Lakefront homes
Wake up by the water
The Lake Leelanau A-frame pairs lake-facing windows with direct frontage and a sandy lake bottom. Compare the exact shoreline, swimming and dock access before choosing your stay.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN · THE TRUE NORTH GUIDE
Pictured: Lakefront Sunset Retreat · Long Lake
Traverse City.
Make it your kind of trip.
Choose a good base, plan the days that matter and leave room for the unexpected.
Explore vacation homesA stay that feels like yours
Choose the home.
Then make the trip your own.
Room for the whole family. A lake to wake up beside. A place where the dog is welcome. Start with what matters to your trip, then compare the individual vacation homes, cottages and residences that fit.
Pet-friendly stays
Bring the dog along
Duck Lake Hideaway in Grawn offers five bedrooms, a fenced backyard and a pet-friendly policy with an additional fee. Check pet approval, limits and fees, then plan walks around the local rules.
Downtown stays
More time in town
A 539 Bay Street residence puts downtown Traverse City at the heart of the trip, with separate living space to return to. Compare the specific address with the places you want to visit on foot.
A quieter setting
Find a little breathing room
The Pondhouse near Fife Lake brings a private pond, wooded surroundings and an outdoor hot tub together. Review the photos and location for the outdoor space and privacy your trip needs.
Horse-show trips
Make the show your anchor
Choose your dates, guest numbers and route to Flintfields Horse Park first. Downtown Hideaway is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom east-side Traverse City home for up to ten guests. Check the route from the home to your daily show plans.
Family & friends
Bring your people together
Crawford Lake Retreat has five bedrooms for up to fourteen guests, with a main house and annex, each with its own kitchen and living room. Compare bedrooms, bed arrangements and gathering space with everyone in mind.
Another way to stay
Choose your base for a short stay
Start with the part of the trip you want to repeat: downtown time, an East Bay outing or a village stay. Compare the exact address with your plans for the day and evening before choosing a room or residence.
539 Bay Street
For a downtown base, compare the individual residences at 539 Bay Street beside West Grand Traverse Bay. Check the walking route to your plans, parking and the exact residence’s entry and sleeping arrangements.
Compare Bay Street residencesBay Street building guide
Gold Coast Inn
For a hotel-room base, compare Gold Coast Inn’s room types on U.S. 31. If beach time is part of the trip, plan a drive to a public beach; beach access is not a private amenity of the inn.
Compare Gold Coast roomsGold Coast room guide
The Shores of Grand Traverse
For a condo beside East Grand Traverse Bay, compare The Shores’ individual layouts and outlooks. Kitchens and kitchenettes vary; Grand Traverse Resort pool and hot tub access are not included with a True North reservation.
Compare Shores condosThe Shores inclusions & arrival
The Birches
For a Lake Leelanau village base, compare The Birches’ individual residences. Plan your day in the village or peninsula first, then check the route if downtown Traverse City is on the itinerary.
Explore The BirchesMeet the five residences
Northern Michigan · Places, stays & local discoveries
More than Traverse City.
Find your place up north.
From the Leelanau Peninsula to the inland lakes, choose the setting that makes your trip. Connect a day out with the actual home or residence you'll return to.
Leelanau, Northport & the peninsula
Shape a day around Northport's village and waterfront, the trails and lighthouse at the peninsula's tip, or the villages and wine country around Lake Leelanau. The Birches offers five individual residences in downtown Lake Leelanau; our private-home portfolio also includes a Lake Leelanau A-frame and a Cedar chalet.
Explore The BirchesLake Leelanau waterfront A-frameSugarloaf Chalet · CedarRead the Lake Leelanau guideSuttons Bay & West Bay guideNorthport & Omena visitor information ↗Traverse City & the bays
Start with a waterfront walk, downtown dining or an East Bay beach day. Choose a private Long Lake home, a downtown residence at 539 Bay Street, a Gold Coast Inn room or a Shores condo to suit your trip.
Explore Traverse City-area staysLocal activitiesRestaurants & diningAttractions & day tripsTorch Lake & the inland lakes
Explore our homes around Torch Lake, Kewadin, Alden and Rapid City, or choose a quieter base around Kalkaska and Fife Lake. Review the exact listing for shoreline, dock and boat-access details.
Torch Lake-area staysCrawford Lake Retreat · KalkaskaThe Pondhouse · Fife LakeArcadia & a Sleeping Bear day
Explore a beach setting in Arcadia or plan a separate day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Check the park's current conditions and visitor information when planning trails and beach access.
