Manistee, Michigan
Nestled within the Huron-Manistee National Forest, Matson's Lodge is located on the Big Manistee River in Manistee Michigan. The lodge has 6 spacious bedrooms with two queen size beds, 5 full size beds and two twins. Two large bathrooms and two fully equipped kitchens with three refrigerators for all of your food and beverages. Enjoy cooking outdoors under the awning on a charcoal grill while you relax on the patio furniture or picnic table. The lodge offers three TV’s with Direct TV programming offering 150 channels for all ages which can be enjoyed in one of two living rooms or the Master bedroom. All linens and towels are provided, but ask that you bring your own beach towels.
(The lodge has two complete living areas, so if your family or group only needs 3 bedrooms you may rent one half of the lodge for a reduced rate of $150 or $160. Depending on which side you choose, the back half will sleep up to 9 people in 3 bedrooms or the front half will sleep up to 7 people. Both sides have their own kitchen and bathroom as well. Please contact owner by email regarding dates and rate change before booking.)
In the evening, family and friends can gather around the large firepit complete with comfortable chairs and a glider bench. Many stories have been shared as our guest enjoy the warmth and glow a campfire.
The Big Manistee River has been designated as one of the US Forestry's Wild and Scenic rivers in Michigan. Enjoy the great outdoors and the beauty of nature by renting a canoe, kayak, tube, or fishing boat (or bring your own) and float down the Big Manistee River. River trips are available through Matson's Campground; when taking a trip, your group is shuttled up river to a drop off spot and float back to the lodge. Be sure to reserve your kayak, canoe or tubes early to ensure availability when you book your reservation.
Wildlife abound with Bald eagles, whitetail deer, birds of many species, and maybe a sighting of a bear. If you enjoy fishing, the Big Manistee River is well known for some of the world's greatest salmon and steelhead. Other species include walleye, northern pike, bass, and brown trout. Many master anglers have been caught on the Big Manistee River, in fact the world largest brown trout was caught up river from our place!
Other amenities in the area include beautiful Lake Michigan, Historic Victorian City of Manistee, several Golf courses and Little River Casino is just 15 minutes away.
If you forgot something, Matson’s Campground offers a convenience store, ice, campfire wood and other amenities. The adjacent campground is a family owned business for 28 years which also offers additional cabins and campsites.
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Communication and location were excellent. Plenty of room for everyone to spread out. Location next to the Manistee River was fantastic.
Overall the cabin was big enough for all of us. For the most part it was clean. It is an older cabin and could use some updating but it was fine. The negative part is the photos are miss leading on line: 1) the cabin looks like it three levels, and it actually one. 2) the river looks like it is right outside of the cabin and it is not. You can not swim in the river. Also when ever you go outside it smells like dog Pooh. There is not dog Pooh on the cabin yard, but there is a dog, don’t know if it is the owners, around the office, which is right next to this cabin. So sitting outside the cabin or by the fire or going to your car you smell dog Pooh. One of the bedroom doors, in the bigger section, the door knob needs to be fixed. Also the main kitchen freezer handle is broke on one side. Not the best area as far as the looks of the permanent campers. Some of the campers that look like they are permanent there are kinda sketchy or this may be a different park, but it looks like most are permanent and not in good shape. But I would rent the cabin again due to its size. Owner very nice and accommodating. We left several things and she mailed them back immediately.
Nice place. Lots of room for all us. Owners were very accommodating.
Our cabin was clean, comfortable and we had plenty of room for our group. The river is just a short walk away and we did a little fishing. We loved the on-site tube and kayak rentals and had a great time on the river. Our hosts were great and definitely a place we’d like to return to.
We had a great time. The lodge was nice and clean and fit all 16 of us easily. We had great conversations, games, fishing fires etc... it was very quiet at the camp ground also. We were a little disappointed as the listing and pictures show it is on the water, which is was not. We were hoping that it would have been a little more off on its on, but we still had a fabulous time and made many great memories.
The cabin was perfect for our large family gathering. Well stocked with all the things we needed. Close to biking, hiking and river activities!
More than enough room for 11+ adults. Loved that with renting the whole lodge never felt on top of each other. Kitchens had everything you need, beds comfy and whole lodge very clean!
This place worked out great for us. We were there for unhappy reasons, but the host made our time there very stress free.
While the location was nice and generally quiet and the place was large enough to accommodate a group of 10 easily, the place definitely needs a deep clean and some maintenance. The beds and bedrooms felt mostly clean and comfy and the furnishings were ample for hangouts. The right half had a musty smell and I'm sensitive to that but was okay with sleeping on the left side. Many bulbs were burnt and switches hard to find, but the lamps helped. The newer bathroom vent fan did not work and had mold growth and lots of cobwebs, and would recommend a clear shower curtain as the brown one made it very dark in the shower. The worst part was the main kitchen. Most of the dishes were very dirty and there was a lot of mouse droppings under the kitchen sink. We ended up deep cleaning a few pots and pans for our use and buying paper and plastic ware and cups to eat off of. Also, the main door(slider) had no way of locking, it was hard for kids and older people to close it and came off the tracks several times while we were there. We told the hosts about this and they said they were trying to find a solution, but it won't likely be addressed during the peak season. Since they were keeping an eye on the entry for us and we needed to leave some expensive medication there when out fir the day, I didn't feel comfortable letting them know about the other problems. The hosts were super nice and full of info and the space in the accommodation is great for a large group or family. While the family enjoyed our time together, I think the overall consensus is we would find somewhere else next time just because of the cleanliness and maintenance issues. The guys did have a good time exploring the fishing areas and the gals the beaches. Not much else to do around Manistee and phone and internet service are scarce there, but that's what we were looking for. Otherwise relaxing spot, but don't forget the bug spray!
We rented the lodge for three adults and nine kids. Fresh, clean, comfortable beds for everyone!! Lined up a tubing excursion for the second day there and had a wonderful time. Owners were super friendly and helpful for everything we needed.
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Includes taxes and fees