Glen Arbor is a cozy summer resort community in Northern Michigan. Located 45 minutes outside of Traverse City, Glen Arbor provides a quiet summer beach vacation for tourists looking to 'get away from it all.' Find out where to eat, where to sleep and where to shop for a great Michigan vacation.
Glen Arbor Lodging
There are no large hotels in Glen Arbor, but there are bed and breakfasts, house rentals, and camping. Campgrounds are managed by the National Parks service and, in some cases, cannot be reserved in advance.
Here are some Glen Arbor bed and breakfast options.
- The Sylvan Inn, built in 1885, is a registered historical landmark and advertises "gracious accommodations." There are 14 rooms including a suite with kitchenette. The Sylvan Inn is located just on the outskirts of Glen Arbor, making for a quiet stay away from the busier city center.
- Glen Arbor Bed and Breakfast is situated in the heart of Glen Arbor so tourists who need peace and quiet will want to take that into consideration. The beautiful front porch invites guests to sit and people watch. This B&B has rooms, suites, and cottages available for reservation.
- The Thyme Inn is a small bed and breakfast just outside Glen Arbor and set back from the road. The owner is a Cordon Bleu trained chef and the breakfast displays her full talents.
During the summer, all bed and breakfasts' rooms go fast so make reservations early to guarantee a spot. Prices start at $100 a night and rapidly go up from there.
Glen Arbor rental houses are also available at a cost of $1,500 to $2,000 per week. The rental cycle typically runs from Friday to Friday. A Glen Arbor rental offers all the amenities of home; laundry, kitchen, and more living space than just a bedroom. View available Glen Arbor rental homes at Leelanau Vacation Rentals.
Glen Arbor Restaurants
Restaurants in Glen Arbor are varied, but most have modest price points. The Good Harbor Grill has an excellent American menu. Their chili offers a savory, complex blend of flavors while the Greek Vegetable platter is fresh and packed with authentic flavor.
The Boondocks offers typical bar food of middling quality, but fantastic live music nightly. Glen Arbor also has a hot dog/brat stand, a pizzeria, and several cafes.
All Glen Arbor restaurants are located on the main drag, within walking distance of each other. This makes it easy for tourists to shop around for the menu they find most appealing.
Glen Arbor Shopping
Small art galleries all over town make for fun window shopping, but the most popular retailer is the Cherry Republic. As its name implies, this store is cherry-centric, celebrating Michigan's status as the world's leading cherry producer. Be sure to stop by and graze on their generous product samples. Not only do they have cherry salsa, cherry candy, cherry cookies, cherry barbecue sauce, cherry fudge and cherry soda, there is also cherry wine tasting.
The Republic hosts fun activities all week long such as a Bingo game on Sunday nights and cherry pit spitting contests on Tuesdays. It's a good place to pick up affordable gifts for friends and family back home. In fact, the Cherry Republic has an 'edible postcard' available for purchase. Write a message on the outside, they'll stuff a cookie (cherry, of course) inside and send it off.
Glen Arbor is an elegant home base for a lovely summer beach vacation. Its slow-paced, well-appointed city center is a delight and, when 'city living' gets tiresome, the beach and Sleeping Bear dunes are just minutes away.
Michelle Rasey - Michelle R. Rasey has extensive expertise in International Business and Health. She holds two BA degrees and an alternative medical ...
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