Happy Apple Days in Downtown Traverse City will run from October 3-10. The streetscapes will be decked with cornstalks and festive mums. Merchants will have bushels of apples to share with their customers.
Location: Between Cass and Union Streets, across from Clinch Park
Farmers and gardeners from around the local region bring their fresh produce, flowers and baked goods to this Downtown Farmers Market. Located between Cass and Union Street across from Clinch Park. For more information call (231) 922-2050
Photo credit: Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Cutline: More than 10 acres in size and incorporating over 4.5 miles of bewildering twists and turns, Jacob’s Corn Maze in Traverse City, Mich. is one of a new generation of computer-generated labyrinths spreading over America’s rural landscape. Corn mazes like Jacob’s are part of the growing agritourism movement, which plays on the nation’s fascination with its farming heritage.
By MIKE NORTON
TRAVERSE CITY, MI– Mike Witkop is a banker, not a farmer. But he’s determined to preserve his family’s century-old farm on the high plateau west of Traverse City – and he knows enough economics to realize that he can’t do it just by farming.
His solution? A corn maze.
Ten acres of corn on the Witkop farm – an area as large as 10 football fields -- have been carved into a massive labyrinth with three distinct trail systems. Once inside, visitors are free to lose themselves on 4.5 miles of winding, twisting paths whose green cornstalk walls are 6 to 10 feet high. Witkop has named the place Jacob’s Corn Maze in honor of his great grandfather, a Dutch sea captain who settled here in 1892, and he thinks it has the makings of a major tourist attraction.
“There are corn mazes in lots of places, but most of them are located in very rural areas that lack a steady stream of visitors,” he says. “Ours is just outside Traverse City, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in this part of the country. We’re trying to raise the bar on this kind of attraction and do it as well as it can be done anywhere.”
Although farm kids have always enjoyed getting themselves lost in cornfields, the advent of the high-tech corn maze is a relatively recent phenomenon -- the first was created in Pennsylvania in 1993 – but they’ve been quickly spreading across the American heartland. Farmers typically pay a professional maze-maker to create a customized labyrinth that changes from year to year, often incorporating a design that can be seen only from the air. (The Witkops’ 2008 maze, for instance, shows a cow standing in front of a barn.) Some mazes include puzzles, treasure maps or other enhancements – and many are open at night, when the rustling cornstalks can be an unnerving place to wander.
The Witkops are hardly alone. Their immediate neighbors include a cut-flower farm devoted entirely to irises, a nursery, a roadside farm market with a petting zoo and its own corn maze, and the headquarters of Moomer’s Homemade Ice Cream, featured this summer on Good Morning America as the best ice cream stand in the country. All represent variations on the same thing: a growing alliance between farming and tourism that is making it easier for small farmers to stay on the land.
It’s called agritourism, and it’s an important strand of the tourist economy in resort areas like Traverse City whose major attractions involve scenic beauty, outdoor recreation and traditional rural folkways. For as long as tourists have been coming to this corner of Michigan, local farmers have augmented their income by selling their produce – particularly the cherries, apples and berries for which the region is famed – at farm markets and roadside stands.
Over the past decade, a rapidly-growing platoon of wineries have added wine tours and tastings to the mix. Just a few miles to the north of the Witkop farm, for instance, Black Star Farms actively markets itself as an “agricultural destination” that combines a winery, distillery, cheesemaker, bed and breakfast and petting zoo.
In addition to the usual problems of low market prices and overseas competition, farmers in high-traffic tourist areas like Traverse City face an additional burden – they’re often sitting on acreage that’s worth more for its development potential than it will ever produce as farmland. In a sense, then, it would be appropriate if tourism could help some of them get past those difficulties. The Witkops not only had strong sentimental reasons for holding on to the family farm; they saw an opportunity to enhance their own farm experience by turning it into a work of service to the wider world.
“My wife and I realized that the most joy we ever have on the farm is when we’re having people out to share that experience with them,” said Mike. “In the end, we viewed this as a way to reach out to people who’ve never had a real farm experience.”
Their business partners, Steve and Lisa Fouch, are from a fruit farming family on the nearby Old Mission Peninsula and share many of the same goals. They’ve planted much of the remaining Witkop acreage with apples, pears, peaches, apricots, red raspberries and saskatoons -- a cold-hardy relative of the blueberry -- and plan to open a large U-pick operation in 2009 that would extend the farm’s profit-making season by another two months. (For now, the farm does have one small but unique retail operation, a half-acre pumpkin patch featuring strangely-shaped "Super Freak" pumpkins with names like Knuckle Heads and Goose Bumps.)
