Features

Distillery Ups and Downs of 2025: Craft Spirits Industry Is Shifting, but Not Shaken

Northern Latitudes, Grand Traverse Distillery, and Iron Fish share a snapshot of their year

By Todd VanSickle | Nov. 29, 2025

In late October, scores of people bellied up to the bar to sample a variety of spirits made at Northern Latitudes’ new 11,300-square-foot distillery, bar, and restaurant in Lake Leelanau, just a short walk to The Narrows. Throughout the day, a steady drove of customers stopped in to show their support by sipping $12 cocktails and noshing on large charcuterie boards. With such an overwhelming turnout, the grand opening would suggest that … Read More >>

A Very Merry Bellaire

Nov. 29, 2025

Bellaire will be sparkling this Saturday, Dec. 6, as the 16th annual Light Up the Night & Soup Cook-Off takes over downtown. Follow the floats and sleighs in the parade to the Christmas tree lighting, followed by the soup extravaganza, where 11 local chefs will compete for your vote. (Tickets are $15 at participating local establishments.) Santa will be on hand, and there will be plenty of festivities—think a marching band, live … Read More >>

Writing a Heartfelt Card

Stuff We Love

Nov. 29, 2025

They say that letter writing is a lost art, but Thrive 45° Young Professionals Group and the Petoskey Chamber are hoping to bring it back. They’re hosting the 6th annual Heartfelt Holiday Card and Letter Drive with the goal of collecting 1,500 letters for area seniors. Here’s how to participate, per their press release: “Using colorful cards or stationery, write a short, generic message. Messages should be positive, supportive, and respectful. It … Read More >>

Three Holiday Shopping Sprees (and Trees!)

Nov. 29, 2025

Head north of the 45th parallel this weekend for three chances to get all your holiday shopping done weeks before you’re putting presents under the tree. First up is the inaugural A Very Bay Harbor Christmas, Dec. 4-7, complete with a Hallmark star meet-and-greet, a “running of the Grinches” (which must be seen to be believed), a holiday market, boutique shopping, and arts and crafts for the family. Details at bayharbor.com/christmas. Then … Read More >>

Send In Your Summer Camp 2026 Dates!

Nov. 29, 2025

Early in 2026, we’ll be putting out our “Kids & Camps” issue, which will include our annual round-up of summer camps in the area. Help us make sure we don’t miss a single one in our 13-country coverage area: Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Otsego, and Wexford. Shoot an email with the subject line “Summer Camp” to info [at] northernexpress [dot] com with the name … Read More >>

Christmas at the Lighthouse

By Jamie Kauffold | Nov. 29, 2025

See the Grand Traverse Lighthouse all dressed up for Christmas at the Holiday Lights Hike at Leelanau State Park campground and around the lighthouse, Dec. 5-6 from 5-8pm. New this year is Santa’s Workshop in the Fog Signal Building, where kids can make crafts to take home, as well as the “Parade of Trees” throughout the property and historic buildings. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 children, and $25 for a family of … Read More >>

Northern Michigan’s Toys for Tots Network Braces for Record Need

Navigating the Happiest (and Hardest) Time of the Year

By Kierstin Gunsberg | Nov. 22, 2025

As so many best-places-to-visit lists will tell you, there’s nowhere quite like northern Michigan. Mike Kent, assistant coordinator for Toys for Tots Northwest Michigan, agrees—but not just because of our beaches, bays, and food scene. “We live and work in an extremely generous community,” he says. “And in the years that I have been doing this program, we have never fallen short.” That’ll be true again for Toys for Tots this holiday … Read More >>

A Morning at the Mercato

Explore more than a dozen shops at the Commons

By Molly Cox | Nov. 22, 2025

Beneath the yellow brick and red spires of The Village at Grand Traverse Commons is The Mercato, the Italian word for “market.” Tucked into the lower level of Building 50—the main building of the hundred-year-old former asylum—are 15 small stores selling treasures you won't find anywhere else. We spent a day exploring the Mercato to help you find the best places to find gifts for everyone on your list (including yourself). B50 … Read More >>

Doing the “Wright” Thing

For one day only, this Petoskey man’s Wright Brothers Museum showcases impressive memorabilia collection

By Eric Cox | Nov. 22, 2025

It was 1956. David Russell was a quiet, wide-eyed seventh grader at Petoskey Junior High, and he’d just been asked to stay after class by his history teacher, Miss Arlene Van Ness. What had he done, he wondered, to warrant this apprehension? He searched his mind, but could recall no classroom mishap or lapse in good behavior. Yet, there he remained, at his desk, waiting to hear his fate. “Do you like … Read More >>

Game On!

Exploring northern Michigan’s playful side

By Lourin Sprenger | Nov. 22, 2025

This year, the best gift might come in a box topped with a bow…and then unfold on a tabletop, in a burst of laughter, strategy, or quiet concentration. Across northern Michigan, local game shops are bringing people together, not just through cards, dice, and puzzles, but also through good old-fashioned fun. Whether it’s the satisfying click of a puzzle piece fitting just right, the friendly rivalry of a Magic tournament, or a … Read More >>