Go Glorious
Head to Northern Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula
for a real taste of Michigan in bloom.
By Lynne Konstantin
ill$1111
1,1
Rolling green meadows lead from the Homestead in Glen Arbor to the waters of Lake Michigan; the resort's Beach Club has a zero-depth entrance pool with cascading waterfall on one side and
pristine Lake Michigan on the other.
ost of us Southerners
(read: Southernish
Michigan) have been
Up North at some
point. Cottages in
Charlevoix, white-
sand beaches on
Lake Michigan and
summers (and visiting day) at Camp
Walden and the dearly departed Camp
Sea-Gull are imprinted on our souls.
Now, with kids of our own in tow,
we are always on the lookout for
family-friendly fun to be had and
different areas to explore — after, of
course, we've waxed nostalgic at our
own favorite childhood memories.
Here, a few favorite destinations
along the Leelanau Peninsula (the
area's first inhabitants, Ojibwe, called
the lake "leea-lan-au," meaning "Land
of Delight") and its base, Traverse
City — some off the beaten path, and
some so awesome that the path is
long beaten down.
WHERE TO GO
• Extending 30 miles from Michigan's
Lower Peninsula into Lake Michigan,
the LEELANAU PENINSULA (the
"little finger" of Michigan's mitten;
leelanauchamber.com) encompasses
the Sleeping Bear Dunes National
Lakeshore and strings together
charming towns and pristine beaches
38 July 2013 I ittD TifittlID
with rolling hills, lush forests, and
acres of orchards, vineyards, farmland
and meadows along Lake Michigan
and Grand Traverse Bay.
Even National Geographic is on to
the scenic drive along M-22, which
hugs Lake Michigan's shore and wan-
ders through Suttons Bay, Omena,
Northport, Leland, Glen Arbor and
more. WINERIES dot the landscape,
including BLACK STAR FARMS
(blackstarfarms.com) in Suttons Bay,
where you can spend the night in the
Luxe Inn (overnight stays include a
full gourmet breakfast and a bottle of
house wine) nestled below a hillside
of vineyards and overlooking barns
and pastures. Stop in LELAND and
take in the weathered but still func-
tioning fishing shanties (many now
housing shops), smokehouses and fish
tugs along the mouth of the Leland
River in FISHTOWN, a small fishing
village operating for more than 150
years — and today, one of Michigan's
only remaining commercial fishing
villages. Then head to the RIVER-
SIDE INN (theriverside-inn.com) to
sample artisan cheeses and pan-roast-
ed whitefish, fresh from Carlson's of
Fishtown, before strolling the shops
and ice-cream parlors in town.
• Voted the "Most Beautiful Place in
America" by "Good Morning Amer-
ica, SLEEPING BEAR DUNES
NATIONAL LAKESHORE
secret-to-outsiders beach spot: ESCH
ROAD BEACH (also called OTTER
CREEK BEACH) provides expansive
(sleepingbeardunes.com) encompass-
es a 35-mile stretch of Lake Michi-
gan's spectacular eastern coastline
(along the west side of the peninsula),
as well as North and South Mani-
tou Islands. Incorporated inside the
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park,
lush with forests, dune formations
and ancient glacial phenomena, the
Lakeshore offers breathtaking vistas
of Lake Michigan and Glen Lakes:
To orient yourself, take the 7.4-mile
views, refreshing (read: chilly) Lake
Michigan waves and enough pristine
sand to keep a thousand kids busy
for days. Plus, if the water is "too"
refreshing, this out-of-the-way spot
comes replete with picturesque
OTTER CREEK, a babbling, leafy
inlet just right for splashing, explor-
ing and chasing fish.
berman who built a road to the top of
the dunes for others to share his awe
of the natural beauty), a self-guided
tour that offers history of the area.
Head to the DUNE CLIME, just
south of GLEN HAVEN, for a short
but strenuous (for some) climb to
view gorgeous GLEN LAKE (then
let the kids run and tumble down the
sand) — or head out for a serious 3 4
hour round-trip hike through wind-
carved dunes and rippling sand, with
a halfway point at Lake Michigan's
shoreline.
LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM
(grandtraverselighthouse.com ) holds
the Grand Traverse Light Station,
which has been guiding ships and
sailors since 1852 and converted to
a two-family dwelling in 1900. Tour
the keeper's quarters, still historically
appointed, and exhibits on area light-
houses, foghorns, shipwrecks and
local history, and climb to the top of
the tower for views that extend to the
horizon on a clear day. (While you're
in Northport, check out the cinna-
mon rolls and other baked goods at
• About three miles south of Empire
and Sleeping Bear Dunes, discover a
Mario Batali, who has a home in
the area thanks to his U-M-graduate
PIERCE STOCKING SCENIC
DRIVE (named after the local lum-
-
• Inside the Leelanau State Park,
at the northern tip of the Leelanau
Peninsula in NORTHPORT,
the GRAND TRAVERSE
BARB'S BAKERY (231 386 5851)
-
-
—
www.redth read nnagazine.conn