WHEN TO COME Jacob’s Corn Maze is open on weekends from Aug. 23 to Nov. 1 Hours 5-9 p.m. Friday, 1-9 p.m. Saturday and 1-7 p.m. Sunday. The farm is at 7100 E. Traverse Highway (M-72 west) 3.5 miles west of Traverse City. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children 3-11 and free to children under 3. For more information, log on to http://www.jacobs-corn-maze.com/ WHAT ELSE TO DO Late summer and fall are an excellent time to sample most of the Traverse City area’s other agritourism attractions, since many fruit crops only become available with the approach of autumn. (Early September is the time for nectarines, apples, plums and grapes, and the apple and pumpkin harvests usually last until November.)
Just across the road from Jacob’s Corn Maze, for instance, is Gallagher's Farm Market, which features a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in season, baked goods, homemade jams and jellies, local wines, cherry products – plus a petting farm and their own (smaller) corn maze. Several miles to the north, between Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau, is the Covered Wagon Farm Market & Bakery, with lots of local fruit and garden produce, home-baked goods made on site, and handcrafted baskets.
Just across Grand Traverse Bay on the picturesque Old Mission Peninsula are two more farm markets: Buchan's Blueberry Hill (which despite its name also has a good selection of apples and other produce) and Edmondson Orchards, with late-season items like corn and local honey, as well as dried cherries and cherry juices. Farther to the north, on the highway to Charlevoix, is Friske's Farm Market, an all-weather fruit stand that’s open all year with its bakery, café, gift shop, playground and barnyard zoo.
At Northport, near the tip of the scenic Leelanau Peninsula, is Kilcherman’s Christmas Cove Farm, where farmers John and Phyllis Kilcherman grow over 240 varieties of “antique apple” varieties that were once commonplace but have fallen into disuse. Every fall, hundreds of apple fanciers make their way to their isolated farm to taste, smell and buy such hard-to-get treasures as the Strawberry Chenango, the Opalescent, the Spitzenburg and the Ozark Gold.
For those who prefer to shop and compare, Traverse City has three separate farm markets. The biggest is the Sarah Hardy Farm Market, located on the north bank of the Boardman River between Union and Cass streets and open Saturday mornings May through October, and Wednesday mornings from mid-June through September. There’s also the City Market, a year-round open-air market at the old city railway station on Boardman Lake, also open Saturday and Wednesday mornings, and the Village Farmers Market on the piazza at the Grand Traverse Commons, every Friday from 3-7 p.m.
Best Enjoyed: Late September to Mid-October Approximate Length: 190 miles
Fall is the season of the grape, where local vineyards harvest the future Chardonnays, Rieslings and Pinot Grigios. Combine a color tour of the region with a visit to Michigan's wine country - a feast for the eye and the palate.Choose one or several of the 19 wineries of Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas for a very special fall vacation. Old Mission Peninsula has much to offer the autumn leaf-peeper: delicious apples can be found at roadside stands, charming restaurants, and the Old Mission Lighthouse. "Land of Delight" is the English translation of the Indian wood "leelanau," and it's easy to understand the reason for so naming the Leelanau Peninsula, especially in fall. Circling the perimeter of the place many call Michigan's "little finger" is a color tour that has been popular for decades. An easy and interesting route, M-22 takes you along the shoreline through the quaint villages of Suttons Bay, Peshasbestown, Omena and Northport, with water views almost the entire way. North of Suttons Bay the sign reads: Northport 12 miles. Northport, situated near the tip of Leelanau Peninsula, overlooking Grand Traverse Bay, is a picture-perfect town, with a marina, waterfront, unique shops, galleries and restaurants.Each port town has its own unique charm, and each is a perfect place for shopping, dining, trying your luck at the casino or just breathing the crisp fall air. Tour the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, a living museum. Along the western coast, Leland and Glen Arbor offer still more options, and spectacular autumn color can be expected in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a 71,000-acre national park that includes 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Go barefoot "one last time" when you encounter the massive sand dunes and stunning sunset beaches. According to the National Park Service, many of the best spots for viewing fall colors at Sleeping Bear are easily reached by car or by a brief hike. The park's popular Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, for instance, gives motorists a bird's-eye view of areas like Alligator Hill, where brilliant fall foliage is set off by Glen Lake's tropical shades of turquoise, jade and cobalt blue.The Frankfort-Elberta area has much to offer, and is the gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in Benzie County, the Frankfort and Elberta communities encompass beautiful Betsie Bay, a historic sailing harbor. The Point Betsie Light Station is one of the most visited and photographed in Michigan, and is considered to be the most popular visitor site in Benzie County. For mariners, Point Betsie (or originally: Point Aux Bec Scies), has been one of the most prominent and utilized lights on Lake Michigan.Another great side trip is to the Gwen Frostic Prints Company in Benzonia (located between Frankfort and Benzonia). This 250-acre wildlife sanctuary on the Betsie River is home to Frostic's studio with 15 Heidelberg presses using the original Frostic blocks to print a variety of paper arts. Kids will love a stop at the Homestead Sugar House in Beulah, just five miles from the top of the hill on US-31. Open until November 30, enjoy delicious hand-dipped candies, fruits and even thick sugarless syrup.You're likely to hear the sounds of music mingling with the rustling of fall leaves on a color tour of Benzie County. The Interlochen Center for the Arts offers year-round education for young people interested in the performing arts. Situated on Green Lake, the Center provides excellent professional entertainment, as well as student performances. The campus itself consists of tree-lined pathways that take on vibrant personalities during the autumn months.
