White Birch Lodge (WBL) is an amazing family vacation experience, like no other! We take other vacations (in addition to our annual trip to WBL) and we own our own lake house...No other place compares to being at WBL.
Although the accommodations are very rustic (think of the movie "Dirty Dancing"), they actually add to the charm. You don't go to WBL to feel fancy...YOU GO TO RELAX! There are no TVs in the rooms and the kids forget that they own electronics (so do the adults). Instead, the kids are beyond excited to go to the planned kids activities or to learn how to water ski/wakeboard. They try paddle boarding or kayaking while the adults are sitting on the beach reading, playing tennis or just taking a nap.
The staff is amazing and is made up of mostly college-aged kids who grew up vacationing at WBL. They know how magical the place was for them and work with great attention to make sure that everyone (young and old) has the same experience. The guests typically vacation the same week each year and since you can't just try WBL once, they usually end up coming every year for generations.
The meals are all served family style and are served each day at 9:00, 1:00 and 6:00. Instead of haggling with the rest of the family about when we are going to eat, where we are going to go, how we are going to get there, what we are going to wear, etc. (like other vacations), we roll off the beach, find our flip flops and stroll up to our table. No hassle, no mess, nothing to think about!
We were talked into trying WBL (when our oldest child was just an infant) by a friend who grew up going there for their annual family vacation. We had NO INTENTION of our first trip to WBL to be anything other than a one time vacation to Northern Michigan...Fast forward 15 years and we haven't missed a year. Our kids look forward to this vacation more than they do every other vacation and holliday combined (including Christmas and their birthday). Most kids have a countdown clock to Christmas; every year when we leave, there isn't a dry eye in the car and our kids start the countdown clock to the next year @ WBL, with holidays coming and going in between.
I will always owe a debt of gratitude to the Conrad Family (who have become friends) for the memories that their resort has given us. They could sell their land for millions and walk away. Instead - the third generation of Conrads (Mike) is now running the resort and works incredibly hard to make a decent living so the rest of us can make the best family memories of our lives!
On the way up this year, my 12 year old said "Dad - We aren't really going on a vacation; we're kind of just going home." She is right!
