A fun little town on the shore of Lake Michigan in Leelanau County, Glen Arbor offers summer shopping for trinkets, kayak and bicycle rentals, dining from fine to family style, groceries and a beautiful underutilized beach.

A few miles south Leland, a larger town filled with art galleries and home to the historic Fishtown shopping district, Glen Arbor is just a mile or so from the D.H. Day campground in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Actually, the lakeshore basically surrounds the town, providing a choice of beaches and plenty of woods for hiking or, in winter, cross-country skiing.

The town itself, though, is primarily a summer adventure. Winter brings commercial hibernation to Glen Arbor, when most galleries and tourist-oriented businesses close up. Necessities that serve the local population, including a grocery store and some restaurants, remain open year round. Tourist mecca Cherry Republic, purveyors of everything cherry, also remains open most of the year.

Nearby, you’ll find the famous Dune Climb, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, and both Big and Little Glen lakes.