Members of the Jacksonport Polar Bear Club eagerly await chilly weather all year long. Promptly at noon on New Year’s Day, the hardy group gathers at Lakeside Park Beach for their annual leap into the frosty depths of Lake Michigan. If you’re in the area, you’re invited to participate — and to warm up afterwards at Egg Harbor during the annual Frosty Fest. Regardless of the weather, there’s live music, snow sculptures and hot food. Better yet, take a carriage ride through the snow with Mayberry’s Sleigh Rides.

Blacksmith Inn On the Shore in the lakeside village of Bailey’s Harbor, is the perfect place to cozy up after the frigid dip. Each beautifully appointed guestroom features a fireplace and a private balcony with sweeping views of the harbor. Daily breakfast, served up buffet-style, features local products from sustainable producers, including Wisconsin cheeses, yogurts and milk delivered in returnable glass bottles, coffee roasted nearby, and the cherries and apples grown in local orchards. The owners happily share recipes for breakfast goodies such as pumpkin pecan muffins, mocha chocolate chip walnut muffins, Blacksmith Inn granola, cinnamon breakfast apples and cherry almond scones.