HI,

Was hoping some Michiganders might see this post and give me some input on Lake Charlevoix.
We are thinking of renting a home out on the south arm of lake charlevoix..near east jorden for a short vacation. The renter says the home has a beach in front of the home.
Anyone know what the waters are like around that area? Is it rocky? Easy to wade around in? deep?
Is there any grocery stores around that we could pick up food at?
We have rented in petosky before but never this area.

suzanne

Oh my! I am from Michigan. Charlevoix is one of the most BEAUTIFUL places in michigan. I don't actually know much about Lake Charlevoix, but it is also on Lake Michigan. lake michigan in this particular area is just extraorinary. The water is very clear and you'll be able to find lots of petoskey stones (really fun especially if you have kids!) I am sure Lake Charlevoix is nice too. It is a great town for quaint shopping and sighseeing also. I would say it is particularly "ritzy" looking with all of the sailboats in the marina. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you go there. I don't know how familiar with michigan you are, but you can definitely take some nice day trips to Traverse City or the sleeping bear sand dunes national park. Or if you are up for a little more travel Mackinac Island is a must see.

Did I sell you on it? I want to go now.

Thanks springlakes for all the great info.

I feel much better about the choice of location now. I know northern michigan is very beautiful since we have vacationed in various places in the previous years. Funny enough though we knew nothing about this lake. Our initial choice was torch lake but finding a rental this late in the summer proved to be a challenge.
The last time we were up in the area we crossed the mackinac bridge but never visited the island. Our stay is going to be short so it's unlikely we will make it up there this time. I think we are planning on just staying put at the rental home and swimming our days away. We have visited traverse city a few years back and that was nice too.
I just find northern michigan so beautiful with all the trees and rolling streets. So unlike where i live.
Thanks again for putting my mind at ease about this location. I knew someone from Michigan would be here on CC and could possibly help us. I'll let you know how it went when we return. It turns out we rented the home for this upcoming week. Only four nights available for rental but we hope it will be filled with lots of relaxation and fun. Especially since we are driving around five hours to get there.
Suzanne

We rented on Torch Lake a couple of years back. The lake is very nice, but there really isnt much else to do around there. I think you'll actually prefer Charlevoix if you like the idea of getting out and about a little bit. We went to Charlevoix for our day trip from Torch lake. Hope you have fun!!

Well we are back from our vacation on lake charlevoix and it was wonderful. The area is sooo beautiful. We had a very relaxing time, the weather was beautiful. The home we rented was amazing and easily accomodated our group. The only thing that left something to be desired was the water around our home. While the owner had the most clearing of all the homes around, it still had alot of grasses growing in the water on both sides. We kinda felt we were in a national park or something.lol The water was pretty clear but the sand was absolutely soft and soupy..kinda felt like diarrhea between our toes..yuck. As long as we went out far enough we didn't have to feel that yucky feeling too long. While it bothered the adults it didn't bother the kids in the least. They were actually sitting in it, rubbing it all over them...yuck.
We drove a short distance to go to see downtown charlevoix and it was beautiful. Very busy and bustling with people. We walked several blocks and visited the numerous shops around. Very nice town. The marina across the way was impressive.
The drive was not as long as we had anticipated and was pretty straight forward. The home was remote enough to feel like you were tucked away from the noise yet close enough to a small grocery store in the event we needed more food.
Overall, it was an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable vacation.
Just thought i'd let you know how things went.

Suzanne

Glad you had a fun time. Next time you'll just have to venture over to Lake Michigan for nicer swimming I guess!

yes, we hear lake michigan waters are wonderful as well.