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| Outside the Thorp House in Fish Creek, WI |
For the week of July 4th, we decided to explore some of the local areas with a trip around Lake Michigan, staying in Door County which is a peninsula in Wisconsin that juts into Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island, Traverse City, and Saugatuck.
Accommodations:
Thorp House Inn and Cottages - A very cute B&B located in Fish Creek, WI. We had a great room (the Everil room) with a super comfortable bed, a balcony, and our own private staircase to get to the room so we were separated from the rest of the guests which meant it was quiet. The only downside was the bathroom was quite tiny. We had breakfast here each morning (included in the rate) with fruit, pasty, and a hot dish. We stayed here three nights.
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| Thorp House Inn |
Mission Point Resort - One of the larger hotels on the island and located at one end of the island with a nice big lawn out front. Our room was nothing special and we were amazed at what we got for the price we paid. It was a clean and decent size but that's about all we could say. We only stayed here one night so we really didn't get to enjoy the amenities of the hotel, except the spa which was nice!
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| Mission Point Resort |
Traverse City AirBnB - We stayed here for three nights in a one-bedroom located downtown. The apartment was on the smaller side but clean and modern and relatively quiet. Great location!
Hotel Saugatuck - We stayed here two nights. Very cute hotel with a main building and cottages and within walking distance from the main part of town. Our room was in the main lodge on the second floor at the end of the hall - a nice room with coastal decor. We had breakfast each morning delivered to our room that we had to order the day before!
Activities:
We left the house around 11am on Friday and drove 4.5 hours north to Fish Creek, WI in Door County where we stayed for three nights. On the way, we ate cheese and crackers in the car for lunch so we wouldn't waste time stopping. The town is on the water on the Green Bay side and is very cute with restaurants and shops all within walking distance. We checked into the Inn, got settled, and had a short nap before dinner.
On Saturday, we rounded around in the morning since breakfast didn't start until 8:30. We had our breakfast out on the porch which was really nice. After breakfast, we did a three-hour walk in Peninsula State Park. We walked to the park from the Inn (took about 15 minutes) and then walked the trails all around the peninsula - most of the time we were walking in wooded areas but once we got to the point of the peninsula we saw more of the lake and beaches. It was a relatively flat hike but a good one for distance. After the hike, we stopped at the local market in town to get a few things and then went to a brewery in Egg Harbor for lunch and beer. That afternoon, we had a nice long nap and then went to dinner in Sister Bay, stopping in the town of Ephraim to check it out and sit on Adirondack chairs overlooking the lake. Ephraim is also a small town but very cute with most of the hotels and restaurants directly facing the lake. Sister Bay is larger but also nice with plenty of great restaurant options.
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| Hike in Peninsula State Park |
On Sunday, we lazed around again until 8:30 breakfast which we had again on the front porch, and then drove over to the lakeside to do a two-hour kayaking tour with Cave Point Paddle and Peddle. From the lake, we could see quite a bit of dead minnows which apparently happens every year from getting too cold! We also saw the rocky shores of Cave Point County Park and we were able to go inside one of the caves for a few minutes which was very cool. After lunch, we did some wine tasting at Stone's Throw Winery which imports its grapes from California. The wine was decent but not good enough to buy a bottle! We also had lunch here. In the afternoon, we relaxed, napped, walked down to the water and sunset beach, and then had dinner.
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| Kayaking Cave Point |
On Monday, we got up early and drove the 5.5 hours to Mackinaw City, stopping only for gas and bathrooms - we had cheese and crackers in the car again. Once there, we quickly got the ferry and got to Mackinac Island around 3pm. The island was a bit bigger than we thought (the ring road is 8 miles round), had more houses than we thought and the town was more kitschy than we thought! We checked into our hotel and then did a 45-minute walk to Arch Rock so we could at least say we got some exercise for the day. We then cleaned up and walked into town (our hotel was about 15 minutes from the main part of town) for dinner.
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| Mackinac |
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| Arch Rock |
On Tuesday, we each had a 90-minute massage at the hotel which was fantastic and very relaxing. We then quickly cleaned up, checked out, and then did our own walking tour - stopping to see Fort Mackinac and Fort Holmes. We grabbed lunch in town and then went to the Grand Hotel to have a drink on the infamous porch. We were quite impressed at how much we packed into one day. We caught the 4:00 ferry and then were on the road around 4:30 to drive the two hours to Traverse City. Once there, we got settled into our AirBnB and got some groceries before crashing for the evening.
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| Fort Mackinac |
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| Grand Hotel |
On Wednesday and Thursday, we worked from the apartment, eating breakfast and lunch in the apartment. Wednesday evening, we drove out to Torch Lake to visit Keith's former colleague, Steve, - we went out on the boat with him to see the area, had a few drinks on the deck, and ate enchiladas. The house was beautiful on a great lot right on the lake. Thursday evening, we met up with Shawna's high school friend, Mary, (who she had not seen since high school), and her husband. We had drinks at a rooftop bar and then had a later dinner at one of the restaurants in town. It was so great to see her and catch up after all these years!
