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.

2738 Back to Columbus

Usually I don't do the driving, but today I'll return to Columbus to pick up our cat who has, of course, been pining away for me while we were in Michigan.

We had a terrific time, staying with our friends who have a summer home in Boyne City, MI, and then drove us around to the various sites. Such a beautiful area. We were very impressed with Bay View, which looks much more like an architectural museum than Lakeside does. Beautifully preserved and restored homes from the 1870s-1915 era with a central campus.

With Jerry and Joan at the Bay View Inn where we had lunch.

Example of a restored home in Bay View. I couldn't possibly post all the photos my husband took, but this one is in the book, Cottages, which includes one of my husband's designs.

This is the street along the marina in Boyne City--a really lovely town with great appeal for both summer and winter (skiing).

We had a gorgeous trip to Charlevoix in our hosts' boat.

Lake Charlevoix
Boyne City, Michigan
Bay View, Michigan

2737 Off to Bay View, Michigan

Today we're off to Bay View, MI, to visit another Chautauqua community. I'm having a terrible time with my wireless connections--may not be doing much.