Join Kyle Bagnall and Michelle Fournier for a winter adventure that combines the beauty of Northern Michigan’s winter wilderness with an historical dining experience you’ll never forget! We'll depart Chippewa Nature Center at 8am on Saturday for a snowshoe hike at Leelenau State Park. We'll walk on the icy shore of Lake Michigan and along foot trails which wind through woodlands of spectacular beauty. After the hike, we'll explore the grounds of  the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.

After working up an appetite, we'll enjoy an authentic 1910 historic dinner at Hillside Homestead Historic Farmstay. Owner Susan Odom will prepare a special meal especially for our group. She explains, “You'll be transported back to a simpler time with cuisine made from scratch on an authentic wood-fired cook stove. You will dine by oil lamplight on locally-sourced food lovingly made from historic recipes while seated in the dining room. The menu features historic recipes with a focus on seasonal and local foods with homemade cakes, breads, pies, jams, jellies, and pickles. Help out with the cooking if you like. Learn how to use a wood cook stove, retrieve refreshments from the icebox, and pull the last dish from the oven. Or just relax and enjoy the parlour amusements, pump organ, phonograph, and games that go along with your Suttons Bay dining experience.” Hillside Homestead has been featured in Traverse Magazine, MyNorth.com and Designtripper.com. For more information, visit http://hillsidehomestead.com

On Sunday, we’ll take a shorter snowshoe walk on trails at the Grand Traverse Commons Natural Area.  This  park winds through woodlands and meadows adjacent to the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, a redevelopment of the old Traverse City State Hospital. This project is one of the largest historical preservation developments in the country. After our walk, we'll take some time to explore the array of eclectic shops and eateries in this unique setting.

Logistics: Room rates assume shared occupancy at the Country Inns & Suites. If registering for this trip with a roommate, please indicate at time of registration.  If no indication is given, room assignments will be made for you. Trip fee includes hotel room, Hillside Homestead dinner, park admission and transportation. Continental breakfast is included at hotel. Participants will be responsible for other meals and snacks on the trip. CNC snowshoes and poles are available for loan at no extra charge (please request at registration). All participants must be in good physical condition and able to snowshoe about four miles in moderately hilly terrain.  A suggested gear list and more information will be mailed to participants before the trip. If snow conditions are not favorable for snowshoeing, we'll still hike in boots.