HARRISVILLE, Michigan — Every summer, when I tell friends that my family is bailing out of steamy Washington D.C. to head for the beach, they assume we're off to Rehoboth or Dewey in Delaware, or another one of the usual suspects on the Atlantic Ocean.

I get a lot of double-takes when I explain that we're headed toward the Great Lakes, in Michigan. Apparently, a lot of people outside Michigan don't know that you can find beautiful, sandy beaches in the middle of the country.

But why head to the Great Lakes when the ocean is just a few hours away? Let me count the reasons:

1. Uncrowded beaches.

2. Fresh water.

3. Mild-mannered waves. (Big enough to keep kids happy without worrying about riptides.)

4. Low humidity; temperatures in the mid-80s.

5. Rustic, woodsy setting.

6. Low prices.

So, for what it could take to rent an upscale condo in Ocean City for a week, we spent three weeks in a rustic, three-bedroom cottage on Lake Huron last summer. My two boys loved the cottage's stone fireplace and log banister hewn from a pine tree. The setting was so secluded that it often felt like we had our own private beach. On one of my favorite morning beachwalks last August, I encountered zero humans and six deer. On a "crowded" day, we might see two dozen people.

Where exactly were we? The nice thing about trying to explain the location of places in Michigan is that everyone carries a map of the state on their body. Hold up your left hand, palm facing outward, fingers pointed toward the sky, thumb extended. You are looking at the "mitten" shape of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. We tend to vacation on Michigan's "sunrise side" - i.e. along the right side of your index finger; that's the Lake Huron shore. There are also great beaches on the pinky-finger side; that's the Lake Michigan shoreline. (Where you get fabulous sunsets.)

The key to a great Great Lakes vacation is making sure to find just the right beach. The personality of the shoreline changes quickly, so you have to shop carefully if you want a stretch of sand, say without rocks or algae or people. If you're interested in a private home, start with an online rental service like Cyber Rentals and then ask the owner lots of detailed questions to make sure the location is exactly what you're hoping for.

Prices vary, but seem utterly reasonable: This year, we're paying $1,600 a week for "our" three-bedroom, two-bath, sleeps-10 cottage with L.L. Bean-ish rustic flavour and a can't-be-beat private beach.

To check out the shoreline of Northeast Michigan, head north from Detroit on Interstate 75, then angle northeast on Route 23. With more than 115 lighthouses scattered around the state, you'll have your choice of lighthouses to climb. If you don't make it there this summer, but plan a trip later in the year, you can enjoy both great fall colors and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival, based in Alpena, which features special displays, entertainment and educational programs. Anytime of year, you'll can learn about historic shipwrecks at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena. Offshore is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, an underwater museum that protects more than 100 shipwrecks.

OK, confession time. All of that sounds awfully ambitious.

To me, the biggest benefits of a Great Lakes vacation are just hanging out on the beach and grilling whitefish for dinner. Maybe an occasional hike to a lighthouse or an outing to go canoeing or kayaking. Amble down to the beach after sunset and you've got a good chance of seeing as many shooting stars as the number of s'mores you can consume in front of a beach fire.

Another benefit of a Great Lakes vacation is that you can plunk yourself down in a small town and quickly feel like you belong. When we spent an afternoon at the Alcona County Fair, our kids got invited to ride on a float in the fair's opening parade. Ranger Margaret, the naturalist at the Harrisville State Park, has been teaching our kids about bugs and owls and bears and ferns every summer for years.

There are plenty of amusements for grown-ups, too.

Rent a canoe, tube or kayak at Oscoda Canoe Rental for a leisurely float down the Au Sable River. Take a fishing charter out of Alpena.

Take a daytrip to historic Mackinac (pronounced MACK-i-naw) Island, a short ferry ride from Mackinaw City. You can make your way around the 3-mile-long island on foot, rented bikes or horse-drawn carriage. (Cars are banned on the island.) Check out the fudge in town and you'll understand why tourists are referred to as "fudgies."

What to eat? Farm-fresh produce makes for great meals at home, and there are some surprisingly good restaurants to be found along the shoreline. Rosa's Lookout Inn in Spruce, between Oscoda and Alpena, offers an impressive Italian menu.

There's another reason, by the way, that so many of us prefer the Great Lakes beaches to the Atlantic coast: history and tradition. Those with Midwestern roots still feel that tug to head "up north" long after they've moved on. And by taking our kids with us, the tradition might just continue with another generation.