Just a few miles out of Traverse City, Mich., we skittered past a sign that simply read "Iris Farm." Horticulture lovers, my photographer and I both agreed to turn back for a look around. We weren’t disappointed.
Bill Black, a fifth generation family farmer, decided 17 years ago to try his hand at iris growing and replaced his fruit trees with the colorful flowers. Today, the farm is home to 800 different varieties of irises not to mention 300 varieties of day lilies.
Visitors can stroll through the six acres of gardens looking for the colors that most appeal to them for later purchase, photograph the sea of color, even cut the blooms at the rate of a dollar a stem.
The flowers are at their peak in May and June, and the farm sells the plants in August and September at $5.50 each. "Irises are the perfect plant," said Black. "They’re deer resistant, grow in poor soil and require no irrigation."
After reaching Empire on the shore of Lake Michigan, we headed north on the Leelanau Peninsula to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We drove the seven-mile long Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, soaking in the vistas and natural beauty, then stopped near the Lake Michigan Overlook for a walk that featured some gorgeous overlooks.
Further along Route 22, I’d suggest stopping at Glen Haven, a small, one-time logging village in the middle of Sleeping Bear Dunes that sports a working blacksmith shop, a boat museum housed in a converted cannery and a general store evocative of the 1920s.
Nearby Glen Arbor is a sophisticated tourist haven, with a fair share of shops, restaurants, galleries and the alluring Cherry Republic, an emporium that specializes in everything cherries, including cherry salsa, dried cherries, cherry vinaigrette, cherry ketchup and cherry hot sauce, many of which can be sampled free of charge.
The adjacent Cherry Bakery offers pastries of all sorts and hearty lunches, while the Cherry Republic Winery is stocked with cherry wine and hard cider as well as cherry soda for the youngsters.
My personal favorite spot on the peninsula is the village of Leland, with its historical district known as Fishtown, a collection of weathered fish shanties, smokehouses and docks left over from the days when many Lelanders made their living fishing. After driving through acres and acres of apple and cherry orchards and the handsome town of Northport, we arrived at the northernmost tip of the peninsula, where the Grand Traverse Lighthouse once guarded the bay.
Tours of the restored structure are offered daily for a fee, and, for those enamored with lighthouses, the keeper program allows applicants to stay in the former assistant’s quarters for a week. Keep in mind that the peninsula is also home to 19 wineries, all of which have tasting rooms.
If You’re Going
For more information, phone 231-947-1120 or visit www.traversecity.com.
For a place to dine, Red Mesa Grill, 1544 U. S. 31 North in Traverse City, specializes in traditional Mexican and Latin American cuisine in a unique Aztec-themed décor. About 150 tequilas are listed on the menu. Phone 231-938-2773.
For a place to stay, the 900-acre Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, ranked in the top 50 travel destinations worldwide by "Conde Nast Traveler," features 600 rooms and condos.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed, Bear, is rated one of the toughest golf courses in the Midwest. The Gary Player-designed Wolverine opened just this spring. Phone 800-748-0303 or www.grandtraverseresort.com.
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Dave Zuchowski is a travel columnist for CNHI News Service. Contact him at owlscribe@yahoo.com.
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The Cherry Republic Store in Glen Arbor, Mich., provides something for everyone who has a taste for cherries. Bill Rockwell
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