Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor is a go-to spot for burgers, beers and—if you’re in the mood—shots of liquor. On Wednesday, May 5, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. it’s also a great spot to receive free COVID-19 vaccination shots. No appointments are necessary. Staff from the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department will be on hand to administer Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots to anyone age 18 or older.
The bustle of late-May and the annual race toward Memorial Day weekend are obvious at businesses in Glen Arbor. Of course, there is NOTHING normal about this holiday weekend—the typical start to the tourism season in Leelanau County. The state, the nation, and the world remain on virtual lockdown—and yet, restaurants and bars in Northern Michigan were suddenly given the exclusive green light by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Monday to reopen today. No one knows how busy—or not—this Memorial Day weekend will be.
Local businesses are showing signs of life, despite the global coronavirus pandemic and statewide shutdown. Art’s Tavern and Blu in Glen Arbor are both open for curbside service, as are Leland’s Riverside Inn and Empire’s Friendly Tavern.
On Saturday, November 23, an unprecedented event occurred in Glen Arbor. An old abandoned graveyard came alive again, thanks to some very caring folks from here and from Interlochen.
Having tested the waters in other climes, Leelanau County local Mike Gauthier boomeranged back home from South Carolina for good in 2002. He has been slingin’ beers and mixin’ drinks behind the bar at Art’s Tavern since 2008.
Click the photo for a tasty list of area restaurants, grouped by town, including descriptions, photos, locations and contact information, and reviews.
Art’s Tavern has been located at the corner of Lake Street and M22 is some form or another since before prohibition. Originally called the Blue Goose Saloon when run by Frank Sheridan, it was renamed by Frank’s son Art when he took over after his father’s accidental electrocution in 1934.
Join your fellow hearty northern Michiganders for Glen Lake Winterfest, held by the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce, on Saturday, Feb. 16 (President’s Day Weekend). Festivities include a perch fishing contest and chili cook-off on the deck at Boondocks.
Just before Christmas, Ian Olmsted and a team from Peninsula Solar completed the installation of 70 rooftop solar panels above the Art’s Annex, the former gas station turned t-shirt shop next to the popular tavern in downtown Glen Arbor. The solar array will generate 30,000 kilowatt hours annually —satisfying 15-20 percent of Art’s energy load.
What it was like for this diehard baseball fan to watch the seventh and deciding game of the 2016 World Series last Nov. 2, between my beloved Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, and the literary armageddon that followed.