Arcadia beach chaletSleeping Bear Dunes visitor information ↗More Leelanau discoveries ↗Choose your accommodation in its named town, then check the route to the places you want to visit. Your exact listing confirms the amenities, dates and current availability.
Give each day a little breathing room
A city day
choose a waterfront walk, some time downtown and one dinner you are looking forward to. Keep the rest flexible.
A peninsula day
group your stops in one area. Use the Lake Leelanau and Suttons Bay and West Bay guides to shape the route.
An outdoors day
decide on the trail, beach or park first, then check current conditions. The Sleeping Bear Dunes planning page covers park passes and practical visitor information; TART Trails publishes route information and updates.
Find the experience that makes the trip
Explore our Traverse City activities guide, then build a day around bird watching, fishing, horseback riding, sightseeing or a quiet wildlife walk. Each guide includes practical planning information and places to stay.
Keep exploring our local attractions, restaurants and trip ideas. For an indoor family outing, check the current Curiosity Place museum location.
Coming for the horse shows?
Plan the stay around the schedule at Flintfields Horse Park: the nights you need, daily travel, guest numbers and a comfortable place to return to. Start with our horse-show accommodation page and the organiser’s current visitor information. Verify the route from the specific home before booking; an area label does not guarantee a particular drive time.
Useful reading, organised around decisions
In town for a hospital visit? Here are furnished stays near Munson Medical Center.
A flexible three-day Traverse City itinerary — a city day, a regional outing and space for the weather.
How to plan a Traverse City horse-show stay — dates, location, sleeping arrangements and useful checks.
The True North journal — browse the latest planning stories and property advice.
Find the right stay
Search with the total number of guests, including children, and the nights you actually need. Open the exact accommodation to check its bed configuration, photos, layout and rules. Review the final price and cancellation terms before completing payment. If several households are travelling together, ask the team to help coordinate suitable separate accommodations.
If the choice is between several areas, tell the guest team which part of your trip matters most. A quieter base, a particular bedroom setup or a daily event destination can be more useful than simply asking for the “best” location.
Own a property in the area?
A good guest experience begins with the right property, a clear offer and reliable operations. Explore True North’s management approach or request a property-specific revenue analysis to discuss your asset and goals. Projections depend on the home, availability, condition, market and operating assumptions.
The True North guide
Detailed Northern Michigan outing and arrival guides
Start with the kind of day you want. Explore the guides below, then use your dates, your group and the exact place you are staying to make it your own.
- Arrive and settle in
- Villages of Leelanau
- Old Mission and the local table
- The Sleeping Bear coast
- Time beside the water
- Trails and natural places
- A different kind of day
- A day farther afield
Arrive and settle in
Start with the practical pieces, then leave room to enjoy your first day.
Villages of Leelanau
Plan a village day around the places you most want to see.
Old Mission and the local table
Choose the peninsula outing, a market visit or an orchard stop that suits your dates.
The Sleeping Bear coast
Choose a village, a trail or a park visit before filling the rest of the day.
Time beside the water
Compare the outing itself, including access and the needs of your group.
Trails and natural places
Pick a route that fits the group and the conditions.
- Bellaire outdoors: choose a wetland boardwalk or a wooded hill walk
- Beulah and Crystal Lake: plan a short trail outing with a lakeside pause
- Arcadia Dunes: choose the Overlook Trail when the view matters more than the climb
- A short TART ride from East Bay: choose your segment before you set off
- Boardman Lake: choose a short shoreline walk or the full loop
- Brown Bridge Quiet Area: choose a short woodland route before a longer river walk
- Your first Vasa outing: choose the right trail and keep the route modest
- Yuba Creek Natural Area: choose the overlook or a longer valley walk
A different kind of day
Make space for performances, quieter outings and a change in the weather.
- A Rainy Traverse City Day with Children: Choose One Good Indoor Anchor
- An Interlochen performance day: plan the venue first and leave room for the lake
- Hickory Hills in winter: choose a shared plan when not everyone skis
- A small Fife Lake history outing: choose a museum visit or a self-guided walk
- A Quiet Woodmere Library Afternoon in Traverse City
- A Northern Michigan Day with Your Dog: Choose the Outing by the Rules
A day farther afield
Decide which destination deserves a day of its own.
- Frankfort on a changeable day: choose beach time, art or a waterfront walk
- Petoskey from a Traverse City Stay: Give Downtown and the Waterfront a Day
- Charlevoix’s Three Waterfronts: Choose the Setting for Your Day
- A Gentle Boyne City Day Beside Lake Charlevoix
- Harbor Springs and M-119: Plan the Outing Around Current Road Conditions
- A Mackinac Island Day Trip from Traverse City: Make the Go-or-Wait Decision