Every summer, it’s the same scene: People hoping to get out of work early on a Friday, and then everyone is in a traffic jam with boats, campers and packed cars headed north. But something magical happens when you cross the Zilwaukee Bridge: you’re “up north.”
This Memorial Day weekend, our destination was Glen Arbor to The Homestead Resort. We didn’t get in until late Friday but it was perfect timing because they had a Memorial Day celebration on Saturday – face painting, chairlift rides, rubber boat races down the stream and a barbecue. Oh, and don’t forget the tie-dye shirts that said “I was up north at the Homestead Resort.”
After a full day of fun plus swimming in the pool with the waterslide, we headed into Glen Arbor for dinner. It was getting a little chilly so we didn’t eat on the dock, but we still love the food at Boone Dock’s. My daughter had a little too much fun and immediately fell asleep on my lap in the booth, so we got her dinner to go. We then had to hit my required destination Cherry Republic. I always have to stock up on wine, and the kids love the free samples of food and treats. We ended up with wine of course, chocolate covered cherries and sour cherry gummies. Now that my daughter had a nap and snacked on her dinner, we hit the tennis courts and the playground next to it.
We asked the kids what they wanted to do on Sunday and the votes were unanimous for the dune climb. We had to wait out some pretty heavy thunderstorms in the morning, but as soon as it was clear, we headed to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. A year and a half ago, we only made it past the initi
al climb and one more small hill. This year, the kids were much bigger, mom and dad were in better shape so we made it all the way to Lake Michigan! It was quite a hike up and down sandy dunes but the kids (and mom) were troopers. Afterwards, we stopped for a well-deserved ice cream in Glen Arbor.
The boys decided they weren’t quite done so they dropped us off and went golfing at Manitou Passage. My daughter and I decided to cool off at the pool, but it was a little too cool for me after the earlier rain, so I stuck to the hottub. We had a late dinner in the hotel when the boys got back and that was the end of our adventure.
If we had more time, we would’ve added canoeing, putt-putt and bike riding to the mix. Even so, everyone agreed that it was a Pure Michigan adventure. We can’t wait to do it again!
Tonja's Travels 