Charlevoix Charm and Family Time

We love the small town of Charlevoix, MI. It is about a little over four hour drive from Elkhart, IN, and some of my family were gathering together there in mid July. 

It's a scenic resort city of about 2300 people year round, and it sits on a narrow isthmus between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix. Round Lake is a natural harbor right downtown. Charlevoix is also the major ferryway to get to Beaver Island, the largest island in Michigan. We didn't take the ferry, but we probably will on our next visit!

Sparky loves the "mushroom houses"--two dozen whimsical stone homes with wavy roofs built by architect Earl Young. They are built with local boulders and limestone. So picturesque, Sparky went around town snapping away....You can rent some of these, that would be cool!

Sparky and Eldo stayed one night at the Charlevoix Inn and Suites, a much more dated hotel. Rooms were clean but the place was in need of refreshing. The next night we decided to move to the Weathervane Hotel, where some of the family was staying, the hotel is in the style of the mushroom houses and built by Earl Young as well. It has 67 rooms and although the outside looks old, (it's built in a castle style-with turrets (!), the rooms have been refreshed and you are right on the waterfront! Actually, 300 feet from the beach. Rooms offer views of Round Lake, Lake Charlevoix, and the Charlevoix drawbridge. The suites feature fireplaces, two person Jacuzzi tubs and balconies.

The Weathervane Hotel

The downtown area is small but jam packed with many different types of restaurants and shops. The surrounding homes are full of character and whimsy, along with the mushroom houses.

There is lots to do here and some great restaurants and shopping as well. Sparky hopped on the Little Traverse Wheelway bike trail (26 miles if you ride all the way to Harbor Springs by way of Petoskey) with two of her brothers for a short ride one day, as the trail was blocked off for repairs. Still a good ride, I think we did about 12 miles after wandering through town trying to find where the start of the bike trail was! The trail skirts the shoreline of Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay. We rented bikes thru  Revolution Bike Shop and it was very reasonable. They did a great job of fitting the bike to the person as Sparky needed some adjustments before heading off and preferred a different bike style. No problem!

There is a shorter trail for riding bikes and it is the Lake to Lake Trail, a 4.5 mile paved path between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix.

We stayed at Sparky's cousins' place on a lake nearby, and had laughs, great meals and fun kayaking! 

So wonderful to be with family...Sparky had recently celebrated her 76th birthday back in Elkhart, and the family thoughtfully celebrated it again with birthday wishes, presents and the most beautiful flan dessert which tasted a lot like creme brulee, Sparky's favorite dessert. We had some great laughs about that, as Sparky's sister thought her favorite dessert was flan, so cousin Jill drove all over town trying to find a decent flan. Grocery shopping is not for the faint of heart in Charlevoix, just the basics are there. Thank you, Jill...it was the most beautiful flan I've ever seen! And the first one I've ever had!

We also ate at the Weathervane Restaurant inside the hotel, and the food was terrific! The restaurant has big picture windows all along one side of the restaurant facing the drawbridge so you can watch the boats coming through about every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour.

It was so wonderful to be with family. We are spread out all over the country. Sparky's brother Charlie is in California, her brother Rich and his wife are in Massachusetts and her sister, Lyle, and her husband are in MI. Hard to get everyone together....

Sparky is back into a more rigorous treatment plan, a second round of chemo with a newer drug and tougher side effects upon returning home, so it was heartwarming and a boost of spirits to be with family. Love you guys!