This place met every expectation for an idyllic week in August -- and we barely began to explore the options in the greater Traverse City area!
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The house was perfect for family, easily absorbing our nine adults & teenagers. (We could have added four more, without the house ever seeming crowded.) Downstairs, groups played pool in the game room, or gathered around the living room table or the card table, and we didn't even use all the sofas and chairs. Upstairs, we settled around the dining/living area sofas and the large dining table (easy room for ten adults, and four more could have sat at the island). There was always someone happily settled on the deck, which has ample tables for a dozen people playing, working, reading, lake-watching or dining. Meanwhile, the cottage down the walk to the beach provided a sweet getaway-within-the-getaway, for a quiet cup of coffee overlooking the lake (and changing rooms for swimmers).
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I spent most of my time in, on or next to the lake: I watched the fog burn off the surface at sunrise, swam and paddle-boarded in the afternoons, and built fires in the fire-pit at night. I considered learning the names of the many different evergreens and deciduous trees that shade the property, but in the end I was content just to paddle around under them.
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We didn't go out much -- we were in relaxing mode -- but we enjoyed the local groceries (highly recommend Oryana's) and strolling around downtown. Our one hike was a mile on the Cottonwood Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes: bring more water than you think you'll need, enjoy the spectacular views, and watch for monarch butterflies! Their food is the milkweed that grows in the sand.