About 

Hi — I’m Elizabeth, the voice behind Great Lakes Guide Girl.

I’m a parks person, a place nerd, a public lands and park advocate, and the kind of traveler who will happily pull over for a historic marker, a shoreline trail, a really good local sandwich, and always a cool looking tree. I’ve spent my career (and most of my free time) connecting people to places, especially the ones hiding in plain sight.

By day, I work in the parks and recreation field, where I’ve helped shape community programs, steward public lands, and tell the stories of forests, waterways, and neighborhoods that deserve more love than they get. By heart, I’m a Great Lakes girl through and through - raised on lake-effect snow, deep local history, small waterfront towns, and the understanding that water shapes everything.

Great Lakes Guide Girl grew out of that love. It’s part travel guide, part field notebook, part storytelling project;  focused on the people, parks, public spaces, and businesses that make the Great Lakes region special. You’ll find hidden gems, waterfront towns, women-owned businesses, local history, and the kind of places that feel like secrets you’re supposed to keep… but won’t.

I believe:

• Public spaces matter

• Local stories are worth telling

• And the Great Lakes are not flyover country - they are the destination

When I’m not chasing a shoreline, recording a story, or writing, you’ll probably find me wandering a park, talking to strangers about their town, planning my next trip around a body of water, or deep-diving into some obscure piece of regional history that absolutely did not need to live rent-free in my brain (but does).

This project is for curious travelers, lake people, park lovers, history buffs, and anyone who believes that place and people still matter, and that the best stories are often found just off the main road.

Welcome to the guide. 💙🌊