Honor Motel

09/07/2026

Beautiful view! Just don’t get stuck at the bottom!

The dune climb at Sleeping Bear looks completely manageable from the parking lot. It is not. It has humbled marathon runners and delighted every single person watching from the bottom. 🏜️

These dunes sit 450 feet above Lake Michigan in places, built by glacial sand and 10,000 years of wind pushing it inland. The Anishinaabe story behind the name is about a mother bear who swam across the lake from Wisconsin ahead of a fire, made it to shore, and lay down on the bluff waiting for her two cubs who never arrived. North and South Manitou are the cubs. That story is older than anything else we have out here. 🐻

And then you get to the top, and the lake opens up in that impossible turquoise band over the sandbars, and you forget your legs entirely for a minute. Nobody makes that climb without stopping halfway to pretend they are admiring the view. 💙

When did you last make it to the top of a Michigan dune, and did you go down running???

09/01/2026

We love that weldon coffee is walking distance from us! ☕️

In-house roasted beans, house-made syrups, local ingredients, and personal service make this easy-to-miss Northern Michigan coffee shop a memorable roadside stop.

08/01/2026

🛶 we couldn’t agree more. This is a must do experience.

One of Michigan’s most memorable experiences is floating the Lower Platte River, where you can drift through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore before reaching Lake Michigan and a beautiful sandy beach with distant dune views on an inner tube! Riverside Canoes in Honor, located beside the river on M-22, rents tubes, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and other equipment for exploring this clear northern Michigan waterway. Its most popular tubing route begins at the Weir, reached by shuttle and a short walk along a gravel road, then continues for roughly two to three hours. The river stays shallow and easygoing, with no rapids, making the trip a relaxing choice for families, friends, and first-time tubers. Along the way, you can watch for wildflowers and Great Blue Herons near the wooded banks while enjoying sunny openings and peaceful scenery. The finish is unforgettable, as the river spills into Lake Michigan near Platte River Point with wide blue water and Sleeping Bear Dunes beyond. Riverside also has the shorter one-hour Loon & Walk trip. Rental choices include handled tubes, ropes for connecting your group, floating cooler tubes, and required Coast Guard-approved life jackets for children age eight and younger.

07/21/2026

More greatness happening at the sleeping bear dunes!

No, those aren’t cotton balls with legs running around on the beaches.

It’s hard to believe, but those are actually piping plover chicks. And here at Sleeping Bear Dunes, there are quite a few of them!

47 chicks have fledged this season, and that number could continue to grow. At 23 days old, fledged chicks can fly and are more likely to avoid predation.

Remember those plover pairs from April? They’ve been quite busy these past few months. “Chick” out these updates:

GOO and BbL (Bubble) went steady this season, fledging 3 chicks!

OGY and LVY also fledged plover triplets.

YOV and bbO (Baby-O) apparently wanted in on the triplet parenting, because they fledged 3 chicks as well.

As for bVR and ORX? Well…that’s where the plover drama comes in. bVR’s old boo-thang, YOYO, swooped back in to claim her man, and they fledged two chicks this season. Congrats to the happy couple! (Sorry, ORX.)

At this point in the season, chicks might be anywhere on the beach.
Here’s what you can do to help them:

Keep beaches trash free. Trash can attract plover predators, especially ravens and crows.

Make sure dogs are leashed and brought only on permitted beaches.

Obey all plover fencing and signage.

Give plovers space! If you see them, stay at least 100 feet away.

Soon, chicks will begin to fly south. If you’re out in the park and encounter these endangered birds, make sure to wish them well on their journey!

NPS Photo/V. Cavalieri

07/18/2026

Not many views like this one!

07/10/2026

Pickle lovers look no further!

🥒🎬 VENDORS WANTED FOR PICKLEFEST: THE SEQUEL! 🎬🥒

‼️🚨‼️🚨ONLY trust emails from [email protected] We will NOT communicate from any other email address!!!!!!‼️🚨‼️🚨

The Original Northern Michigan PickleFest is back… and it’s kind of a big dill. 😎

Join us Friday, July 24 & Saturday, July 25 at the Cherry Bowl Drive-In for PickleFest: The Sequel, a weekend packed with pickles, movies, shopping, games, food, and thousands of smiling guests!

