Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear holds Heritage Tours
From staff reports
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB), an official partner of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, is again offering ways for people to immerse themselves in the historic side of the park by offering Sleeping Bear Heritage Tours.
The nonprofit operates the Port Oneida Farms Heritage Center staffed with their volunteer docents from Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. The Center is located four miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22 and the Heritage Trail near Port Oneida Road. Tour the exhibits in the Olsen Farmhouse and barn, enjoy the gardens, or take one of their family-friendly excursion tours.
Historic Biking Tours includes three narrated tours, “Biking a by-gone Era” and “Peddling Port Oneida’s Past” — both in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. Guides share stories of the pioneers as bikers ride past pastures and farmsteads and are allowed inside some of the barns and outbuildings of this 19th-century farming community. “Secrets of D.H. Day’s Kingdom and Beyond” tours the outskirts of Glen Haven with stops of keen interest along the way. Bike tours run Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9:30 a.m. PHSB has partnered with Crystal River Outfitters for a discount on bike rental for guests needing bikes. A Wheels and Water package combines a bike tour and kayak rental.
Take a Horse and wagon tour and clip-clop through the Port Oneida agricultural community with tours running on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., July 12-Labor Day, and by appointment through the color season. Knowledgeable guides narrate along the ride in a padded carriage pulled by the team of Belgium horses.
Advanced registration required for all tours can be made online at phsb.org under programs, or by calling 231-334-6103. Costs range from $15–$28 per person.
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear has assisted the National Lakeshore in the preservation and interpretation of its historic structures and 19th-century heritage since 1998. Anyone interested in volunteering for preservation workshops, docents, tour guides, or gardeners, please email phsb@centurytel.net.
