This New Year, my family and I needed a change of scenery. Rather than flying out to a warm beach somewhere, we decided a couple hours drive up north is perfect. We last visited the Traverse City area almost two years ago – which is crazy considering how much there is to do in Northwest Michigan! So we decided a three day getaway is the perfect amount of time to rejuvenate us. To start out the getaway, we took a road trip around the Leelanau Peninsula, which I’m excited to share with you!
This post is part one of a series detailing day trips and adventures you may be interested in taking around the Traverse City Area. Check out part two on our day trip to the Old Mission Peninsula here. And here’s the getaway guide to our entire long weekend in Traverse City here.
~ Road Trip Around the Leelanau Peninsula Map ~
~ Road Trip Around the Leelanau Peninsula Summary ~
When: New Year’s Day 2021!
Why: We wanted to ring in the new year safely but with a change of scenery. While planning our trip, we decided to take a one day road trip around the Leelanau Peninsula.
Time Traveled (one way): 3 hours from Grand Rapids, 5 hours from Detroit, 4 hours from Kalamazoo, 4 hours from Lansing, 25 minutes from Traverse City
Time Spent Exploring the Peninsula: 4 hours
Budget: $$ – Food, Gas, Souvenirs
What we did during our Road Trip:
We started our adventure at Hop Lot Brewing – filling up on food and a beer from the comfort of a cozy igloo. After that we stopped by downtown Suttons Bay for coffee and window shopping. Then we headed to Omena to look out at the lake and then appreciate the historic Omena Presbyterian Church. After a quick pitstop in Northport, we drove to the tip of the peninsula to check out the Grand Traverse Lighthouse at the Leelanau State Park.
Finally, we headed to historic Fishtown before sunset where we walked around the shanties and watched the water stream into the Leland River.
Other Things to Explore on the Leelanau Peninsula:
The Leelanau Peninsula passes through the northern 45th parallel, which is where many of the world’s best wine vineyards are located. As such, there are a lot of winery’s located on the Leelanau Peninsula. Below I’ve listed all the winery’s as well as many other popular attractions.
Wineries: Rove Estate Vineyard & Winery, Brengman Brothers, Shady Lane Cellars, Hawkins Farm Cellars, Willow Vineyard & Winery, Ciccone Vineyard & Winery, MAWBY Vineyard & Winery, Black Star Farms, Blustone Vineyards, 45 North Vineyard & Winery, Nathaniel Rose Wine, Leelanau Cellars, Silver Leaf Vineyard & Winery, Baia Estate, Green Bird Organic Cellars, Verterra Winery, Laurentide Winery, Boathouse Vineyards, Good Harbor Vineyards
Other places to enjoy adult libations: Suttons Bay Ciders, Two K Farms, Tandem Ciders, Northern Latitudes Distillery
Farm to Table Food: Farm Club, Leelanau Cheese, Martha’s Leelanau Table
Museums: Great Lakes Children’s Museum, Discovery Center & Pier, Eyaawing Museum & Cultural Center, Leelanau Historical Society Museum
Trails & Nature Centers: Leelanau Trail, DeYoung Natural Area, Greeno Preserve, Leo Creek Preserve, Leelanau State Park Trails, Clay Cliffs Natural Area, Jeff Lamont Preserve, Kehl Lake Natural Area, Houdek Dunes Natural Area, Whaleback Natural Area
Parks & Beaches: Greilickville Harbor Park, Sutton Park, 45th Parallel Park, Marina Park, Haserot Park, Christmas Cove Beach, Peterson Park, Onomonee Beach, Van’s Beach, Thompson Street Beach
Casino: Leelanau Sands Casino
~ Road Trip Around the Leelanau Peninsula Details ~
Hop Lot Brewing
The first stop on our road trip around the Leelanau Peninsula was to Hop Lot Brewing. Hop Lot is a small batch craft brewery located just south of downtown Suttons Bay. Not only is their beer praised, but this brewery started using igloos during the winter even before COVID!
One thing that really sets this brewery apart is its natural aesthetic and ambiance. First, the brewery building is a small wooden cabin with just enough room for a couple of tables besides the bar. Then behind the cabin there is a large beer garden with wooden picnic tables, fire pits, and many igloos. Finally, surrounding the property is a beautiful wooded area connected to the nearby Leo Creek Preserve.
Due to COVID, we reserved our igloo on their website 14 days in advance. Prior to booking, we read their COVID cleaning procedures. This included disinfecting all surfaces inside the igloo and allowing the igloo to rest and ventilate for at least 15 minutes between reservations.
Our reservation at Hop Lot was at 1:30 PM. After checking in, we received a paper giving us our igloo number and check out time. Once seated at our igloo, we scanned a QR code to access their beer and food menu. All ordering and payment is done through the phone. Even though the reservation is only for an hour, the staff is fast! Not even 5 minutes after we ordered, a server gave us our drinks on a small table outside our igloo. Another 5 minutes later and we received a text saying our food is ready. Great food! Great service! Perfect first stop on our road trip around the Leelanau Peninsula!