We’re looking for additional vendors to help make this year’s festival our biggest and best yet.

We’d love to hear from:
🥒 Artisan & handmade vendors
🥒 Specialty food vendors
🥒 Pickle-inspired products
🥒 Farmers & farm markets
🥒 Boutique retailers
🥒 Home décor & gifts
🥒 Family-friendly activities
🥒 And anyone with something fun, unique, or delightfully pickle-y!

Food vendors and food product sellers are welcome! Please note that all food items must comply with applicable Michigan Cottage Food or commercial food production laws and regulations.

Interested in becoming a vendor?

📧 Email us at [email protected] for a vendor application and additional details.

Come be part of one of Northern Michigan’s most unique summer festivals. We can’t wait to see what you’ll bring to PickleFest: The Sequel! 💚🥒🍒

07/07/2026

How cool! 🪵 🪓

🪓 The Jack Pine Lumberjacks are coming to the National Coho Salmon Festival! 🌲

Get ready for one of the most exciting attractions of the weekend! We’re thrilled to welcome the Jack Pine Lumberjacks from Mackinaw City to Honor for the 2026 National Coho Salmon Festival.

Watch world-class lumberjacks go head-to-head in thrilling events like log rolling, axe throwing, crosscut sawing, speed climbing, and more. It’s fast-paced, family-friendly entertainment that showcases the incredible skill and tradition of Michigan’s logging heritage.

Whether you’re cheering on the competitors or seeing a lumberjack show for the very first time, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Join us August 21–22 in Honor as we celebrate “Reeling in a Good Time Since 1967.” Between the carnival, parade, bed races, live music, great food, and now the Jack Pine Lumberjacks, there’s something for everyone.

Who’s ready to yell “TIMBER!”? 🪵💪

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July! 🎆 Please everyone be safe and responsible.

250 years ago, two rugged peninsulas surrounded by the Great Lakes were not yet the state of Michigan, but they were a crucial strategic anchor during the American Revolutionary War.

Specifically, Fort Detroit and Fort Michilimackinac were controlled by the British and considered key bases for storing am******on and maintaining alliances with Native nations.

The lieutenant governor of Fort Detroit, Henry Hamilton, was a particularly aggressive leader who led devastating raids against American settlements in present-day Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Virginia. His goal was to divert George Washington's forces away from the main priority on the East Coast.

The American response came from Colonel George Rogers Clark, who launched campaigns from Virginia into the western frontier with the ultimate goal of capturing Fort Detroit. While he never achieved that mission, the threat from his troops kept the entire area on high alert until the end of the war.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, England ceded the Michigan territory to the new United States, but did not actually pull troops out for another thirteen years.

Today, as we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we remember those who served and acknowledge the often unsung role that Michigan played in shaping the United States of America from the very beginning.

06/21/2026

🚨 We’re hiring! 🚨
We’re still looking to fill that last housekeeping position. Give us a call or message to inquire!

05/26/2026

In 2019, Mindi Jarman would have seemed the last person to one day own the last remaining drive-in movie theater in northern Michigan. She’d never even been to one.

Now she’s the proud owner of the 73-year-old Cherry Bowl drive-in along U.S. 31 in the village of Honor, southwest of Traverse City, and working on plans to restore and update the landmark in her second season of ownership.

Initially, they had to replace some of the poles with lights on top that hold the speakers that hook onto the cars. Beyond that, they did some basic fix-up and clean-up, touch-up painting and bulb replacement, with big projects scheduled for the next few years.

Work involves balancing the retro charm of old equipment while catering to those who want crystal clear sound. Besides the classic speakers, the drive-in offers broadcast sound over FM radio, and rents portable radios for those who want them.

The drive-in opened up last April and is set to stay open until late fall.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/arts-entertainment/cdb-cherry-bowl-drive-in-owner-20260519/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own