The Homestead Resort Blog

Chef John Piombo of Nonna’s at The Homestead is featured in the Explore Winter special section of the Record Eagle. Writer, Kathy Gibbons says of Piombo, “Piombo channels his Italian heritage and years of cooking in Italy and otehr parts of Europe into creating a menu and dining experience that you’d expect from a place that means “Grandma’s” in Italian.”

To read more of this article visit: http://www.zoominlocal.com/traverse-city-record-eagle/2010/01/15/#?article=722825

Mike Terrell, local winter enthusiast, writes about the value-filled packages being offered at The Homestead this winter.

Taste the Passion happens February 5-7, 2010. The Homestead hosts an art and wine event Friday night and is the perfect place to stay for the weekend (packages available) and start your Leelanau wine tour.

Isn’t it time to start thinking about the annual Christmas party?  I know, Ted in New Accounts will don the Santa suit, while Suzy in Accounting will make her world-famous rum balls, and we’ll all sit around drinking Margaret’s fizzy ice cream punch.  Hmmm…

If you’re tired of the same old, ho-ho-hum Christmas party, then think about having your party at The Homestead! 

Reward your associates by letting them relax and spend the night at Fiddler’s Pond.  We have created a special Holiday Package that includes one night of lodging at Fiddler’s Pond and their group holiday dinner for two for just $92 inclusive.   What a perfect way to end the evening!

Our professional planners and merry band of elves will help you ot plan a holiday event that will be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone.  Call our Group Sales Office at 231.334.5300 to reserve your party today. 

The Sleeping Bear Dunes has just announced their fall program, “Saturdays at the Lakeshore” throughout September.  The free program is lead by a Park Ranger and provide a unique perspective to this nationally protected land.

Every Saturday after Labor Day, participants can meet at the Visitor Center in Empire where a Park Ranger will lead a caravan of cars to a hiking destination.  Each week has a unique topic and location.

Here’s the schedule:

September 12th:  1pm

The Whole Point of Sleeping Bear Dunes -  This two-mile round-trip hike on the Sleeping Bear Point Trail epitomizes the area protected by the park.  Discover shifting dunes, specialized plants, a ghost forest, shipwrecks and fantastic views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands. 

September 19: 1pm

Beaver’s Been Here - Explore the shoreline in search of nature’s industrious beaver.  The Park Ranger will show you clues that “beaver’s been here” and perhaps even help you spot this amazing animal.

September 26:  12pm

National Public Lands Day Coastal Cleanup - Enjoy the park on this annual “fee-free” day and help beautify the beaches you love by joining Park Rangers and volunteers for this coastal cleanup event.

Participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass.  For more information call 231.334.326.5134, extension 330 or visit www.nps.gov/slbe.

Ranger Led Nature Hike

Would you like to know more about shipwrecks, beavers, native plants or early farm life?  Would you like to go on a bike tour, guided hike or learn the latest information on stargazing and the night sky? 

National Park Service Rangers are offering a variety of interpretive programs through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this summer and they invite everyone to join them. 

Here is a preview of their schedule:

“Heroes of the Storm” - Daily at 3pm at the Maritime Museum in Glen Haven.  Park Rangers recruit the assistance of young audience members to serve as U.S. Life Saving Service surfmen to recreate a shipwreck rescue on land.  They haul lines and use replicas of historic equipment in an effort to save Raggedy Ann and Andy from their sinking vessel.

Ranger-led Bicycle Tours - Tuesdays through Fridays from June 23rd to August 28th.  Ride the winding back roads as you tour through history.  Seven bike tours per week at very different locations.

Recreation and Tourism:  Past, Present and Future!  Wednesdays at 11am, Thursdays at 5pm (9miles, 2.5 hours)

Ride through the ages with a ranger on this recreational and scenic opportunity.  Join us on a journey through the history of recreation and tourism, discovering how this has changed over time - from 150 years ago and into the future!

Discovering Cultural Landcapes: Port Oneida Rural Historic District  Wednesdays at 5pm, Fridays at 11am (7 miles, 2 hours)

What is a cultural landscape!  Come to Port Oneida to find out as we pedal through the 3,500 acre Port Oneida Rural Historic District, the largest of its kind in the entire nation!

Backroads:  Farms and Forests  Thursdays at 11am, Fridays at 5pm (7-10 miles, 2.5 hours)

South of Empire, we will start at an old school house and ride through an agricultural landscape, visit a ghost town and transition into the woods at a former logging area, talking about the natural and cultural history along the way!

No reservations are needed, participants need only purchase the park entrance pass to enjoy the fun ($10/vehicle valid for 7 days or $20/vehicle for an entire year).  For more information about the schedule or other Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore activities, please call the Visitors Center at 231.326.5134, ext. 328 or go to www.nps.gov/slbe.

Ford Transportation Interpreter, Ryan Locke, will be offering guided bike tours weekly on the backroads of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

M22 Challenge

The M-22 Challenge is a multi-discipline event based in beautiful Leelanau County in Northern Michigan. The event is designed to challenge athletes against the natural terrain and environmental elements of the area. Are you up to the Challenge?

• Run the “Dune Climb” overlooking Lake Michigan
• Bike around Big and Little Glen Lakes
• Paddle crystal waters of Little Glen Lake

www.m22challenge.com

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, the National Park Service (NPS) invites you to officially celebrate the relighting of the South Manitou Island Lighthouse.  Thanks to a partnership with Manitou Islands Memorial Society, Manitou Island Transit, and Electro-Optics Technology, Inc., Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore installed a replica third-order Fresnel lens in the completely refurbished lantern room of the lighthouse last fall.  Although the light was tested at that time, it was too late in the season to host  a formal ceremony.

Starting at 9pm at the Maritime Museum in Glen Haven, a National Park Service Ranger will present a half-hour interpretive program about the history of the Manitou Passage and the shipwrecks that made it necessary to install a lighthouse to guide mariners through its hazardous waters.  Following the program, Superintendent Dusty Shultz and representatives from the partner groups will provide brief remarks and recognize the numerous donors who made this project a reality.  Light refreshments will be served and once it becomes dark enough, the light will be illuminated for everyone on shore to see and enjoy.

The Maritime Museum at Sleeping Bear Point is located on Glen Haven Road, one half mile west of the Cannery in Glen Haven, an historic village three miles west of Glen Arbor.

For more information on the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, call 231.326.5134.