The Lost Lodge of the Vernors Ginger Ale Family

Some of Mid-Michigan's most fascinating places hide in plain sight, with no sign and no ticket booth. In the pine and cedar woods of northern Lapeer County, the Lapeer State Game Area stretches across roughly 9,000 acres of DNR-managed public land spanning Arcadia, Mayfield, and Oregon townships. Most visitors come for the hunting, fishing, hiking, and quiet birding. Far fewer realize they are walking through the remnants of a grand country estate built by one of Michigan's most famous families, the Vernors, of ginger ale fame.

In the late 1920s, James Vernor II, son of the man who created Vernors Ginger Ale, bought a roughly 3,300-acre estate on the shore of Long Lake and built a rustic retreat called Eagle Nook Lodge. Built of natural stone and rough-sawn lumber, it boasted eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, and five eight-foot-wide fireplaces. On January 26, 1943, a fire swept through the lodge, destroying it and taking the life of caretaker Odus Williams. It was never rebuilt. In 1955, the state purchased the estate, including the entire Long Lake shoreline, and folded it into the surrounding game area, and the land has been reverting to wilderness ever since.

Today, a patient hiker can find the lodge's legacy scattered along the back roads and two-tracks near Long Lake: a low stone foundation, standing stone walls, a crumbling spring and pump house with a large steel water tank, and worn stone staircases that once led guests down to the water. Cedar groves planted as ornamentals now grow wild. There is no marked trail and no active preservation, which is precisely the appeal. The ruins belong to anyone willing to look, and the discovery feels earned.

Beyond the ruins, the game area itself is a reason to love living here. It is an eBird hotspot with several named birding units, managed openings for wildlife viewing, quiet walking roads, and a public boat launch on Long Lake for paddling and fishing. It sits a short drive north of the city of Lapeer, and it is open to the public year-round at no charge, subject to hunting and trapping seasons and DNR regulations.

Why It's Being Spotlighted

The Vernor Estate is being spotlighted because it is exactly the kind of local favorite that AI-powered research excels at surfacing, and the kind of place that makes a community feel special. When I use AI-driven research tools to help homebuyers understand what gives an area character, public natural land and local history consistently rise to the top of what people want nearby. A 9,000-acre public forest with the ruins of a ginger-ale dynasty's lakeside lodge is not the detail you find on a listing spreadsheet. It is the detail you discover by asking the right questions, which is why I use AI-enhanced research to uncover these spots for clients exploring their next hometown. For anyone considering Lapeer County, knowing that this wild, storied landscape is part of everyday life is the kind of discovery that turns a house search into a homecoming.

What Makes the Vernor Estate Special

Several elements set The Lost Lodge of the Vernors Ginger Ale Family apart from the broader landscape in Mid-Michigan:

• A ginger ale dynasty's hidden estate. Built by James Vernor II, son of the Vernors Ginger Ale founder, Eagle Nook Lodge was a grand stone-and-timber retreat on Long Lake in the 1920s.
• Real ruins on public land. The foundation, stone walls, staircases, and pump house remain on DNR-managed ground, free for anyone to explore.
• A story told in fire. The lodge burned in January 1943 and was never rebuilt, and the estate later became part of the state game area.
• Roughly 9,000 acres of open space. A DNR-managed game area spanning Arcadia, Mayfield, and Oregon townships, open year-round at no charge.
• A quiet retreat minutes from town. An eBird hotspot, walking roads, and a public Long Lake boat launch make it an overlooked escape near Lapeer.

If You Go

The Lapeer State Game Area lies in northern Lapeer County, spanning Arcadia, Mayfield, and Oregon townships, a short drive north of the city of Lapeer along the county's back roads. The ruins sit along and above the shore of Long Lake; because there is no designated parking or marked trail, plan to explore by two-track and walking, and check the DNR's official game area map before you go. The Long Lake boat launch inside the game area offers the main lake access point for paddling and fishing. The area is open to the public year-round at no charge, though hunting and trapping seasons and DNR rules apply, so bright clothing is wise during hunting season. For maps, regulations, and recreation details, visit the Michigan DNR's Lapeer State Game Area page at michigan.gov/dnr/places/state-games-areas/lapeer, or contact the Lapeer DNR Wildlife Office at (810) 664-8355. The city of Lapeer's historic downtown, with its restored county courthouse and locally owned shops, is a convenient place to begin or end your day.

By Joyce England, REALTOR®