hidden michigan treasures...

mike and i just spent 6 glorious day in the leelanau peninsula...located northwest of traverse city, it's considered michigan's wine country. since i just visited napa valley a few months back i can testify that this hidden michigan treasure holds the same delights as california's wine country.

we started our trip with 3 days of camping at the leelanau state park. our campsite had an amazing view of the lake with front row seats of the sunsets. despite the nightly visits from a rather chubby raccoon we had a great time. during the day we toured around the quaint towns of the peninsula. leland, glen arbor, northport...all with their own charms.

so after 3 days of no shower, enduring outhouses, and sleeping on the ground, we ended our trip with a 2 night stay at the vineyard inn in suttons bay. a great find! and suttons bay (only 15 minutes outside of traverse city) is a delightful town with lots of art galleries and amazing restaurants. we spent one day visiting local vineyards to sample their creations. known for their white wines in this area we enjoyed comparing the subtle flavors. by the end of our trip i was trying to convince mike that we should move to the area.

since i appreciate recommendations for planning trips here's a list of our favorites:
* stone house bread co. in leland (they ship their flour in from france)
* historic fishtown in leland
* the vineyard inn
* samuel's and cafe bliss in suttons bay-both restaurants serve food that is locally grown (delicious!!!)
* gabby's in traverse city
* adelaide's coffee shop in suttons bay...the owner, susan was so friendly and gave us great recommendations
* chateau chantal vineyard...great wine and a b & b (great rates!)
* black star farms...a grand estate where they have both wine and cheese
* ciccone vineyard..not our favorite wine but the grounds are beautiful. they host a lot of weddings in their red barn
* driving through old mission peninsula

here are pictures from our trip...hope it inspires you to plan a trip of your own