I gravitate toward Leland's Fishtown every time I am in the area. It's my favorite little spot to chill by the dam, watching the fish, shopping, & good eats! It's a must when doing the M22 tour, or when you are visiting Traverse City. read more

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This is a pretty area to visit with lots of shops and nice restaurant on the water. Definitely recommend when the area.

Worth checking out! Great history here. The salt water taffy and cheese are some of the best I've had (way better than Frankenmuth's). Cutest bookstore I've been to in a long while... read more

Can't believe I hadn't visited Fishtown until literally this year after having lived in Michigan MY ENTIRE LIFE! This place is definitely a must visit whenever you're in the Traverse City/Sleeping Bear area - it's so cute! I've clearly taken up my own advice as I have gone to Traverse City 3 times this year already and visited Fishtown all 3 times as well haha. I can now safely tell you that I've experienced it in all 3 seasons - spring, summer, and fall! I'd definitely recommend going during the summer because that's when the town is actually open for the season! It was such a drastic difference between when my friends & I went in the spring vs. the summer. Spring was completely dead, only maybe 1 of the shanties were open, and there were literally no people here whatsoever. It was a completely 180 in the summer with ALL shanties open to explore, a TON of people milling about, and it made it way more fun! Highly recommend the Village Cheese Shanty for food (to-go), Rick's for food (sit-down), Blue Boat for coffee, South Beach for laying out, visiting all the shanties to explore the local art and goodies (Compass Co. for the most adorable products & Carlson's Fishery for fishy foods in particular!), and just vibing all around! Depending on when you go in the fall (I went in early October), it'll be more lively than in the spring (I went end of April). More shanties will be open, but some will have already closed for the season. Downtown Leland as a whole is so cute and so fun to explore in tandem with Fishtown as well. Highly recommend this place for everyone! It's dog-friendly, family-friendly, and just a ton of fun! read more

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Everything closed at 4. Most of the shanties appeared to house the general touristy t-shirt paraphernalia.

Great place to get some of the best clam chowder and cherry pie with a sunset and water to boot! The Coves restaurant is in historic Fishtown! Right on the water. This is the place to eat if wanting a view. read more

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Fishtown is right in the middle where a river drains to Lake Michigan, it really looks like something out of a movie. My family and I made great memories here. Its small and cozy, I think it's just perfect. People normally fish here too, right off the deck while enjoying a nice cup of coffee with a friend or family. The Cheese Shanty is just around the corner, perfect for quick bites, very delicious. There's plenty of benches around so you can really enjoy the vibe. Bring your favorite book or a fishing rod and experience something different here. The seasons bring different people to the area, there's always something to do here year round. Definitely recommend a trip here, such a beautiful place worth visiting. I will be planning a winter trip in a few weeks, keep an eye for that. read more

Fishtown - Such a warm and welcoming place, a must visit - Fishing Near Me - Leland, Michigan

Still wonderful. My favorite thing to do is grab a sandwich at the cheese shanty, some smoked whitefish from Carlson's, and take it down to the waterfront and picnic at the tables by the docks. Lovely rocking chairs can also be found by the municipal building on the waterfront. Lots and LOTS of tourists with dogs roam around here. If you have crazy dogs like mine that bark at every other pup they see, you might find hanging here fairly challenging. It's why I haven't spent as much time here as I have in years past. But it's still worth a visit every time I come to the area, we just have to be more strategic and take turns running into shops and distracting the pups. The things we do for our favorite places and our favorite pets! *shrug!* read more

Fishtown - Fishing Near Me - Leland, Michigan

This is a special little spot with weathered buildings that house specialty shops and a cheese store that makes homemade lunches to go. You can walk along the dock and view the dam. Fishtown is small and parking is limited. But it's worth checking out for its uniqueness. read more

Fishtown - Fishing Near Me - Leland, Michigan

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Cuuuuute! A little part of the little town of Leland, Michigan. We walked through a little bit on a cool afternoon, on our way to a spot to pick up some lunch and on our way to a winery to drink a bit and eat said lunch. If it had been a little nicer out, I would have pushed to walk around more and spend some time outside in the little neighborhood/strip of cute shops. If you are in the area, this area is at least worth a walk through, if not an afternoon of shopping, eating and enjoying! read more

Love it. This is a must stop for us every summer. You get a sense of history walking among the old buildings/shacks.

