A Tour Of Bay Harbor

In the early 1900’s Petoskey Portland Cement Incorporated occupied about five miles of waterfront on Little Traverse Bay just west of Petoskey.  For over 80 years they mined limestone and operated a massive cement plant.  Operations ceased in the 1980’s leaving a huge quarry scarring the shoreline.

In 1993, several parties joined together to undertake what would become the largest reclamation in North America. In 1994, simultaneous explosions demolished the cement plant smokestacks. Eight months later, the barrier between Bay Harbor and Little Traverse Bay was removed, and water rushed in forming Bay Harbor Lake.

And, up from the ashes the Village at Bay Harbor was born with its boutiques and restaurants where the former cement plant once stood. The Village is the center of the community, featuring such public elements as a marina, public observation platform and walking trails. Nearly one mile of Michigan shoreline and 70 acres of prime land were donated as public parks by Bay Harbor Company and are connected by five miles of non-motorized public nature trails.

Bay Harbor has over 1,200 acres with 25 neighborhoods occupying the five miles of Lake Michigan waterfront where the cement company once stood. There is 90 acres of sheltered harborage offering protection for 120 public boat docks along with 128 private residences which they refer to as "dockominiums".  Bay Harbor is a four-season luxury resort community which has a world-class deep water harbor, the Olympic caliber Bay Harbor Equestrian Club, and a 27-hole golf club designed by Arthur Hills which is hailed as “The Pebble Beach of the Midwest.”

(You can place your cursor over the pictures for descriptions.  Also, you can make the pictures larger by “double clicking” on them.)

     

“The Inn at Bay Harbor, a Renaissance Golf Resort, opened for guests in 1998 and is a magnificent lakeside retreat within the resort community of Bay Harbor.  The Inn at Bay Harbor affords guests the finest accommodations and services with 134 luxurious hotel rooms and suites, several cottages, an outdoor pool complex with a cabana bar, beach access to Lake Michigan, and one of the finest Michigan spa's.  There is, also, 45 breathtaking holes of championship golf, between the Bay Harbor Golf Club and the Crooked Tree Golf Club, along with award-winning restaurants and shopping in the Village of Bay Harbor.” (taken from their literature) 

     

We didn’t visit the Equestrian Club or any of the Golf Courses, maybe another time, but we did enjoy just strolling around both The Village At Bay Harbor and The Inn At Bay Harbor.  Our next stop will be Harbor Springs which is where we lived “back in the day”.  So be looking forward to some more pictures from around Little Traverse Bay on the Michigan shoreline. 

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - - -