Leelanau Peninsula Wine Country: A Visit Guide With a Separate Dispensary Stop

Keep the two apart

Alcohol and cannabis together are harder to predict than either one alone, and neither belongs behind the wheel. So plan them as separate stops. Do the tasting rooms one day. If you want to shop at Olswell, do that on another day or well apart from any drinking, and use cannabis, if at all, only on private property once your driving is done. Wineries are public businesses where Michigan does not authorize cannabis use, so leave it out of the car and off the grounds.

About the Leelanau Peninsula

The peninsula extends into Lake Michigan northwest of Traverse City. It is a cool-climate wine region, with tasting rooms that range from small boutique operations to larger producers. The nearby Old Mission Peninsula is a separate wine area. Winery hours, tasting fees and offerings change by season, so check current listings before you plan a route. The Leelanau Peninsula visitor site is a good place to start.

By road from Olswell Traverse City, Suttons Bay is about 17 miles, Empire about 25, Leland about 26 and Northport about 30.

Planning the wine day

Most visitors make their own route and visit a few wineries over a day. Use a map app so you are not doubling back.

A typical day: breakfast in Traverse City or on the peninsula, a first winery in late morning, lunch at a winery or restaurant, a second winery in the afternoon, then back to Traverse City for dinner.

Get home safely:

• Use a designated driver who does not taste
• Book a wine tour with transportation
• Use rideshare between wineries and restaurants

Pace yourself:

• Drink water between tastings
• Eat as you go
• Taste small amounts, and spit if you are visiting many rooms

Many wineries serve food or tasting plates, so check each one for what is on offer.

Where to stay

Options include properties in wine country, vacation rentals around the peninsula, and hotels and rentals in downtown Traverse City, close to dining. If you plan to use cannabis anywhere on your trip, confirm the lodging's policy before you book. Many hotels prohibit it, and vacation rentals vary, so ask the host.

The dispensary stop, separately

Olswell Traverse City is at 728 E Front St, downtown. The Olswell Traverse City store page has hours and directions.

• Order on the Traverse City live menu and pick up in store. You pay cash at pickup, and there is an ATM on-site. Orders are held until the end of the business day.
• Bring a valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.
• First-time customers get 25% off their first visit.
• Traverse City's Happy Hour takes 20% off the whole shop on Monday 5-9 PM and Thursday 9AM-1PM.
• Inventory rotates, so check the live menu for what is in stock. Olswell does not deliver.
• Cannabis must not cross state lines, so buy only what you will use in Michigan.

New to dispensaries? The first-time visitor guide for Traverse City walks through the visit.

A two-day plan:

• Day one, wine country. A designated driver or a ride, two or three tasting rooms, lunch, dinner back in town. No cannabis.
• Day two, downtown and the bay. Beach time, Front Street and a pickup at Olswell. Wrap up your driving for the day before any use, and only on private property that allows it.

Best times for the wineries

• Summer (June to August): warm weather, outdoor tasting and the biggest weekend crowds.
• Fall (September to October): harvest season and fall color, with moderate crowds.
• Winter (November to February): cold and snowy. Some wineries cut hours or close, so check ahead.
• Spring (March to May): some wineries do not fully reopen until later in spring, so check ahead.

Other things to do nearby

The peninsula sits close to other trips: beach time on Grand Traverse Bay, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, downtown Traverse City and the Cherry Festival in July. For the dunes, remember that cannabis is not allowed on federal land. See the Sleeping Bear Dunes guide and the Traverse City cannabis tourism guide.

Your next step

Order on the Olswell Traverse City live menu and pick up in store on a day you are not tasting wine.

Michigan cannabis tourism guide Torch Lake guide

For adults 21 and older only. Must present valid government-issued photo ID. Please consume responsibly.

Sources: Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency