The beauty of the Traverse City area can’t be over-sold. The Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas cut into the northeast corner of Lake Michigan, providing miles and miles of lakeshore. The climate is perfect for fruit orchards, giving way to countless roadside stands offering the juiciest, most fragrant peaches on earth, not to mention the famous Michigan cherries.
The Traverse City area now boasts over thirty wineries, nine microbreweries and several distilleries. According to the Pure Michigan guide magazine, it’s “Traverse City’s combination of climate, topography and soils…it’s ‘northern-ness’ that makes the wine so good.” Needless to say, we had to try a couple.
There’s so much we wanted to see and do in a short couple of days here that we only planned on hitting one winery and one distillery. Because we didn’t know exactly how long we’d be spending on some things our timing didn’t exactly work out…we found ourselves driving from one peninsula to the other and back again! Oh well, the scenery was beautiful. Our first stop was the Old Mission Lighthouse on the northern tip of the Old Mission Peninsula. The views out into Lake Michigan were incredible.
The Traverse City area now boasts over thirty wineries, nine microbreweries and several distilleries. According to the Pure Michigan guide magazine, it’s “Traverse City’s combination of climate, topography and soils…it’s ‘northern-ness’ that makes the wine so good.” Needless to say, we had to try a couple.
There’s so much we wanted to see and do in a short couple of days here that we only planned on hitting one winery and one distillery. Because we didn’t know exactly how long we’d be spending on some things our timing didn’t exactly work out…we found ourselves driving from one peninsula to the other and back again! Oh well, the scenery was beautiful. Our first stop was the Old Mission Lighthouse on the northern tip of the Old Mission Peninsula. The views out into Lake Michigan were incredible.
We thought we’d have more to see in the “Old Mission Village” but it turns out it’s only a one-room “mission” building and a general store. That’s where our timing got thrown off…we thought it would take more time there so our timing would be good for the 1:00 tour at Chateau Chantal. Since we now had too much time on our hands, we drove back down Old Mission Peninsula and up the Leelanau Peninsula to hit a couple spots recommended by our friends.
The Leelanau Pie and Pastry shop is a little building along the road where they’re making fresh pies and pastries on site. I guess our friends got a pie right out of the oven and it was fabulous. We chose some pastries out of the case and while they were good, we felt it wasn’t anything special. Down the street, however, was something special. Northern Latitudes Distillery is a local operation with a small tasting room – another small building along the road. You’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it. At Northern Latitudes they make just eight craft spirits with a uniqueness we enjoyed. They offer free tastings – 3 or 4 samples per person. Between 3 of us we tasted everything they had! They make three different vodkas: Ice Dunes Vodka, Apollo Horseradish Vodka and our favorite, Deer Camp Vodka, made from Michigan sugar beets. They were out of their Manitou Passage Rum, so we didn’t get to try that, but the Jack Pine Gin was outstanding. “Local Leelanau botanicals like jack pine seed and lavender create a distinct and deeply regional gin.” A rich Mackinac Island Fudge Liqueur and ultra-smooth Limoncello di Leelanau round out the offerings. They are also selling a nice bourbon whiskey, but not their own. Being a newer distillery, their bourbon is not yet ready. There are a few tables where you can sit and enjoy cocktails crafted from their spirits. A gift shop offers some unique barware and accessories. We chose to bring home bottles of the Deer Camp Vodka, Jack Pine Gin and Limoncello di Leelanau.
The Leelanau Pie and Pastry shop is a little building along the road where they’re making fresh pies and pastries on site. I guess our friends got a pie right out of the oven and it was fabulous. We chose some pastries out of the case and while they were good, we felt it wasn’t anything special. Down the street, however, was something special. Northern Latitudes Distillery is a local operation with a small tasting room – another small building along the road. You’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it. At Northern Latitudes they make just eight craft spirits with a uniqueness we enjoyed. They offer free tastings – 3 or 4 samples per person. Between 3 of us we tasted everything they had! They make three different vodkas: Ice Dunes Vodka, Apollo Horseradish Vodka and our favorite, Deer Camp Vodka, made from Michigan sugar beets. They were out of their Manitou Passage Rum, so we didn’t get to try that, but the Jack Pine Gin was outstanding. “Local Leelanau botanicals like jack pine seed and lavender create a distinct and deeply regional gin.” A rich Mackinac Island Fudge Liqueur and ultra-smooth Limoncello di Leelanau round out the offerings. They are also selling a nice bourbon whiskey, but not their own. Being a newer distillery, their bourbon is not yet ready. There are a few tables where you can sit and enjoy cocktails crafted from their spirits. A gift shop offers some unique barware and accessories. We chose to bring home bottles of the Deer Camp Vodka, Jack Pine Gin and Limoncello di Leelanau.
Back to the Old Mission Peninsula to try to make one of the 3 tours at Chateau Chantal, we needed to stop somewhere to grab a bite of lunch. We found a perfect little unassuming spot: Bad Dog Deli. The deli makes sandwiches to order, either for carry-out or eat in. The sandwiches were delicious which the owner attributed to their use of Boar’s Head brand deli meats. While we were chowing down on our lunch, HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse (in the background of photo) and his wife, actress Amy Smart, came in and ordered carry-out. Apparently they live locally and are frequent patrons of Bad Dog Deli.
We finally made it to Chateau Chantal with a few minutes to spare before the 3:00 tour. They offer these free tours daily at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00. They also offer a “tapas tour” which is $29/person and includes a tasting and small plates. We enjoyed hearing about the types of wines they produce at Chateau Chantal and seeing their operation. After our tour we went to the tasting room and purchased a few things from the gift shop. A lovely B & B inn rounds out the picturesque property. One of the most breathtaking views at this hilltop property is from the large patio outside of the tasting room. Overlooking vineyards and fruit orchards, the lake can be seen on 3 sides from this property.
Our last stop of the day was back in Traverse City to The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. This “sprawling campus preserves the castle-like buildings” that once housed a state mental asylum. This ambitious historical redevelopment is an ongoing project that is being turned into restaurants, shops, galleries and apartments. My youngest daughter's request was a visit to the Underground Cheesecake Company. They produce 42 different flavors of cheesecake and we enjoyed splitting a couple pieces so we could try more than one flavor!
We had planned on finishing out our day by renting jet skis back at our resort, but a huge thunderstorm forced us to resort to the indoor pool. We asked at the front desk about local pizza places that would deliver to the resort and she recommended That’s A Pizza. It was delivered to our room in record time and was really delicious…perfect for a rainy night indoors.
We had planned on finishing out our day by renting jet skis back at our resort, but a huge thunderstorm forced us to resort to the indoor pool. We asked at the front desk about local pizza places that would deliver to the resort and she recommended That’s A Pizza. It was delivered to our room in record time and was really delicious…perfect for a rainy night indoors.
I tried to get revenge for my previous loss with another round of Phase Ten and failed miserably! I was consoled by a drive to the original Moomer’s Ice Cream, just before closing. Moomer’s is Traverse City’s famous ice cream, featuring over 100 flavors. There is usually a line out the door, but apparently this night the storm had driven the crowds away, so we only had a short wait in line.
Part Three (the end of this trip!) coming tomorrow.
Part Three (the end of this trip!) coming tomorrow.
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