The water, the year-round recreation, the stately Victorians are some of the reasons USA Today Travel says Petoskey's Little Traverse Bay is a fine place for a second home.
Here's an excerpt:
Like Sun Valley in Idaho, Canada's Banff Springs in Alberta and other remote
resort areas, tourism to Little Traverse Bay was launched to create rail
passenger demand. Among the first to arrive was a Methodist community,
which founded the Bay View Association, a communal cottage colony and
National Historic Landmark with 440 Victorian cottages, still owned by
worshipers. Several religious vacation enclaves called "associations"
sprouted around Little Traverse Bay.
The bay is the northwesternmost inlet of Lake
Michigan on the Lower Peninsula. In the center is the waterfront city of
Petoskey, which is filled with shops and restaurants — but is not as
popular for vacation homes. There also are large inland lakes close to
Lake Michigan, including Charlevoix, the state's third
largest, creating an abundance of waterfront property. Water is a big
draw, as are golf and skiing. The first ski lift was built at Boyne Mountain in
1948. There are now three large ski resorts, as well as six golf courses
for summer visitors. A big golf draw is Bay Harbor, with a 27-hole
course considered one of the greatest achievements of acclaimed
architect Arthur Hills. It anchors a luxury
waterfront, marina and equestrian community on the shores of Lake
Michigan.
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