No. 07
Glen Arbor
Cherry Republic
Glen Arbor · 6026 S. Lake St.
Michigan is the cherry capital of the world, and Cherry Republic is its shrine. Founded in Glen Arbor in 1989, this is the original campus of what became the world's largest exclusive retailer of specialty cherry products — and the campus itself is worth the stop. The Great Hall has 200+ cherry products to sample freely, The Winery pours cherry wines and ciders (cherry soda for the kids), the Cherry Public House restaurant has 12 craft beers on tap and a full cherry-infused menu, and the Red Box Creamery serves homemade cherry ice cream. The pit-spitting arena is exactly what it sounds like. This isn't a kitschy souvenir stop — it's a full afternoon in the best way.
VibeFestive, family-friendly, and genuinely fun — part store, part tasting room, part experience
What to GetThe Cherry Cheesecake ice cream and the Chipotle Cherry Salsa. Bring home a bottle of Conservancy wine.
Insider TipThe winery tastings are complimentary and often skipped by visitors who don't know they exist.
No. 06
Suttons Bay
Suttons Bay
Suttons Bay · Eastern Shore of Leelanau Peninsula
The most underrated town on the peninsula. Suttons Bay is walkable, unhurried, and genuinely charming in a way that doesn't feel performed for tourists. A compact downtown of independent shops, galleries, and restaurants lines the waterfront, with the marina a block away. The Bay Theatre — a 1946 movie house that was set to close in 2018 before the community rallied to save it as a nonprofit — shows first-run and independent films nightly, entirely run by volunteers. Hop Lot Brewing Company, just south of town on M-22, has one of the best beer gardens in the region: an outdoor hop yard, year-round igloos in winter, and rotating taps from their 10-barrel micro system.
VibeRelaxed, local, and genuinely walkable — the anti-tourist-trap town on the peninsula
What to GetA pint at Hop Lot's beer garden, then a movie at The Bay. That's a perfect Suttons Bay evening.
Insider TipThe Bay Theatre sells out on weekend evenings — buy tickets in advance online.
No. 05
Glen Arbor
Art's Tavern
Glen Arbor · 6487 W. Western Ave.
Art's has been at the corner of M-22 and Lake Street in Glen Arbor since 1934 — predating the first Leelanau winery and Cherry Republic by decades. College pennants cover the ceiling. Old photos line the walls. A jukebox sits in the corner. The pool table retracts into the floor during busy season to make room for more tables. The burger is the thing to get, and has been since the beginning. The current owners, who were engaged at Art's in 1992, promise nothing is changing. If you leave Cherry Republic in the mood for lunch, make sure to stop here.
VibeRetro, loud, and entirely itself — a Northern Michigan institution that resists every trend
What to GetThe burger and tater tots. Then a Michigan craft beer from whatever is on tap.
Insider TipCash or check only. There is an ATM on site.
No. 04
Northport
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
Leelanau State Park · 8 Miles North of Northport
Drive to the very tip of the Leelanau Peninsula — past Northport, past the orchards, past the last turnoff — and you arrive at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, built in 1858 inside what is now Leelanau State Park. One of the oldest on the Great Lakes, it marks the Manitou Passage where Lake Michigan flows into Grand Traverse Bay. You can tour the restored keeper's dwelling (staged as it would have appeared in the 1920s and '30s), view exhibits on local shipwrecks and maritime history, and climb the 50-foot tower for a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, Cathead Bay, and the Manitou Islands. It feels like the end of the world in the best possible way.
VibeRemote, historic, and genuinely moving — feels like you've driven off the map
What to DoClimb the tower — the view is worth it.
Insider TipOpen seasonally, May through October.
