Coffee Coop inside.

So at Cluck Bucket right here, we have our chicken, we have our cluckin' pits, our pretzel explosion item, which is really good.

And I said pretzel, so that means we must have pretzels.

So we do these amazing scratch made pretzels, baked everything here.

It's not out of the freezer kind of thing.

And then pair it with several different dipping sauces.

Lots of chicken salad, acai bowls, some smoothies in the Coffee Coop.

We do espresso drinks, cold brew, like just all this super yummy stuff.

Then we have our Poultry in Motion food truck, which is the Cluck Bucket Poultry Motion truck.

And that one goes to different events and then it parks at the 10 spot, our food truck area.

And then we have Pit Bowls, which is new to us as of last year.

It's our original truck that we just rebranded into Pit Bowls learning that the community really wanted something that was also more fresh and flavorful.

And so that one has bowls where you pick your base, rice grains, greens, and then you pick your protein.

And then 25 different fresh toppings, different sauces.

A chipotle bowl, a teriyaki bowl, Mediterranean, hot honey, barbecue.

Am I making you hungry?

- I was gonna say you had me at "We have."

- Yeah, we have sweet potatoes too.

- Oh my gosh, well, you tell your kids and your husband that I said they are so lucky to have you.

- Oh, thank you.

- Really are.

- Thank you.

- I gotta ask, how's your husband doing?

- He's doing great, yeah.

He's the mastermind maintenance guy.

I say honey, I need this, honey, I need, so his to-do list is usually pretty long.

- Well, you're Mama Clucker, so you're boss now.

(both laugh) From a charcoal pit where it all began, Cluck Bucket is proof that sometimes the best recipes include a little creativity, a lot of perseverance, and just the right amount of honesty and grit.

And that's one of my favorite things about this place.

You come for the chicken, stay for the story, and leave wondering, is it too soon to come back for another pretzel?

Well just for the record, the answer to that question is never.

I gotta tell you, Ludington certainly lived up to its reputation.

The beaches, the lake, the sunsets, and the lighthouse are every bit as spectacular as advertised.

And what makes this place truly special are the stories behind it all, the people preserving history, creating new traditions, protecting local treasures, and building something meaningful for the next generation.

But hey, what'd you expect?

This is Michigan.

(upbeat music) - You know, one of the great things about traveling all around Michigan is noticing how many things in Michigan, too many Michigans.

- You know one... You know, one of my favorite parts about doing this show is the food that we get to find.

But sometimes the story... - You know, there's one place in Ludington that... You know, there's one place in Ludington that all we.

(Tom coughs) - Okay.

You know, when most people think of... (bright music) - [Announcer] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat music) (bright music)