We've been invited by some friends to spend a week in a rented lake house with a boat on Glen Lake in August. Any suggestions on what else there is to do in the area?

There is a great deal to do in this area, broadly defined.

The entire area from Sleeping Bear Dunes to Petoskey is very scenic, and their are charming towns throughout.

I gave a conference paper in Traverse City a few years ago, and we stayed on for a week. It was a very pleasant surprise to us New Englanders, much like Cape Cod.

Good! I was hoping to hear that. The house in & of itself is nothing much, and I'm sure I'll have my fill of being on a boat on a lake after a little while. Time to do a little research!

There is a ton of things to do there! Sleeping Bear is an amazing place that must be seen. If you are a wine person you are in huge luck, as the Old Mission Peninsula reminds me completely of California. Every little coastal town along Lake Michigan is cute and filled with little shops and restaurants. You will have a great time. (Just make sure they leave the car keys where you can find them when they are out on the boat.)

Four words: Cherry pie with chocolate sauce.

Otherwise, maybe a day trip (morning trip?) out to Mackinac Island -- lunch at the Grand Hotel (see "Somewhere in Time" first if you can take drippy sentiment in the name of scenery).

Ooh! The Grand Hotel is that close? (Obviously I'm not the one who planned this trip -- it was just "sprung" on us and I like to know exactly what there is to do in an area we visit.) I remember seeing "Somewhere in Time" as a child.

And wine! Yay!

And my husband wants to fit in a trip to Bell's brewery in Kalamazoo at some point. It'll probably have to be on the way there or back. (We're coming from Ohio.)

You are in for an unexpected treat if you like wine. We shipped back 2 cases.

On the Leelanau Peninsula we loved L. Mawby; he makes only sparkling wines, and most compare very favorably to all but the most expensive sparkling wines from California. We also loved Willow.

On Old Mission Peninsula, we had at least one really good and many times several really good wines at ALL of the wineries. And yes, we hit every one!

Here is more detail from my trip report if you're interested:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads..._dweller&fid=1

Mackinac Island is pretty far. Probably 2.5 hours at least.

A stop in Bell's is very fun. Stop on the way there for lunch. I don't think they have tours, but the cafe is very cool and you can purchase lots of stuff to take up with you at their store. Just ask about store hours when you get there. It isn't open as long as the cafe is. They have very good lunch food in the cafe. You order at the window and eat it with your beers. Mmmm...

I also know there are dune buggy rides at Silver Lake. I'm not sure how far that is from Glen Lake. It is a very fun area and you will definitely have a good time. It won't be just sitting on a leaky row boat all week.

And on the Old Mission Peninsula is Chateau Grand Traverse. They are one of my favorites. The whole area is a huge wine producing region. Maybe do a day doing the peninsula early in your trip so you can drink the wines you buy during the week.

Oh, and Beach Dweller I was thinking of you and your trip report. I'm glad you posted it!

Thank you beach dweller for the trip report link, and kellie for the additional info. I went to Michigan's tourism website and ordered a couple of free guides so that we can plan our day trips based on all of the suggestions I've received here.

I'm not sure where Glen Lake is but I think Mackinac Island would probably be too far for a day trip. But, it's a great place to spend some time if you think you could do it!

Old Mission Peninsula is great. A lovely drive with good wineries. I even remember an old fashion grocery store that we stopped at for ice cream cones.

cd,

you're talking about the Old Mission General Store probably. That was a really cool place.

Here's a helpful link on the Old Mission peninsula.

http://www.oldmission.com/

Yes, it was a General Store! We even bought t-shirts there. DH still wears his! Also,once we drove to the end of the peninsula, there was a good restaurant overlooking a marina but I can't remember the name of it.