Local favorites
Our favorites to visit every time we're up north!
Farmer White's
11373 U.S. 31Awesome variety of homemade jams, pies, cookies, and fresh picked fruit in season
Pick your own delicious strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries in season! It’s a literally a minute’s drive away.
Guntzviller's Berry And Vegetable Farm
11122 U.S. 31Pick your own delicious strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries in season! It’s a literally a minute’s drive away.
The Local
145 Ames StGreat breakfast and lunch spot
Bardon's . . . Soft-serve ice cream is what they do. Conveniently located on Front St, on way to/from airport. Try it and then branch off to other soft serve places in town.
1100 E Front St
1100 East Front StreetBardon's . . . Soft-serve ice cream is what they do. Conveniently located on Front St, on way to/from airport. Try it and then branch off to other soft serve places in town.
Our favorite soft-serve ice cream place. Cash only. Get a cone with the crunchy chocolate dipped layer!
9 abantu bendawo batusa
Dairy Lodge
405 N Division StOur favorite soft-serve ice cream place. Cash only. Get a cone with the crunchy chocolate dipped layer!
Sightseeing
Geographically unique, with giant sand dunes, scenic drive, miles of bike trails, and North Bar Lake adjacent to Lake Michigan (a really nice beach separates these 2 bodies of water)
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Sleeping Bear Dunes
Geographically unique, with giant sand dunes, scenic drive, miles of bike trails, and North Bar Lake adjacent to Lake Michigan (a really nice beach separates these 2 bodies of water)
Rent kayaks or inner tubes and float along this crystal-clear river in Glen Arbor. Then go get ice cream afterward!
7 abantu bendawo batusa
Crystal River
Rent kayaks or inner tubes and float along this crystal-clear river in Glen Arbor. Then go get ice cream afterward!
Shopping
If you love vintage fashion, you can’t beat the well-edited selections in this super friendly shop
slip. vintage
121 East Front StreetIzeluleko zedolobha
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Picking fresh berries at Guntzviller's Berry Farm
If you've never tasted fresh-picked strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, you'll be blown away at how sweet they are.
Afterward, you can visit the free Guntzviller's taxonomy museum next door for another memorable activity.
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Rent a boat at the Elk Rapids Marina, or book a fishing tour
You will get a whole different view from the water, and if you go fishing you'll catch the local fish varieties that are delicious!
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Walk the beach
Walk the length of the beach both ways, at sunset, or anytime. You'll find awesome Petoskey stones, Leland blue stones, fossils, granite. You'll get a sense of what makes Lake Michigan so special.
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Maple Bay Natural Area
Drive 1.7 miles south on US 31 and turn right into the entrance to the parking for Maple Bay Natural Area. From there, you can do several hikes ranging from 1/2 mile to a couple of miles to one pristine beach after another. Go furthest north that you can, and you'll reach Petobego ("Tobego" to locals) Pond, formed by water from the Bay trapped by sand bars. Bring a picnic and towels, and spend hours lounging and swimming. Don't forget sunscreen!