Finding Michigan’s Fishtown – and it’s Fabulous

I felt like a little kid saying "I want to go to Michigan's Fishtown". Let me explain: at the beginning of every summer here in Michigan I sit down with my wife and kids to figure out what we want to get done, where do we want to go, etc. For the last decade I’ve wanted to go Fishtown aka Leland, Michigan. And it finally happened. Let's go.

You’ll find fishtown in Leland, Michigan - on the Leelanau Peninsula. The town was named because the Leland river runs through the town, connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Leelanau. The natural connection for fishing and shipping made it a natural location for a fishing village - it really wasn’t until the 1930’s that Leland became more of a tourist destination. 

Anyone who’s been up around the Traverse City area knows the vibe, it’s just a relaxing weekend destination for people from all over Michigan (and beyond). We were staying down in Lake City (about a two hour drive), and cruising up the roads was as relaxing as I imagined it would be. Plenty of beautiful tree lined roads with fresh vegetable stands everywhere - I think it’s a requirement to have a stand out in front of your house with sweet corn (not complaining, we stopped at one and it was awesome). 

First off, as with any tourist destination in Michigan - pack your patience to find parking. This is a town that only has 400 or so full time residents, so you’re going to do a couple of laps before finding a good place to park. 

But once you do, it’s worth it. Looking down main street as people walk around checking out the shops (don’t be shy, go in and browse - incredibly nice shop owners). We made our way down towards fishtown, stopping at a wonderful restaurant known as “The Cove” (highly recommended by listeners). 

The bloody mary was perfect - and their version of a seafood chowder was amazing. We of course got some perch and I had the whitefish tacos. There’s something special about fresh fish, the texture, taste, everything – and both items were spot on. So yeah, we loved lunch…and the view was great as well. 

From there it’s a short (and I mean short) walk down amongst the shops and fishing charters of Leland. I should’ve planned better and worked out a half day fishing charter - always wanted to go on one. But back to fishtown: again I’ll use the “V” word (vibe), everyone’s in a good mood and with the breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan, how could you not love this place? I could feel my blood pressure lower as we walked around - stress of city life flowing away with the water on the Leland river. 

So yeah, I’d highly recommend a trip to Leland. It's a great road trip (and you know how much we love road trips on this show). Take your time, look around and soak it in. Then bring me back more sweet corn and a couple bowls of that chowder from The Cove.