Enjoyed walking this community on a recent trip to Traverse city. Great spot to get good photos, trinkets of all sorts, food, candy, etc. two nice art stores and several restaurants ranging in price. Very picturesque and worth the drive up north. Make sure to stop by Verterra Winery before you leave! read more

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Greta's ! Tampico! Harbor House! Green goodness, Molly's, Haystack! Diversions There are also some really great places for men. But being a woman I'm not paying too much attention to that. Lol these stores are awesome great places to shop for gifts for loved ones partners yourself. Also make nice Momentos. There are so many stores in Fishtown in the whole little town of Leland that are all fabulous. I honestly don't like one more than the other. But the ones at the top are my favorite. The Cove has fantastic food beautiful view great sunsets good service. The Leland Lodge up the hill in town of Leland also has fabulous food. Tony West runs the food and beverage department up there and he has a fantastic crew of people working with him and for him they are all great the service is fabulous and their food is fantastic. With a beautiful view! read more

Great little historic spot in Leland. Very picturesque and often photographed and seen in travelogues. Right next to the public boat launch and protected by the breakwater. More activity in the warm months than cool months, but always neat. read more

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We read about how they are trying to preserve this old historic area and just had to visit. It's an amazing, quaint little area. There are lots of little shops and some of the old shanteys have been turned into shops. The prices are typical tourist but, if you know what you're looking at you can still get something reasonable. There are several restaurants there so you can spend the day there. They also offer boat rides, when the weather allows during the season. read more

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Fishtown is one of those places that are hard to imagine unless you actually visit them. This is a historic fishing site on the Leelanlau Peninsula, that has been preserved for hundreds of years. The local businesses along the pier include a sandwich shop, fish market and craft gifts. Fishtown is one of the places my aunt would love to visit on Lake Michigan. Small, historic, quiet, with quality food and shopping. read more

Fishtown - Fishing Near Me - Leland, Michigan

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I am not trying to get redundant with re-reviewing places but I waited a year to get back to Fishtown and I finally made it! This time I bought something for my wall at home for Leland and Fishtown to truly remember how amazing this place is! read more

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An awesome historical part of Leland, located right on the river. In fish town you'll find a candy store, a sandwich shop, a fish market, and several clothing and art boutiques. Find your way to fish town if you're in Leland or Leelanau County at all. read more

Fishtown is a super cool historical fishing village on the tiny town of Leland, MI. Full of shops, restaurants, and, y'know, fishermen, it's a great place to have dinner and spend an hour or so. If you're coming out here anyway, you should plan to head over to the public beach to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan. read more

Fishtown - Sunset from Fishtown - Fishing Near Me - Leland, Michigan

Nice small town with small shops, cheese shops, marinas and a great restaurant called "Cove." If you are in the area I would clearly stop in and have a drink, take pictures of the shops and do not miss the waterfall. read more

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It is our stop when "up north" A casual walk and a stop at Carlson's Fish market is a must. Their smoked white fish sausage is a little dry but excellent with a cold beer. (purchased at the nearby grocery store) Then siting and watching the boats come in is a perfect casual way to spend an hour or two. Ice cream at the store on the corner or a cup of coffee across the street sitting on a glider is a perfect way to end the afternoon. It ALL helps your life frustrations. read more

This sis nice area however it would nicer to see a boardwalk build to just along the edge. The cheese shanty was fantastic and probably best sandwich I ever had. Afterwards grab some ice cream from the "dam candy store".. It seems a bit touristy was great otherwise. read more

Unique atmosphere with lots of cute great shops. Try a Chubby Mary next to the waterfall with some whitefish pate. Great little spot. It will be busy during the whole summer so be prepared. read more

This is one cool town. We parked and walked down to the water. Went in for some cheese and smoked fish. It's a must. Really you have to do it. Lots of nice shops. read more

Very picturesque and fun...Carlson's Fishery, a working fishery that in addition to its retail operation provides a LOT of local whitefish to regional restaurants and markets...lots of little stores, housed in old fishing shacks, to explore during the tourist season and the first part of autumn...a couple of dining choices (the excellent Cheese Shanty; The Cove, which overlooks the village dam and where you can enjoy a Chubby Mary -- a Bloody Mary served with a smoked chub from Carlson's)...a marina and charter service to the Manitou Islands. One of our favorite times to visit is early October, when the salmon are running; you can stand on the pier and watch them jump the village dam, and it's also fun when one of the many fisherpeople who come out for the run catches one of these large fish. Is it touristy? Yes. Tacky? No. And the commerce is what helps preserve this very special part of Michigan history. read more