Charming Walloon Lake Cottage on the Water

Perched high on a hillside on Walloon's North Shore, this cottage has watched over the southernmost stretch of the lake for more than a hundred years. Updated over the generations, the cottage retains its original charm: the tree-lined setting, the expansive water views, and facilitating an authentic Up North summer.

Built in the early 1900s and in our family since the late 1920s, the house blends historic character - original fireplaces, wood floors, vintage cottage details - with modern comfort - an updated kitchen, large primary ensuite addition, Wi-Fi, and in-unit washer/dryer. The house can sleep up to 8. The main house features 4 bedrooms (1 king, 2 queen, 2 twin beds) and 3 baths. The detached guest house, steps from the main house, features 1 bedroom (2 queen beds) and 1 bath.

Outside, a new, large deck provides sweeping overlooks of the lake, and a private dock waits at the bottom of the hill. Bring your boat or rent one locally (available through marinas such as Walloon Central / Legacy / Bear Cove).

The house is situated about one mile from the Walloon Lake village, which is walkable and features the Barrel Back restaurant, the general store, and more. Boyne City, Petoskey and Harbor Springs are each a short drive for dining, shopping, and Lake Michigan beaches. Mackinac Island is about an hour away and worth the day trip.

Ernest Hemingway spent his boyhood summers on Walloon, and it became the setting for his Nick Adams stories. The landscape he wrote about - the water, the woods, the quiet - is the same one that surrounds the cottage.

~~~
Know Before You Book
We love this cottage and want you to love it too. Please review the items below and if anything sounds less like part of the charm and more like a dealbreaker, we'd rather you know upfront.

- This is a genuine century-old Walloon lakeside cottage. While it has been updated and expanded, it is worthwhile noting that it is not a new construction hotel or resort. Guests should expect the quirks of a historic cottage, such as vintage details and original floors that come with the occasional creak.
- The cottage sits on a tree-lined hillside. Over the course of your stay, you may encounter insects native to northern Michigan nature. Rest assured, the house is professionally deep-cleaned by our long-time housekeepers for every booking, and we maintain professional pest control service, but guests should understand that over the course of a week-long stay, no lakeside cottage can be guaranteed to be 100% insect-free.
- Accessing the lake from the house involves navigating 30-40 steps. Guests with mobility limitations should factor this in.
- Dock & Boats: Our dock is available for guests' use and will be vacant for your stay. There is a dedicated boat slip and a jet ski lift. A second boat can be tied to the opposite side of the dock. Rentals can often be delivered to the slip. Let us know if we can help provide marina recommendations.
- Water toys: A kayak and stand up paddle board are are available for guests' use. Other toys may be available for local rental.
- WiFi is robust and comes with 100+ Gbps speeds - more than enough for multiple people to simultaneously work remotely, browse the internet, and stream video.
- The house features fans in each bedroom, central heat and air conditioning, as well as baseboard radiator heating. The master bedroom can get warm during the day, but a large fan and opening the windows to let the lake breeze in helps a lot.
- Floor plan: one of the lakeside bedrooms sits between the living room and the primary suite, so guests in the primary will need to either pass through that bedroom or walk along the (covered) lakeside porch to access room from the porch.
- Weather is unpredictable. Summer storms can bring rain and drop leaves, twigs, and pollen on the deck and dock overnight. A leaf blower is available on-site and we'll gladly send help after a storm - just send us a note.

If anything above gives you pause, send us message before booking and we can address any questions you may have upfront.