This past week, my husband and I celebrated nine years of marriage. Each year we try to take a mini trip, because to us, our anniversary is something to be celebrated each and every year!

He is a runner and wanted to find a spring half marathon so we decided to loop a half marathon into our trip and kill two birds with one stone. So we decided to head to Glen Arbor for the Solstice half marathon and 5K and make a long weekend of it together.

I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life and had never seen Sleeping Bear Dunes, so we figured this would be the perfect excuse! We opted to not climb the dunes on this trip, but had plenty of other active fun.

We started out our road trip by exploring Frankfort. It’s an adorable Lake Michigan town and we enjoyed sampling beer and food at the Stormcloud Brewing Company {the pulled pork nachos were delicious!}. After, we walked down to the lighthouse and pier, which were gorgeous. Lucky for us, there weren’t a ton of people walking the pier {it’s at your own risk}, so I was able to snap some shots. Isn’t she pretty?

From there, we travelled to the Point Betsie lighthouse, which had an interesting history and was just darling to take in. There was a tour available too, though we decided to skip that. She’s even available to rent as lodging, which I think should definitely go on my bucket list. The setting was beautiful.

Then it was onto the Empire Bluff Trail, which was a {free} 1.5 mile hike through the woods to an overlook of Lake Michigan and the dunes. It was a nice trail, but hilly, so I would reserve this for those in decent shape, especially on a hot day. It was a workout, but worth it for the incredible views.

After our hike we decided to rest a bit and head into Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and take the 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Drive to see the dunes. It’s $15 for a week-long pass, and the drive  itself ended up being a great way to see several views of forests, the water, and even a charming covered bridge.

Had my husband not been doing a half marathon the next day we would have attempted the dune climb, but we knew we needed to conserve our energy. The sweeping views were stunning, though no camera can do it justice — it’s definitely something you need to see in-person.

After, we headed into Glen Arbor to settle into our lodging — the Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast. It was such a cute place in a great location. We were able to walk to the cute shops, restaurants and bars and the beach easily, which we loved. It was actually our first time staying at a B&B together and it was SO fun! {Maybe it’s just my extrovert personality though.}

Glen Arbor itself is a very artsy community, and there were nice touches everywhere including beautiful flowers and art. It’s quintessential small town northern Michigan, with friendly and helpful people to match. I literally said “awww, so cute” about 100 times as we walked around. The entire vibe just made my heart happy.

There are some great little shops with plenty of restaurants and ice cream spots sprinkled in. Cherry Republic is headquartered here and a popular landmark for good reason. I loved everything about it from the layout of the different buildings to the fonts scrawled throughout. It’s so whimsical.

After exploring town, we enjoyed eating at Glen Arbor’s most iconic spot – Art’s Tavern. This cash-only spot just has a charm about it if you love a good hole-in-the-wall bar like we do. We enjoyed our beer and burgers and appreciated not needing to dress up after a day of exploring and sweating.

Sometimes it’s just the simple things that are best enjoyed on vacation.

The next day we woke to do our respective runs {my 5K was relatively flat and fast; the hubby’s half marathon was pretty grueling with hills}, so we opted to just relax a bit after.

By afternoon, we were ready to hit the Leelanau Peninsula. Many folks suggested driving to Traverse City, but we’ve been there several times and wanted to keep our focus on the laid back vibe of the northwest side and the many charms surrounding it.

Our final destination was Fishtown in Leland, so we started up the coast, stopping at Good Harbor Vineyard, Boathouse Vineyards, Laurentide and Chateau Fontaine wineries along the way there and back. Most had a tasting fee {i.e. 5 tastes for $5}, which we didn’t mind.

Our favorite experience overall was at Chateau Fontaine, but all of them had impeccable service and we were happy to support local businesses with wine purchases since we know it will be put to good use!

In addition to the wineries, Fishtown in Leland was a must. There is just nothing like it! It feels like the east coast in the early century and we enjoyed dock sitting and enjoying some amazing sandwiches from the Village Cheese Shanty (well worth the 20 minute wait!). After, we explored the area and got some incredible smoked fish from Carlson’s.

We loved watching people fish off the docks. It’s called Fishtown for a great reason — the fisherman were pulling up larvae small-mouth bass without bait even on the hook! It’s was pretty incredible.

We meandered our way back to Glen Arbor, stopping to wade and take in the views at Good Harbor Beach on the way. It was gorgeous and there weren’t a ton of people there, which we loved.

Overall it was a great vacation and we can’t wait to visit with the kids when they are a bit older, and maybe do an adult trip with friends there soon too! Next time, we will be sure to spend way more time than just two days.

Things I’d like to do on a future visit:

• Kayak or tube the Platte River
• Explore the Glen Haven historic village
• Bike portion of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
• Capture the sunset on camera and see stars while on top of Sleeping Bear Dunes
• Enjoy a fancier dinner at a restaurant like Blu, La Becasse or Trattoria Funistrada
• Visit even more wineries since we missed a ton on the Leelanau Peninsula!

What are your favorite things to do around northern Michigan?