We called up our long time and great customer, Maggie Mielczarek of Leland Gal for suggestions. She gave us a couple of places closer to Ann Arbor, but those towns were pretty booked up. So she said, if you want to take the hike, it's nice here in Leland. She recommended the Jolli-Lodge and what an old school, kind of creaky, delightful family place to stay, run by the Jolli family since the Fifties. There happened to be one apartment open, so we took it.
The Leelanau Penninsula was sweet and open to exploration--just like the little towns-- and everything within spitting distance. This is cherry and apple country, but they discovered it was great for grapes back in the early 70s and are now making some great wines with lovely testing vineyards. We were impressed with Good Harbor and Dunebird.
If you are on the Penninsula, you can not miss Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park and the Empire Park Trails.
Jolli-Lodge is just down the road from Leland, MI, or as they affectionally refer to it as Fishtown.
There is great shopping in town. The night we arrived was Store Walk nigh,t and the town was mingling and sipping and visiting all the stores. Very civilized! This is where our friend Maggie's store is located.
One of our favorite food stops was Farm Club a farm to table restaurant gathering spot. Such a treat.
The trip was a family favorite. Equal parts relaxation and exploration
