By Jamie Jewell, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
There has been so much buzz throughout the Leelanau Peninsula since Good Morning America announced the Sleeping Bear Dunes as one of the top 10 “America’s Most Beautiful Places”.
We were tipped off by our friends at Traverse Magazine who told the GMA folks, “if you want to experience the Sleeping Bear Dunes, you’ve got to stay at The Homestead which is in the heart of the park”. Within 24 hrs travel plans were set and The Homestead was proudly hosting producer, Sabrina Parise who was assigned to experience the region on film. Needless to say, we were honored and excited…yet we had to keep it hush because GMA wasn’t announcing which of the hundreds of entries by viewers would be named in the top 10 until the week of August 8, 2011.
The Inn, one of four small hotels at The Homestead
Sabrina arrived to The Homestead after her first day initiating her to the wonders of the area. She experienced great local food, good company from Traverse Magazine editor Lissa Edwards who is a wealth of knowledge of the area and a climb to the top of the dunes. A bit tired and weary from the long day (she left New York that morning at 4:30am) she agreed to settle in to her accommodations at The Inn, the historic hotel located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and meet me for a quick trip to the top of Bay Mountain.
Manitou Music Festival on Bay Mountain with Blackthorn Celtic Quartet
That night, we were hosting a Manitou Music Festival concert on Bay Mountain. Although she was thrilled to hear the sound of talented performers, Blackthorn Celtic Quartet, she immediately was drawn to the edge of the mountain where she was taken aback by the spectacular view of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands. She wasted no time in reaching for her video camera to capture the sight.
We left the concert early to sample some local Leelanau wines and to enjoy some appetizers at Nonna’s, our Italian restaurant in the village at the resort. We sipped on a local Chardonnay, crab cakes and Chef Piombo’s homemade mozzarella cheese caprese salad. Sabrina was very interested in the local wine industry of Northern Michigan and would have loved to visit some wineries if time had allowed. She did, however, have the pleasure of meeting David Bell, owner and vintner from Circa Estate Winery who happened to be sitting at the bar. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fit in a wine tour for her…she had work to do…and, she was anxious to catch the calm of sunset over Lake Michigan and the serenity of sunrise over the pristine, massive body of water.
Homestead Sunset (Courtesy of Julie Joldersma Mulford Caris)
Over the following two days, Sabrina met with Tom Ulrich, Deputy Superintendent for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, hiked some of the trails and ferried to South Manitou Island for a day-trip. In the short time I was able to spend with her, it was evident she enjoyed the area, the region and the people. In preparation for her assignment, she said everyone they interviewed said they felt Michigan gets a “bad rap” because most people associate the entire state with Detroit. The declining automotive industry and deterioration of metropolitan Detroit are not indicative of what the rest of the state has to offer. She was able to see first-hand just why.
Sabrina, Good Morning America, and now most of America will see that Northern Michigan and the Sleeping Bear Dunes is a spectacular destination and one of America’s Most Beautiful Places.
Watch Sabrina’s segment on Sleeping Bear Dunes that aired on Good Morning America on ABC on Tuesday, August 9, 2011.
Voting in the Good Morning America “America’s Most Beautiful Place” contest continues through the end of the week. Cast your vote now!
Enjoy “Sleeping Bear Dunes: Outdoor Guide” by Good Morning America that includes five must-do activities while at the dunes.
Also see Traverse Magazine’s blog article, “How Sleeping Bear Dunes Bewitched Good Morning America and Me,” by Traverse Magazine’s Marketing Director, Rachel North and blog article, “Good Morning America Comes to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore,” by Elizabeth Edwards, managing editor of MyNorth.com.
For more information on visiting the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, visit Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau or visit the visitor bureau’s Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.