Rolling Centuries Winter Festival in Traverse City
01/26/2008 Again Rolling Centuries Farm (RCF) and McLain Cyclery and Fitness Center will team together to offer Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides and Snow Shoe Romp. All ages are encouraged to come and enjoy! On Saturday, January 26, 12 noon to 3 PM, there will be Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides from The Village (bldg. 50), to the Rolling Centuries Farm Cathedral Barn and back. Hot chocolate and coffee provided. Other drinks and foods can be purchased on site from Cuppa Joes. While you wait for your turn, browse our new and used Book Sale. Donations requested to cover costs, $4 per person or $12 per family of 4. If questions call 943-7999. That evening at the RCF Cathedral Barn, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, we will Snow Shoe the ice candle lit trail and enjoy warm food from Folgerelli's. Donation requested $12 per person, $ 25 per family with minor children. Food included with donations. For reservations or questions, call McLain’s 943-8855. Any money raised above costs, benefit the Rolling Centuries Farm, an educational working farm. VISITNORTHERNSHORES.COM
New Luxury Suite Joins Northern Shores' Rental Program
Northern Shores Vacation Rentals, LLC. is proud to offer yet another luxury condominium at Peninsula Bay Resort Condominiums on East Bay in Traverse City.
A very sincere congratulations to the owners of Suite C22, their suite is our newest addition in the Peninsula Bay vacation rental line up and they have been very hard at work preparing the perfect vacation suite.
Peninsula Bay Suite C22; Let me introduce you...
Suite C22 is located on the 2nd floor and is on the East side of the condominium complex. It enjoys one of the largest balconies at approx. 210 sq.ft. and is a comfortable distance from the green lawn below. I great suite for those that are not fond of great heights! Also note that the "C" suites are the closest suites to the bay while still being on the side of the building. Off the balcony is the master bedroom via a sliding glass door. There is also a separate door leading into the living room from the balcony. The master bedroom boasts a granite dual sink vanity and a stand up glassed in shower with tiled sitting stool. The master bedroom as well as the guest bedroom have roomy walk-in closets. The living room is spacious and has lots to offer. There is a flat screen TV lending a view to both the kitchen area as well as the living room. On the East wall in the corner is a "flip-the-switch" gas fireplace that is idea for cool nights or just mood lighting. There is a comfortable lounge type chair in the living room that is a wonderful place to kick back and do some reading or even some napping! The ceiling is vaulted and uses rope lighting that gives off a nice warm glow during the evening hours. Off the living room is a fully stocked kitchen. Besides Peninsula Bay's standard sub-zero refrigerators, dual drawer dishwashers, granite counter-tops, convection gas ranges, & under the counter microwaves, there are pots and pans, utensils, glasses, coffee cups, plates, silverware, strainers, knifes, right down to the paper towels - all provided. Suite C22 also has clothes washer & dryer accommodations. A near full-size stackable washer & dryer is located in the hallway near the guest bedroom and across from the extra half bathroom. There are two coat closets with automatic lighting. (open the door - light comes on, shut the door - light goes out!) The guest bedroom has two full beds and wall mounted flat screen TV. The guest bedroom has its own full bathroom and walk-in closet. The "C" suites have the largest second bedroom of all suites. Another nice inherited feature of the "C" suites is that their door to the common hallway is separate from all other suites for a little more of a private setting.
