Socrates Place Resort is a beautifully appointed upscale resort located on the scenic Van Etten Lake in Oscoda, Michigan. Van Etten Lake is a year round all sports Lake for boating, fishing, kayaking, jet skiing, canoeing, water skiing, tubing, swimming, ice fishing and snowmobiling. Relax dockside or by the fire pit in your comfortable Adirondack chair while roasting hot dogs or s’mores and watch the beautiful sunset over the lake. View the bald eagles that fly overhead or watch the mallard ducks and her babies as they feed at our mallard sanctuary. Tie up your own boat, jet skis (boat, jet skis, and motor bike rentals are available in the Oscoda area) or kayak to the dock, or wait for Jim and Joy to take you out for a cruise on the lake on their pontoon boat -- "Socrates Place." The extended dock has a comfortable bench with dock umbrellas and fishing holders so that you can relax and fish. If you are new to fishing, Jim will provide you with fishing poles, equipment and bait. End your day of dreams and happiness with a swim in the crystal clear waters of sandy bottom Van Etten Lake. The Resort is a fully furnished and newly remodeled private resort (all new furnishings including new beds, refrigerator, stove and microwave, bedding and linens). Two dining tables with chairs will provide your family with plenty of space for your meals. Two fully furnished bedrooms provide magnificent new queen size beds with new linens and new Berber carpets. The fully furnished living room includes a new Samsung 32” 720p LED HDTV, with cable and WiFi service. The living room sofa pulls out for a comfortable queen size bed. Cook your freshly caught fish (perch, bass, walleye, northern pike and other pan fish) in the fully appointed kitchen that includes a new refrigerator with freezer, electric stove and oven, microwave oven, coffee maker with complimentary coffee, pots and pans, mixer, dishes, glasses, omelet maker, waffle maker, baking ware, cutlery, steak knives, and cutting board. Crock pot, bread maker and other speciality items will be added to the resort with vacationer requests. A new furnace provides a cool or warm resort, along with a new hot water tank, and ceiling fans in each room provide overall comfort for your relaxing stay. A laundry room with a full-size washer and dryer, (and laundry soap included), provides you with the convenience of a care-free vacation. City water and Culligan Filtered water are provided for our guests. Relax on your private patio with a table and two shade umbrellas, and view the lake while you listen to the peaceful sounds of nature. Yard games, for example, bean bag toss are provided for our guests. We have two new kayaks on the property which are available for half or full day rental. The kayaks are a Triton 100 sit-on-top, and an Envoy 106 sit-on-top tandem kayak. We provide the life jackets and the paddles. Two grills are available for outdoor cooking. The fire pit by the lakeside is also your private area for building a fire and relaxing. Lumberman’s Monument, the scenic Au Sable River, and the shores of Lake Huron with the beautiful Oscoda Beach which provides sandy beaches and water that stays shallow for quite a distance for children’s safety, picnic areas with grills, a playground, bathroom facilities, basketball hoops, a skateboard ramp, free movies on the beach, arts and crafts shows in the summer, and a scenic pier are just a quick five minute drive away. The Huron-Manistee National Forests are 9 minutes away for hiking, fishing, horseback riding, picnics, nature and bird-watching, swimming, biking, cross-country skiing, and down hill skiing. Deer and duck hunting in season are popular attraction in the area. Eagle Run Trails runs along the south shore of the Au Sable River where 7 miles of trails are available for vacationers in both the summer and winter months. The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon Race takes place the last weekend of July and is a 120 mile canoe race from Grayling to Oscoda. The YMCA campground Nissokone is on Lake Van Etten and several of our Socrates Place Resort guests have been families whose children are at the camp having fun. Be sure to travel the River Road Scenic Byway where you will discover Foote Dam and Champagne Hill with panoramic river scenery and bald eagles, and interpretative signs in the area to tell you about the natural history of the area, and how the Forest Service protects the habitat of the bald eagle. Take a cruise on the River Queen paddleboat and view swans, bald eagles, mallard ducks, turtles, and geese on the Au Sable River. Visit Wurtsmith Air Base Museum where you will learn the history of the Wurtsmith Air Base (slated to become the new Air Space Rocket Launcher facility), visit the Veterans Memorial, and stop by the Park Rangers Station at the entrance to Wurtsmith where you can get free maps and guides of the area that will show you hiking, biking, swimming, fishing areas, and snowmobile trails, in the National Forests. Visit Largo Springs which features viewing decks and boardwalk paths though the natural springs. Visit the Tawas Point Lighthouse on Tawas Bay on Lake Huron for a tour of the Victorian-era lighthouse, a gift shop, swimming, foot and bike paths through the park, and picnic areas. Visit Newmann Street in Tawas for a day of shopping in unique boutiques, gift shops, speciality shops, candy shops, and restaurants.Tawas City hosts numerous festivals throughout the year including a jazz fest, wine fest, chill cook off, car show, and fishing fest. And In September, the Paul Bunyan Festival is held in Oscoda, and the Harrisville Art Fair is held in Harrisville just north of us. In the fall, the tree leaves change-of-color is a beautiful display that you don't want to miss! For the avid golfer, there are several well-groomed golf courses in the area. Mackinac Island is 117 miles from Socrates Place Resort. Also nearby are grocery stores, pharmacies, shopping and restaurants, as well as coffee shops and ice cream parlors complete your dream vacation at Socrates Place Resort on beautiful Van Etten Lake. Come visit Socrates Place Resort; we promise you that you will return again!!
