Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan: Suttons Bay, Traverse City, Marion/Power/Bassett Island, Northport

August 2020, 8 nights 

I have previously written several posts about all of these areas with information, so this post will not have as much detail. You can click on the labels at the end of this post for areas you are interested in for more details.

Sunset from our slip at Suttons Bay facing west and east (below)

Marinas: Suttons Bay, Duncan L. Clinch (Traverse City), G. Marsten Dame (Northport)

We stayed at Suttons Bay marina for four of our eight nights, as this is our favorite marina. Great staff, great rates, well maintained, and nice beach/park next door. The rate was $2 higher per night than previous years, which is still reasonable. COVID-19 protocols were in place, and we did not encounter any issues. 

Sunset in Traverse City from our boat slip on the walkway
at Duncan L. Clinch Marina

After our 1-night stay at Traverse City marina this year, we have no desire to stay there ever again. We have stayed there 10 nights or more the last several years, and this is the first time we were made to feel like we needed to grease someone's palm to get service. A boat slip at this marina costs $45 per night (quite steep for our 25' cuddy boat), which is the same as the charge to park on the wall. Parking on the wall does not provide a two side tie up, and the wall is a public walkway, making it less private than a boat slip. It is also a half mile walk to the bathroom! When we asked about a slip for the night after getting fuel, staff said, yes, they had a slip (for sure, he thought). He just had to make a couple calls to confirm, etc., etc. Basically, it sounded like he was doing us a favor by getting a slip for us. First, he said we could stay at the gas dock while he checked (it was not busy early afternoon on a Tuesday), then he said we could move over to the shopper's dock to wait, next, he said we needed to move to the wall, and he would let us know. There were no other customers or boats at the gas dock, as he verbally changed us from one location to the next. By the time we moved, we had decided that he was not really checking for us at all. We had paid for a slip and given our telephone number before moving to the wall. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I walked back over to check about 30+ minutes later before we headed to town. I received the same treatment from the next attendant at the gas dock. And then, he tried to charge us for the slip again! I am glad we had not paid cash. Not only was this the worst treatment we had ever received, I am pretty sure that if we had paid cash, the attendant would have pocketed the money, as he did not provide any documentation of our slip rental. He gave us a verbal bath code, after we requested it. We have always stayed on D dock before, and there was at least one slip available on that dock during our entire stay; either 78 or 79...I do not recall for sure which slip number. There were also many slips on other docks; however, I realize those are usually available for larger boats. We have no complaints about docking on the wall when that is the only option available; however, when it happens because we did not give the person [supposedly] doing his job extra gratuity, then we are not happy about that.

Traverse City boat ramp/launch area August 2020

The boat launch in Traverse City was quite flooded during our stay. It was still being used, although people had to be careful of the teenagers jumping off the boat ramp wall into the water.

View from north picnic area at Northport marina

The service at Northport marina was not much better than it had been in Traverse City. We were not quite close enough for me to get off on the dock when we pulled in (I have short legs at only 5'2" tall; I know my husband could have jumped off), although we were close enough to hand the line over. I was standing on the edge of the boat with a coiled line in my hand. Staff gave us a blank look with no offer of assistance. The attendant walked back inside after we said we wanted to get a slip and two bags of ice, so my husband realigned us to get closer to the dock. The attendant came back out again, and pointed to a slip on a dock behind us. I asked if we could dock to pay for our ice and slip. I mean, good grief! Why would we want to carry two bags of ice up and down two docks after walking back over to pay?!? She said yes, and started to walk away again. I asked if she could take our line, and then she did. My husband secured the boat, while I went in to pay and then get the ice. This staff member gave me a receipt; however, she did not provide the bathroom code or internet password until I asked if we needed one.

North side of Northport marina from picnic area

Other than the less than hospitable service, this is a nice marina. There is a beach and park area on the north and south side of the marina. The bathrooms are spacious with several showers, and they have laundry facilities. There is a grocery store a block away, a couple of dining options, and shops nearby, as well.

North arm of Bassett Island

We anchored out for two of our eights nights in the bay; one night at Bassett Island, and the other night in Suttons Bay, south of the marina. There were other boats anchored in both areas, although there was more activity at the island. The north arm of Bassett Island was mostly under water from the heavy rains, and the outhouses were closed. 

Wineries, breweries, dining

In Suttons Bay/Leelanau Peninsula area we visited Leelanau Wine Cellars, Blustone Vineyards, L. Mawby, HopLot Brewing, and Mitten Brewing.

Leelanau Wine Cellars and Knot Just a Bar from Omena Bay August 2020

You can get to Leelanau Wine Cellars and Knot Just a Bar in Omena by boat, although there is not always dockage available. The docks were under repair when we visited. No one was working, and there was enough room for two smaller boats in that condition. It was also calm enough to anchor in the bay.

Blustone Vineyards menus (please pardon the wrinkles!)

We had great service at Blustone Vineyards once we got a table. The view, comfort, and wines were all great, as well. We initially arrived a bit before 2:00 PM without a reservation. The host said we had to make a reservation online, and that she could not help us. She said there were not any tables available until 3:00 PM. We had no cell reception at the winery, so I made a reservation online after we left. The website showed me availability at 2:00 and 2:30. We decided upon 2:30, and returned a bit later. We were given the same empty "reserved" table I had seen when we arrived the first time just before 2:00 PM! Our server provided great service, explaining each wine as he brought it. Between the four of us, we tried both of their flights, including the dessert wine, and we left with a few bottles of wine.

The reservation we had made at L. Mawby did not go through correctly, so we were unable to stay. We ended up just going in there to purchase a couple bottles of wine. Their sparkling Redd is one of my favorite wines!

View from our table at Mitten Brewing in Northport

Hop Lot Brewing is within walking distance of Suttons Bay marina. It is usually busy on the weekends, and we had to wait briefly for a table. Good food and good beer! Mitten Brewing is in Northport only two blocks from the marina. We were one of the first customers to arrive after they opened at noon on a Monday. It was almost full when we departed less than an hour later. I had read that there is usually a food truck there; however, there was no food when we were there. 

In Traverse City we visited Rare Bird, Grand Traverse Distillery, The Market Bar/Middlecoast Brewing, and Green House Cafe. We used coupons from our Michigan Brewvine Passports for all of the locations except the cafe.

We have always enjoyed visiting Rare Bird, and this visit was no exception. Great food, beer and service. We love their tacos! We also had a great experience at Grand Traverse Distillery. Excellent service and cocktails! This location was empty when we arrived, and very busy when we departed. 

Lousy growler fill at The Market Bar/Middlecoast Brewing

We stopped at The Market Bar to get our growler filled, using a $3 coupon from the Brewvine Passport. This was the worst fill we have ever gotten; it looked like the bartender deducted the $3 from the fill, and then she closed it with duct tape--wow! After we left, we wished we had given her the growler back to have it filled correctly. What an embarrassment to this company. It has made us not want to visit again. 

Breakfast at Green House Cafe in Traverse City

We ate outside at Green House Cafe. The food was good, although my poached eggs were overcooked. They were more like soft to hard boiled. I did not send it back, because we had waited over 20 minutes for our food. I also had an eggshell in my food. My husband always says, if something like this is going to happen, it will happen to me! 😳 One time, we were among a group of three or four couples who were not given seats on a dinner cruise we had booked because they were overbooked. We were not the last ones to board; this happened when they scanned our tickets, and then pulled us aside (randomly selected, it appeared)--but that is another story. 

We had a great trip, and love to visit beautiful Grand Traverse Bay! Let me know if you have any questions. Safe travels to all!