If you’ve ever taken a trip Up North, there’s a very good chance you’ll know this iconic stop. Even if you’ve never actually visited, it’s impossible to miss when driving up Interstate 75. 

I’m talking about Castle Rock. 

The longtime Upper Peninsula roadside attraction, known for its towering limestone formation and giant Paul Bunyan statue, is officially on the market.

Read on for the details on that, then we’ll bring you 24 fun and free things you can do in Michigan’s capital city.

Then, we’ll take a look at your answers to our question of the week.

DOJ will send election monitors to Michigan cities (CBS News): The US Department of Justice plans to deploy election monitors in seven Michigan cities on Election Day. The cities include Lansing, East Lansing, Detroit, and Grand Rapids. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the monitors are a routine part of the election process, but Nessel warned that her office will hold anyone accountable who unlawfully interferes with voting.

Detroit tourism bureau stops advertising in Canada (CBC): Detroit’s tourism bureau has halted marketing campaigns in Canada amid strained relations between the two countries. Tourism Detroit CEO Claude Molinari said Canadian visits have dropped 30% over the past two years, mainly due to tensions over US policies and tariffs, though visits have ticked up recently.

Study finds thousands of oil spills in Great Lakes since 2015 (WLNS): A decade-long review by Lake Superior State University researchers identified 6,453 reported oil spills across the Great Lakes basin from 2015 to 2024, including 3,654 in US waters and 2,799 in Canadian waters. While larger spills accounted for most of the reported oil volume, smaller incidents were more frequent and often lacked key details in official records.

Tourists take in the view from the observation deck at the top of the nearly 200-foot limestone rock formation known as Castle Rock, just north of St. Ignace in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (USA Today Network)

By USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

For sale: A 64.5-acre tract of land that comes complete with ample storage space, a pole barn, one enormous rock, and one big blue ox.

Castle Rock, a longtime Upper Peninsula tourist attraction near St. Ignace, is on the market for $2.7 million, according to a listing by RE/MAX NorthStar Realty.

The property includes 64.5 acres of commercially zoned land just off Interstate 75. The sale includes a natural limestone formation, which rises nearly 200 feet above Lake Huron, along with the business that draws approximately 75,000 visitors annually, according to the sale listing.

Also included are a 6,024-square-foot retail and storage building, a pole barn, equipment, displays and fixtures, as well as the roadside statues of American folklore figures Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox.

Free guided or self-guided tours are available Monday through Saturday at Michigan’s state capitol. (Bimatshu Pyakuryal/Unsplash)

By Chaunie Brusie

The city of Lansing, Mich., has come a long way from its humble beginnings as essentially one of the world’s first major scams. Lansing got its start when two New York brothers and businessmen “discovered” a largely underwater area in Michigan and sold plots back home to Lansing, New York, residents.

The only problem is that the brothers lied about what the land looked like: instead of disclosing the swampland it was, they claimed it was a fully operational town, complete with a church and an academic square. 

You can imagine the New Yorkers’ surprise—and disappointment—when they arrived in the marshy, tree-dense area. Nevertheless, they named the new land after their hometown of Lansing, and the town that would go on to become the state capital was born. You could say that determined and practical attitude reflects what Lansing is today. In that spirit, we wanted to bring you 24 things to do in Lansing, all completely free.

As we all know, having to wade through a sea of leaves is an inescapable part of the season. And sometimes, those leaves can even be a hazard.

So earlier this week, I asked readers:

How do you deal with all the leaves around the house?

Here’s what you had to say:

“I rake all the leaves into my shrubbery and garden beds. I want a resting place for all of the bugs so I can see fireflies in the summer and keep my pollinator garden alive. They bring the birds, also. Plus, why would I throw away good mulch and fertilizer.” — Rose, Grosse Pointe

“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by woods. Using rake or blower–into the woods go all the leaves from the lawn.” — Jim, Albion

“We have a lot of trees and A LOT of leaves. We blow them away from the house to limit rodent housing and mulch them with a lawn mower. Easier and more environmentally sound than raking. They disappear by spring.” — Greta

And if you have a question you’d like me to ask our community, send it my way. I might feature it in a future newsletter.

*Responses may be edited for conciseness or clarity.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with stories from Chaunie Brusie and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

The ’Gander is free for everyone. Your support makes our work possible.

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