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| Dinner at Steve's House |
On Friday, we walked along the bay in Traverse City before packing up and checking out of our apartment. We then drove about two hours to go to two wineries on the outskirts of Grand Rapids - Stoney Ridge Vineyards was a small winery with nice views; however, the wine was not spectacular. We ordered a pizza for lunch which was decent. We then went to Cooper's Hawk which is a chain restaurant/winery with the main winery in Illinois - we tasted quite a number of wines and while they were better than the first place, nothing grabbed us to buy. We drove over to Holland to see the windmills and Dutch architecture - mainly just stopping in Windmill Island Gardens - it was not really worth the stop! Another 15 minutes and we were finally in Saugatuck - checked into our hotel, relaxed a bit, and then went out for dinner.
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| Stoney Ridge Vineyards |
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| Windmill Island Gardens |
On Saturday, we had breakfast at the hotel in our room. We then hiked up Mt Baldhead which has about 230 steps to the top of the hill and then we walked down the back side to Oval beach and returned. The hike took about 45 min in total. We had a bit of time to kill before our next activity so we drove through Douglas (the town right next to Saugatuck) and had a drink at one of the coffee shops - the town is artsy and cute. We then did a 45 min buggy dune ride which was fun - we stopped on top of one of the dunes and walked around for about 10 min. We had lunch in town and walked around a bit to see the shops. In the afternoon, we napped and relaxed before heading out to dinner.
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| Hike up Mt Baldhead |
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| Oval Beach |
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| Dune Buggy Ride |
Restaurants:
Pelletier's Restaurant - Casual spot located in Fish Creek, known for its fish boils. We were skeptical of the flavor (how good could boiled fish be) and were shocked and how yummy it was. We got there early to get our tickets and watch them do the boil which contained potatoes, onions, corn, and fish with LOTS of salt which surprisingly did not taste very salty when we ate it. We sat outside for dinner and had some beer with our meal which also came with yummy cherry pie 'a la mode'.
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| Fish Boil at Pelletier's |
One Barrel Brewing Company - Great brewery with plenty of outdoor seating located in Egg Harbor. We had lunch here with a couple of beers. For lunch, we split a meat pizza which was quite tasty.
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| One Barrel Brewing Company |
Chop - A great steak restaurant located in Sister Bay with modern decor - we had dinner here. We started out with a cocktail and then had a bottle of Animal Malbec from Argentina. We shared a salad, a filet with truffle butter (which was also served with mashed potatoes), and a side of mushrooms and a lobster tail. The food was incredible - Shawna couldn't stop raving about it.
Vino Vino - We had lunch here at the Stone's Throw Winery, sitting outside and sharing a charcuterie board and meatballs. It was tasty.
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| Stone's Throw Winery |
Barringers - Located in Fish Creek, we had dinner here. The restaurant has bright, modern decor. We sat at a high top in the bar and shared the lobster bisque, chopped salad, and the filet au poivre with brussel sprouts. We started with a cocktail and then had a bottle of Prisoner red wine. The food was quite good and they comped us our cocktails since it took a little while to get our soup and salad.
Carriage House - Located on Mackinac Island, we had dinner here to celebrate our anniversary a bit early. Nice place located on the water. We shared the crab tower, a salad, the pork chop for an entree, and the lemon meringue pie for dessert. We had started with a cocktail each and then had a bottle of Ridge Zinfandel followed by a glass each of dessert wine. Much to our surprise, when we went to pay, Jean and Dick had called ahead to pay for our dinner! What a nice surprise for sure! Dinner was really good and even better when it was a gift!
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| Dinner at Carriage House |
Mary's Bistro Draught House - Located on Mackinac Island on the water, we had lunch here, sitting outside. We shared the fried cheese curds, a lamb burger, and a spinach salad, along with a beer each. The food was pretty tasty.
Grand Hotel Front Porch - Of course, we had to go here - the most famous hotel on Mackinac - to have a drink on the world's longest porch - 668 feet long! We each got a glass of wine and enjoyed the views.
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| Grand Hotel |
Hotel Indigo - Located in downtown Traverse City, we had drinks here on the rooftop. Nice views.
Poppycocks - Located in downtown Traverse City, we had dinner here. Shared pita chips and cauliflower appetizers and lamb rags for the entree. Cute restaurant. The food was tasty.
TRAP - Located in Saugatuck, we had dinner here. We shared the falafel, dates, and lamb meatballs. The food was pretty good but we had higher expectations.
Coral Gables - Located in Saugatuck, we had drinks here, sitting on the outside deck and listening to live music with views of the river.
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| Coral Gables |
Pumpernickels - Located in Saugatuck, we had lunch here. Cute restaurant. We shared a salad and Mahi tacos - very tasty.
Coast - Located in Saugatuck, we had dinner here. We did the tasting menu with the wine pairing - starting with tuna crude, mushroom risotto, salmon, trout, filet, and then dessert. The restaurant was very cute, the food was very good but the service was not the best. They struggled to time the dishes with the wine pouring and never explained any dish or wine that we got.
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| Dinner at Coast |
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