EXPLORING THE TOWN KNOWN AS FISHTOWN
Don’t let its small population fool you, the town of Leland is buzzing and has plenty of activities to keep you busy all day and it’s surrounding areas could keep you busy all summer! Just 40 minutes North of Traverse City you’ll find this adorable town. Leland is known for its art and wine festivals, cute shops, good food, and great golfing-but is mostly known as one of the only working commercial fishing villages in the state of Michigan. Hence how it got its nickname “Fishtown.”
Breakfast at TRish’s Dishes
Start your day off at Trish’s Dishes. This breakfast and lunch joint has quickly become a local favorite. The owner, Trish, has been serving her wraps and sandwiches in over 30 locations in Traverse City for years and has now opened her own place! I had their special that morning which was the Greek Omelet and my friend had the house made corned beef hash- YUM! Check out their full menu HERE.
Morning Hike at Clay Cliffs
Just a couple of miles North of Leland is the trailhead for Clay Cliffs Natural Area. This quick and easy 1.5-mile loop hike walks you through Michigan forest to the gorgeous lookout of both North and South Manitou Islands. It’s the perfect short hike to start your day!
*Please be on the lookout for poison ivy we saw a ton here*
We had a pretty cloudy day but could still see the islands a bit and the views were unbelievable. When the sun came out you could see five different shades of blue in Lake Michigan.
There isn’t a place to climb down to the water so save your swimming for Van’s Beach (scroll down to learn more.) 
On the way back you’ll walk through an open field filled with daisies 
You’ll have beautiful views of Lake Leelanau and the Leland countryside and there’s even a small bench here to sit and enjoy the views. 
Explore Fishtown
Get back to town late morning/early afternoon and walk through Fishtown. Try some amazing whitefish pate at Carlson’s Fishery, walk the docks, and maybe even stop in to plan a future trip to North or South Manitou Island at their offices located right in Fishtown!
Grab Lunch to-go at the village Cheese Shanty
The Village Cheese Shanty has been serving amazing made to order sandwiches with local ingredients for the past 25 years! They serve over 60 different cheeses from all over the world and make the best sandwiches in the area! My personal favorites are The Bear and The South Shore. They make homemade pretzel bread and it’s TO DIE FOR. I definitely recommend getting here right when they open because they always have a line out the door! Order a sandwich and head on over to Van’s Beach to enjoy it! Check out their menu HERE.
Spend the afternoon at Vans Beach
Just a few minutes walk from Fishtown is Van’s Beach. It’s a pretty small beach but it’s great for searching for Petoskey stones and enjoying lunch for a couple of hours!
Walk Around the Town of Leland
There are a lot of adorable shops in Leland for jewelry and clothes and they’re all within a block so you can get to them super easily! I definitely recommend Becky Thatcher Designs, Dam Candy Shop, Diversions and Haystacks but there’s so much more. Below are the two things I believe you can’t miss when walking around Leland.
Visit Verterra WINERY
I recently enjoyed a tasting at Verterra and had a pretty tough time deciding what to try because everything sounded great and a lot of them have won awards. They are most popular for their Sparkling Rose, Reserve Chaos Red and their Dry Riesling (it won Gold for the past 2 years!) My personal favorites were the Unoaked Chardonnay and the Rose of Cab Franc.
If you have any cider lovers in your group make sure you bring them along! Verterra also has a cider family called Chaos Ciders. You can choose from apple, peach, blackberry or raspberry cider. If it’s summertime and you’re visiting on a weekday you can also head up to The Ridge and Vineyard about 10 minutes North for gorgeous views of Lake Michigan and flights of Verterra Wine on their terrace.
Make a visit to Good Old Books
Don’t leave Leland without making a visit to see Merry and George Ball. They are lifetime book collectors and have added on to their home to open an adorable bookstore called Good Old Books- selling olds and rare books. It’s so fun to look through the books and have a chat with Merry!
Dinner at the cove
For some awesome seafood and American fare, check out The Cove for dinner! I definitely recommend sitting on their patio and enjoying a Chubby Mary!
I have always had white fish dip cold here in Northern Michigan, but it was so amazing to try it warmed up in the oven and served with homemade pita chips, YUM!
They have four different kinds of Whitefish entrees here- SO HARD TO CHOOSE. We decided to try the stuffed whitefish and loved it but can’t wait to come back and try the other three!
Either enjoy the sunset from the patio at The Cove, head back to Van’s Beach to enjoy it or end your night with a sunset walk to Whaleback Hiking Trail (just 1 miles south of Leland, it is very similar to Clay Cliffs in my opinion but it’s great to do them both!) If you decide to spend more than just the day here you must enjoy a stay at The Falling Waters Lodge.
Stay at the Falling Waters Lodge
This lodge has been around for over 50 years but has new owners as of 2017! The lodge has received a full facelift- the new owners have renovated rooms, added a deck and have brought a new and wonderful energy to the lodge! It’s definitely a must see and stay! Hang out on their new deck and enjoy views of Fishtown. They are even starting to have live music on their deck so stay tuned for future events!
Most of their rooms offer Dam and Fishtown views, the best thing to wake up to! Most of their rooms are also home to local art and furniture!
Have you been to Leland, AKA, Fishtown? What’s your favorite thing to do here? Favorite place to eat? Comment below! I’m hoping to write a few more blogs about the surrounding towns here in Northern Michigan, but for now, check out a post I wrote all about spending the day in Suttons Bay!
