Traverse Bay area of Michigan

Northern Michigan was magnificent when we visited our friends Joan and Jerry at their summer home in Boyne City on Aug. 7-9. If there is a prettier lake color than Lake Charlevoix on a sunny August day, I'd like to see it. The first day we drove around the lake and the second we crossed it by boat. Every town I've marked in green we visited.

This is the view where Lake Charlevoix empties into Little Traverse Bay (with a little help from a canal).

We were particularly interested in Bay View, a Methodist Chautauqua community founded in 1875 (2 years after Lakeside). There are 500 wonderful homes there (sort of surrounded by Petoskey), and my husband, an architect, loved it. It really doesn't have the same community feel as Lakeside, but does provide some wonderful theater and musical performances at the John Hall Auditorium.

Bay View has a central "campus" area, whereas Lakeside has a business district with little stores and restaurants.


If you can stay a spell, the Little Traverse Bay area would be a good spot. Gorgeous views, great accomodations and beautiful sunsets, with neat little shopping areas. But we found it to be 7.5 hours from Toledo, which is on the Michigan/Ohio border. . . and we're really spoiled by being 2.5 hours from Lake Erie.