Summer is fading fast, and the signs are everywhere you look. Back-to-school commercials are already giving way to ads for pumpkin-flavored doughnuts, latte, beer, lunch meats, and breakfast sandwiches. Sandals are giving way to boots. And you’re already feeling nostalgic about all the fun warm-weather times you’ve had at your waterfront vacation home this year.
But if you’re lucky enough to own a lakehouse in any of the Upper Midwestern states, you’re welcome to enjoy lake swims, backyard barbecues, and twilight hikes until the first autumn breezes blow through. While the Atlantic and Pacific coasts hog all the glory, gorgeous mansions and cozy cottages alike rim the five Great Lakes. We found five grand houses for sale—one for each lake.
The refreshing news? They’re cheaper than homes along the oceanfront. Fire up the grills!
630 Rock Beach Road, Irondequoit, NY
Price: $2,125,000
Lure of Lake Ontario: Right on the lakeshore, and eight miles from Rochester, this 10,000-square-foot mansion offers a vacation every day with 340 feet of private beach, a grass tennis court, and 5 landscaped acres with fruit trees and a koi pond. This 1930s-era home has 10 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms—plus a carriage house and beach house.
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1025 Nicholson Ave, Lakewood, OH
Price: $1.7 million
Lure of Lake Erie: Unobstructed lake views (thanks to 300 feet of shoreline) from almost every room is the main perk, but this 5,400-square-foot home offers other gems. Large bay windows in the great room and corner sitting room are ideal for relaxing year-round, and two of the bedrooms have walkout decks. Once winter sets in, you can retreat to the finished basement with its own bar and drown your Cleveland Browns–related sorrows.
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7200 N. Beach Drive, Fox Point, WI
Price: $1,995,000
Lure of Lake Michigan: Life in this tony, laid-back suburb 15 minutes north of Milwaukee feels more like Nantucket due to the shoreline. This 4,279-square-foot home butts right up to the beach. There are lots of windows in the great room, a totally modernized kitchen, and a dining room with water views. The loft design gives the home an open and airy feel. You can entertain guests in a window-filled dining space with french doors leading to a stone patio.
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50 Grace Drive, Grand Marais, MN
Price: $599,900
Lure of Lake Superior: Near the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, this small artsy town on the lake isn’t far from the Canadian border. This contemporary A-frame home has an open loft layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus a deck and a barn (perfect for all your “seasonal toys”). And right out the back door is 250 feet of waterfront.
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1762 N. Huron Road, Tawas City, MI
Price: $467,750
Lure of Lake Huron: Just look at that porch! This 5-year-old, custom-built lakehouse has four bedrooms, heated floors in the master and basement bathrooms, a walk-in shower, a finished basement, and 9-foot ceilings. And with windows and french doors on the back of the house—plus a second-story deck that runs the length of the house—every room offers lake views.
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