ENJOY MICHIGAN'S LEELANAU PENINSULA!!
Our charming lake house sits on an acre of land on Little Traverse Lake in the heart of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, named by Good Morning America in 2011 as the most beautiful place in the U.S. In the summer, the lake, with its private, sandy beach is great for kids, perfect for all water sports or just sunning on the dock. Just across our designated 'Scenic Winding Road' is the national lakeshore with wooded dunes through which hiking and cross-country ski trails take you three-quarters of a mile to the nearly secluded Good Harbor Bay on Lake Michigan. The interior of the Leelanau Peninsula has well-paved roads with little traffic which makes them perfect for road biking. The bike routes are moderately challenging for the novice to very hilly for the experienced road bikers.
You will enter our home through a custom designed round-topped 'Hobbit' white oak door. Our 2002 architect-renovated, art-filled home has two charming bedrooms on the main floor, one with a king size bed and a private patio, the other with twin beds. There is a full bath with tub and shower nearby and a half bath in the tile-floored vestibule near the front door. As you step down from the vestibule, you will enter a large living room with a 1904 'found' antique mantle surrounding a tiled fireplace. The white oak floor covered by an oriental rug in the center continues into the modern kitchen and into the dining room surrounded by windows on three sides with a view of the lake. A large stone terrace with a dining table, chairs and a lounge facing the lake can be reached through French doors from the dining room as well as from the living room. Also on the main floor looking out to the lake is a two-storey library/ music/ TV room with a large, field stone fireplace. French doors next to the fireplace lead out to the terrace as well. There is a second entrance under a breezeway from the mudroom which has sinks and a wine cooler. An outside shower is in the breezeway for washing off sandy feet and bodies.
The second floor can be reached by an open stairway in the vestibule which leads up to a window overlooking the library. To the right is the master suite with a king size bed, built-in bookcase/headboard. And French doors which open to a private balcony looking out to the lake. The suite has a large bathroom with a glass-surrounded shower and three shower heads, a Jacuzzi-style tub with water jets, a bidet and separate sinks for him and her. Across the hall is a small laundry room with washer, drier and ironing board. At the end of the hall is an office with computer and a fax machine/copier. There is a large walk-in closet off of the office.
At the other end of the second floor is an open play area which leads to the 'carriage house' over the two-car garage. The 'carriage house' consists of a small sitting room large enough to hold a crib or a “play and pack.” Next to the sitting room is a bedroom with a king size bed and French doors opening out to a private balcony with a view of the lake. Down the hall is the “bunk room” which can sleep four in two sets of bunk beds. The room is built into a hill and has its own private deck in the woods. At the end of the hall is a full bath with a stand-up shower.
The Amenities of the Area:
The Leelanau Peninsula is made up of rolling hills and valleys with charming towns and inland lakes surrounded by beautiful Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay beaches which are seldom crowded. This rural area is occupied by farmers growing fresh Michigan produce, fishermen who catch whitefish from Lake Michigan every day of the year, cherry farmers who produce cherries for the country, vintners who produce wine that competes with the best in the US, restauranteurs who offer everything from family meals to fine dining, shop owners who sell fine antiques and fine art as well as souvenirs, vacationers who dream of retiring on the peninsula and those retirees whose dream came true. Many artists, writers and musicians have moved to the area because of its natural beauty. The roads and towns display the names of
the early Czech, Bohemian and Polish settlers of the peninsula.
Some of the Special Events:
In the summer, there are the Cherry Festival, the Dune Grass Music Festival, Suttons Bay Art Fair, Food and Wine Festival, Interlochen Music Festival, Michael Moore's Film Festival, fireworks and parades on the Fourth of July and torch lighting ceremonies on Labor Day when cottagers prepare to return home at the end of the summer. In the fall, there are color tours, vineyard tour weekends, a culinary arts weekend, a long-distance road bike race and the Iceman, a thirty mile off-road bike race, in November. The Vasa, a cross-country ski race in the winter is world famous.
Wine tasting is offered by the many wineries on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas. There are antique shops as well as fine art galleries in most of Leelanau's towns and in Traverse City. Nationally known musicians perform at Interlochen and there are a number of small venues where you can hear fine, local musicians. The area has a number of good bookstores as well as many fine restaurants. There are two excellent public radio stations, WNMC and Interlochen, on which independent music, classical music and live concerts can be heard.
Keywords: Lake House
Check in at 4:00pm
Check out at 10:00am