Exploring Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan

I have been back from vacation in Traverse City for two weeks and I am officially slacking! I have wanted to do a post on the Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes and just haven’t gotten around to it. These are such beautiful, unique places that I feel like I have to share our time there.

One of our favorite spots on Leelanau Peninsula is Fishtown..

It is a collection of weathered fishing shanties, docks, fish tugs, charter boats and smokehouses along the Leland River in Leland, Michigan.

Fishtown has our all-time favorite sandwich shop- the Village Cheese Shanty.

I mean this place is to die for..they have unique, delicious sandwiches that are huge (for the money) and made with a lot of local ingredients. They offer over 60 imported cheeses. As a cheese lover that right there is enough to get me in there buying their food. The sandwiches on the pretzel bread are our go-to sandwiches. My husband’s favorite is the North Shore and mine is the Lake Street.  They also have a side of Maytag blue cheese coleslaw that you can order..it is so yummy, I can’t even describe it. Make sure you have your cash (They don’t accept cards) and head over. There may be a line but I will promise you it is worth the wait.

Leeland also has a lot of great shopping and restaurants so be sure to check those out.

Suttons Bay is another town we love on Leelanau.  It is a quaint village on the water with lots of shopping, eating and views.  My absolute favorite little store is in Suttons Bay called Sensible Pearls. It has so many great things including a lot of vintage inspired things to organize your life and home.

Suttons Bay also has this fun outdoor store that has all kinds of unique things to decorate your outdoor space…

Next we made our way up to Northport towards the end of the Leelanau peninsula. It’s a nice little surf and beach town. Great if you want to hit the beach or do a little bit of shopping.

Then we were off to Glen Arbor, another town with shopping, restaurants and pristine, clear blue lakes.Glen Arbor is near Sleeping Bear Dunes which we always have to make a trip to. The beach is beautiful, the hiking is great (amazing views) and the sunsets are by far the best part. We did a nice little hike (Empire Bluff) and saw some beautiful views of Sleeping Bear Dunes…

After hiking we hit up the beach…the water is crystal clear blue, but freezing!

Then we did the scenic drive through Sleeping Bear Dunes and ended with this sunset…now that is Pure Michigan!!

Now you can see why it was voted the most beautiful place in American by Good Morning America. It really is just breathtaking.

I hope you get to make a trip up and spend some time in this beautiful area. It has so much to offer for people of all ages and interests.  Food, hiking, wine, shopping, views and most importantly a chance to breath in that pure Michigan air.