Located at the mouth of the Manistee River on Lake Michigan, Manistee is a city of over 6,000 residents.
In its heyday, Manistee was home to a booming logging industry. In the late 19th century, Manistee was one of the leading shingle manufacturing cities in the world, with over 30 shingle mills on the Manistee River at one time. During the lumber boom of the 1880s, Manistee had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States.
There’s something for everyone in Manistee. Stroll down the Manistee Riverwalk as it follows the Manistee River through the heart of downtown from the mouth of the Manistee River at Lake Michigan east to Manistee Lake.
Manistee
Spend a day “on top of the county” as you drive along the beautiful scenic highway M-22. The rolling terrain of M-22 begins just north of Manistee at the junction of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Little River Casino Resort. Turning westward, the winding road will take you along farmland, corn fields, apple orchards, old schoolhouses, Douglas Valley Winery, the magnificent Lake Michigan shore, Arcadia Overlook and charming coastal towns.
Check out Manistee’s collection of historic buildings, one of the finest in the Nation. The self-guided historic district tour will take you through 27 sites in Downtown Manistee—16 with accessible interiors. Designated historic sites of note include Manistee Iron Works, Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse, and Ramsdell Theatre.