The Area

Our first visit to Glen Arbor was in 1983 at the urging of a friend who knew this area. We made the 10 hour drive across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the dead of January, arriving late at night. We drove down the hill from Inspiration Point during a lake effect snowstorm, our headlights shining on snowflakes the size of quarters. That’s all it took for us to be hypnotized by the unusual beauty found in the village of Glen Arbor, tucked away in Leelanau County. The next day was spent skiing the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore National Park trails on Alligator Hill, ending at the bottom of the trail just a few blocks from warm cinnamon twists at Barb’s Bakery followed later by burgers at Art’s Tavern. By Sunday afternoon we were searching for an open real estate office. It took 12 years for us to actually make the move. By then we’d added twins to our lives and it was our fondest desire to have them grow up surrounded by the beauty of Good Harbor Bay, the sand dunes, the Crystal River, Glen Lake, and the beaches of Lake Michigan. But more than that, by then we’d made friends here and we were in love with the people that make up Leelanau County – poets, painters, naturalists, farmers, teachers, and just plain good people. Now our twins are nearly through college and they share the dream of some day, after a few more adventures out in the world, coming home to roost in the beauty they have also come to treasure.

If you are familiar with Leelanau County and the picturesque villages of Glen Arbor, Empire, Leland, Suttons Bay, and Northport, you are already smitten with the area. If not, take a look at the photos on this page and ramble through the links to other web-sites that display the magic of Leelanau County – “land of delight”.