Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, the “pinky” of the mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula, is a beautiful, rolling area of apple and cherry orchards, sand ridges, humid pine forests and nautical lore. Situated on the main shipping channel between the ports of southern Lake Michigan (Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary) and the St. Lawrence Seaway, the coast is dotted with clear blue lakes, tall lighthouses and summer homes.

Whether hanging out in the marina town of Northport, picking cherries near Traverse City’s Cherry Festival, enjoying a cup of warm cider on a snowy winter afternoon or looking for the elusive fossilized Petoskey Stones, this is one of my favorite places in the world: a freshwater sea bordering dense, sandy forests.

Stop by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, go deep-water fishing out of Leland, or walk through the forest parks near Empire. Buy some cherries from a roadside stand and enjoy this beautiful part of Michigan.