Suttons Bay

Suttons Bay is an easy village to do on foot or by bike. The beach and marina on Grand Traverse Bay are a short walk from the main street, and the paved Leelanau Trail starts at the edge of town and runs 17 flat miles to Traverse City. One day covers the beach, the shops and a ride. A second day is for tasting rooms, a sail on the bay or the drive across to Leland.

Getting there and getting around

M-22 runs through the village along the bay shore, and M-204 heads west across the peninsula to Lake Leelanau and Leland. By our routing estimates, the drive takes about 3 hours 5 minutes from Grand Rapids, about 5 hours 15 minutes from Detroit and about 6 hours 30 minutes from Chicago. See getting here and the M-22 route for the drive.

Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is the nearest airline airport, which our estimate puts about 35 minutes away by car.

Once you are here, the car can stay put.

• On foot. Downtown, Marina Park and the marina sit close together, and the village bills itself as walkable.
• Bikes. The Leelanau Trail ends at the 4th Street trailhead in Suttons Bay. From May to October, BATA’s Bike-N-Ride buses carry bikes and stop at the Suttons Bay Library, so you can ride one way and bus back. Check BATA’s schedule before you count on it.
• By boat. The Suttons Bay Marina books transient slips through Dockwa, and July stays are transient only. The village lists a May 15 to October 15 season.

Where to eat

Suttons Bay mixes year-round places with summer-only ones, and a few have changed hands or names lately. Check before you go.

• Cantina TwentyTwo. The newest sit-down option: a Mexican-inspired restaurant that opened in June 2026 in the former North Country Kitchen and Bar on St. Joseph Street, under the same owner. It is built around its patio and water views, with house-smoked meats, seafood and margaritas.
• Martha’s Leelanau Table. The nicer sit-down dinner in the village, at 413 N. St. Joseph Street: French-inspired, farm-to-table cooking built on Leelanau produce and proteins from nearby farms. It serves dinner only. We’d reserve ahead; see its website for current hours and booking.
• Bay Pizzeria. Pizza, calzones, salads, sandwiches and cheese bread on Cedar Street, with dine-in and delivery. The owners also run Bay Burrito, which is turning into a food truck, and the pizzeria stayed open through the 2024-25 winter.
• 9 Bean Rows. A farm bakery and cafe off East Duck Lake Road that grew out of a CSA garden. It is known for sourdough loaves, stacked sandwiches with homegrown greens and, on summer evenings, wood-fired pizza. It was open on its usual schedule in 2025.
• Taqueria Las Lagunas. The village’s taco truck, back for the 2026 season and usually parked in the Barrels & Barrels lot on weekends. Check its schedule, since it sometimes takes a weekend off for private events.
• Hive Coffee Co. The village coffee shop. In late 2025 its owners announced Birdie’s Sandwiches, with soups, salads and sandwiches from the back of the shop.
• Dalzell Dairy. The ice cream stop on North St. Joseph Street, open for summer 2026.

For a glass of something local, Tandem Ciders has been making cider in Suttons Bay since 2008, Northern Latitudes Distillery reopened its tasting room in July 2026, and Grand Traverse Distillery opened a new tasting room in the village in June 2026.

Where to stay

The village pick is The Inn at Black Star Farms, an adults-only bed and breakfast on a winery estate just south of town, listed as open all year.

For vacation rentals and the full list, see places to stay in Suttons Bay.

Our picks

The Leelanau Trail Seventeen paved, flat miles to Traverse City past farms, woods and vineyards. Ride as far as you like and turn around, or take the bike bus one way in summer.

Marina Park beach The village beach on the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay, a short walk from downtown, with picnic tables, grills and a children’s play area.

A schooner sail on the bay Inland Seas Education Association, based in the village, runs public sails where you help raise the sails, take the helm and test the water. The 2026 season is over, and bookings for 2027 are open.

The Bay Theatre A historic downtown theater at 214 N. St. Joseph Street, saved by a nonprofit community group and now showing films and hosting live events. Check its schedule.

The Saturday farmers market Listed on Saturdays from May to October. Pair it with breakfast and a walk to the beach.

Wine and cider country The countryside around town is part of the Leelanau Peninsula wine region. Black Star Farms is just south of the village, and the cidery and distillery tasting rooms are in town.

Bahle Farms Golf Course An 18-hole public course in Suttons Bay Township, opened by the Bahle family in 1999. It typically opens around May 1.

One day, and two days

One day. Coffee at Hive, then a morning on the Leelanau Trail, riding south as far as you like and back. Spend the afternoon at Marina Park and browse the shops on St. Joseph Street. Finish with dinner at Martha’s Leelanau Table if you booked, on the patio at Cantina TwentyTwo, or pizza from Bay Pizzeria and a film at The Bay Theatre.

Two days. Start the second day with lunch at 9 Bean Rows, then visit a tasting room or two. In the afternoon, drive west on M-204 to Leland for Fishtown and a Lake Michigan sunset, or north on M-22 to Northport. In summer, swap the drive for a schooner sail.

With a third day, ride the trail all the way to Traverse City and bus back.

With kids, and on a rainy day

With kids. Marina Park has a play area and picnic tables right on the beach. The Leelanau Trail is flat and paved, so it suits young riders, and a schooner sail lets kids steer and haul lines. Dalzell Dairy and Bay Pizzeria cover the rest. The Suttons Bay Art Festival in August has a children’s area.

On a rainy day. Catch a film at The Bay Theatre and browse downtown, including the American Spoon shop that opened on St. Joseph Street in June 2026. Adults can spend the afternoon at the cidery and distillery tasting rooms in the village.

Best time to go

Summer is the busy season, when the marina is full and the trail is at its busiest.

• June. The Artisan Art & Wine Walk opens the season on a Friday evening, with artists in more than 20 shops, local drinks and live music.
• July. Tour de TART, a family ride of about 16 miles from Traverse City to North Park in Suttons Bay, is held in mid-July. The marina takes only transient boats in July.
• August. The Suttons Bay Art Festival fills Marina Park the first weekend of the month with about 100 artists, and the village’s sidewalk sales come soon after. Book rooms early for that week.

The shoulder seasons are quieter:

• May. Cherry blossoms and orchards along M-22 usually peak in mid-May, and the farmers market starts its season.
• September and October. Harvest season on the peninsula, with a Fall Art & Wine Walk downtown. The marina season runs to mid-October.

We’d pick June for a first visit: the Art & Wine Walk opens the season, the farmers market is running, and the July rush has not started.

Winter

Suttons Bay stays open as a year-round village, but it is quiet.

• Ski and fat bike. TART Trails grooms the Leelanau Trail from the DeYoung Natural Area to the 4th Street trailhead in Suttons Bay when conditions allow, for classic and skate skiing, fat biking and snowshoeing. Check the grooming report first.
• Stay. The Inn at Black Star Farms is listed as open all year.
• Food and films. Bay Pizzeria stayed open through the 2024-25 winter, Hive Coffee took only a short spring break in 2025, and The Bay Theatre makes an easy evening out. Tasting room hours change through the off-season; Northern Latitudes was closed for three months in spring 2026, so call ahead.

Hours, menus and schedules change, so check with each place before you go.