MLive says: “If you love beautiful water views, delicious wine, adorable food stands and just an overall good time, the Old Mission Peninsula is calling your name. This glorious piece of land juts out into Grand Traverse Bay, making it a specifically scenic space in a generally scenic area of Michigan. Take a drive around the peninsula or plan an entire vacation here. Either way, just go and see it.”
July 2, 2021
I’ve been to Old Mission Peninsula a few times, and was ecstatic to have a reason to go back. On Friday morning, Bill and I loaded Bela into my car and headed out for a day of sight-seeing and wine-tasting, complete with a surprise visit from a local celeb!
We drove all the way out to the end of the peninsula first thing, noting the wineries we (I) wanted to visit on the way back. Even getting out there early, the lighthouse was busy when we arrived. It was a beautiful Friday morning preceding a holiday weekend, so I guess I’m not surprised. We walked the beach, admired the lighthouse, and debated hiking some of the peninsula trails (but didn’t - the big dog was hot!). We didn’t spend too much time at the lighthouse in favor of finding wine and lunch.
We headed south to Chateau Chantal to start; I ordered a wine flight to sample and we found ourselves relaxing on the dog-friendly patio/lawn. When I went back inside to get a few more samples, I saw none other than Debbie Stabenow, Michigan’s federal senator! She was on the peninsula for the holiday weekend, and was apparently getting her wine on as well. I went outside and told Bill, and he ended up going inside and talking to her, because he’s generally cooler than I am.
After our celeb run-in at Chateau Chantal, we headed to Bower’s Harbor for another tasting. When we got there, we learned that Debbie wasn’t the only elected on the peninsula this weekend: Governor Whitmer and President Biden were there, too! Unfortunately, we never ran into them - but it was still cool to know our lovely peninsula was drawing so much attention.
At Bower’s Harbor, I had one of the most deliciously complex wine tastings of my life. That’s all I have to say about that.
We needed lunch, and found ourselves at none other than the Jolly Pumpkin - the best located brewery in all of the land! We had a delicious lunch on the patio overlooking the bay: mushroom pizza and truffle fries galore.
After lunch, we rounded out our stops at Chateau Grand Traverse for more wine, and then Bill kindly drove us back to our campsite for swimming, dinner, and campfires.
We spent the next few days at Fisherman’s Island State Park relaxing, swimming, kayaking, and hiking; we also spent a day in Petoskey and some time in Charlevoix as well. Overall, an awesome week up north - always a good time on Old Mission!