Downtown Suttons Bay
Our second stop was downtown Suttons Bay. This small town founded in 1854 was named after its first settler, Harry C. Sutton. Originally called ‘Suttonsburg’, Harry built a dock here for steam ships to stop and refuel. Then in 1871, Harry sold his land to Father Andrew Herbstrit and moved to Kansas.
Father Herbstrit intended to turn Suttonsburg into ‘Pleasant City’ and establish a national university. However his vision failed to attract residents. In the early 1900s, the Manistee and Northwestern Railroad came to town, eventually increasing Sutton’s Bay’s access to commerce and tourism.
Historic Businesses – Bahle’s & The Bay Theatre
Today, there are a couple long running businesses in Sutton’s Bay – Bahle’s Department Store, founded in 1876 and The Bay Theatre, established in 1920. Sutton’s Bay is also home to a marina, gift shops, art galleries, and trendy restaurants.
Information Booth, Mundo’s Coffee & More!
While in town, we first grabbed some coffee from Mundo’s. I ordered a delicious chestnut mocha, which was a special they had that day.
Then we took some pictures of ourselves with the red, English phone booths located at the northeast corner of Jefferson and St. Joseph Streets. This English icon is a visitor’s information booth with a map detailing where the businesses, parks and attractions are in Sutton’s Bay. It also makes for a great photo op!
Finally, we stopped into the Laughing Fish Gallery to grab some souvenir’s. This was the only store open on new year’s day. But that’s ok, we also had fun window shopping at the other stores!
Omena
Our next stop was to Omena, which translated into English from Ojibwe mean’s “Really? Is that so?” While here, we pulled into the Leelanau Cellars parking lot to stop and check out the lake. We originally intended to stop at the 45th parallel park to get our picture taken with the sign. However, there was too much snow in the park so we decided to save it for another time.
Another place we checked out was the Grove Hill New Mission Church. This church, founded as the Omena Presbyterian Church, is on the National and State Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1858 in a traditional New England architectural style by Reverend Peter Daugherty. The church operated until 1871 until it ran into financial difficulties and closed. It reopened almost a decade later and continues to operate mostly in the summer months.
Behind the church are many small, unmarked graves and one large tombstone. The tombstone reads “In memory of 290 Native American and white settlers buried between 1850 and the early 1900’s on the site of the former Grove Hill Mission Church. Final resting places remembered by unmarked stones. May they rest in peace.”
Northport
We briefly stopped in Northport during our road trip around the Leelanau Peninsula. As we drove along their main street, we marveled at their huge Christmas tree! So we stopped to snag a picture then continued on to ensure we made it to our final two stops before sunset.
Just driving through, the town looked like there is plenty to do with restaurants, shops, wine tasting rooms, and parks with beach access. Another plus is it’s only a 13 minute drive from the Leelanau State Park.
Grand Traverse Lighthouse & Leelanau State Park
Finally, we reached the Northernmost point of the Leelanau Peninsula! Here we visited the Grand Traverse Lighthouse in the Leelanau State Park.
Leelanau State Park is home to over 8 miles of hiking trails, playgrounds, cabin rentals, and camping. Just beside the lighthouse is a gift shop selling souvenir’s.
The Grand Traverse Lighthouse, also known as Cat’s Head Point Light or Northport Light, originally was built in 1853. It was needed as a marker for ships along the Manitou Passage and those entering into Grand Traverse Bay. After 5 years, the original lighthouse needed replacing due to erosion. So a new lighthouse was built in 1858.
In 1985, the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Foundation took over the lighthouse preservation work and reopened it 2 years later as a seasonal museum. The museum and viewing tower can be toured throughout the year.
Fishtown
The last stop on our road trip around the Leelanau Peninsula was to historic Fishtown in Leland. Fishtown is an historic district that’s in the National and State historic registry’s.
Originally the Ottawa tribe settled here and called it ‘Mishi-me-go-bing,’ meaning ‘where canoes go up river to land’. Then in 1853, Antoine Manseau and his family moved here from the North Manitou Island. They built a dam and sawmill on what was then the Carp River. Other families began to arrive and construct wooden shops near the dam.
By the late 1800’s, fishing was an important source of income for many of Leland’s residents. But by the 1940’s, commercial fishing almost stopped as the whitefish and trout populations declined. To this day, the dam and many of the wooden shanties remain, although some are threatened due to rising Lake Michigan sea levels. The Fishtown Preservation Society is raising funds to move, raise and repair the shanties.
We reached Fishtown right at sunset. Even though the shanties were closed, we walked around and read the plaques on some of the buildings to learn more about the businesses operating out of the shanties. To reach the dam overlook, there is a small, hidden passage between the Cove restaurant the backside of the Leland Mercantile Co. Fishtown is such a unique place to check out in Michigan! It’s like being transported to another time and place no matter which season you visit.
~~~
The Leelanau Peninsula offers many sights and attractions to explore – charming small towns, scenic overlooks, historic buildings, wineries, and more! Have you had a chance to visit the Leelanau Peninsula yet?
from Michigan with Love,
Jackie
1 thought on “Take a Road Trip Around the Leelanau Peninsula”
Comments are closed.