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5 must-see stops in Michigan's Copper Country

These places are echoes of the days when copper was king, legacies of the rich mining history of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. And they are my favorite pieces of this remote Michigan puzzle, a region whose physical beauty can still stop your breath.

More than 10 billion pounds of copper were pulled out of the Keweenaw between 1844 and 1968. Yet treasure still gleams up here for tourists, and I'm not just talking about brilliant fall color, which should hits peak in late September.

-- Ellen Creager | MCT
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Stay overnight reveling in luxury just like copper baron Thomas Hoatson Jr., who built this mansion in 1906.<br> <br> Laurium Manor is lucky, because after falling on hard times and being stripped and mostly ruined, restorers Julia and David Sprenger bought it in 1989 and lovingly coaxed it back into a fine 10-room inn.<br> <br> You might feel as if the parlor and dining room are gloomy, but that's because the place has been meticulously restored to its 1908 feel, including dim matte wall coverings, draperies and furniture. The bedrooms are brighter.<br> <br> You can take a tour of the 45-room mansion even if you don't stay there. I recommend spending the night -- I liked the Allouez room. (Rooms $79 per night and up, www.laurium.info, 906-337-2549. A self-guided tour is $6.)

Laurium Manor Inn

(Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Stay overnight reveling in luxury just like copper baron Thomas Hoatson Jr., who built this mansion in 1906.

Laurium Manor is lucky, because after falling on hard times and being stripped and mostly ruined, restorers Julia and David Sprenger bought it in 1989 and lovingly coaxed it back into a fine 10-room inn.

You might feel as if the parlor and dining room are gloomy, but that's because the place has been meticulously restored to its 1908 feel, including dim matte wall coverings, draperies and furniture. The bedrooms are brighter.

You can take a tour of the 45-room mansion even if you don't stay there. I recommend spending the night -- I liked the Allouez room. (Rooms $79 per night and up, www.laurium.info, 906-337-2549. A self-guided tour is $6.)