This week’s glorious sunshine and shorts-ready temperatures have us feeling like we’re closer to summer than to winter. Fittingly, most local businesses that close down for winter are in the process of coming out of hibernation and reopening for another season of perfect weather and big tourist crowds. As the springtime switch occurs, the Leelanau Ticker has your guide to local seasonal businesses and their 2023 reopening plans.

Traverse City/Base of Leelanau

>Jeremy Smith, general manager of Jacob’s Farm, says the business “will open to the general public on Friday, May 26,” just in time for Memorial Day weekend. After that, Jacob’s Farm will be open weekends only through Sunday, June 11, before switching over to a seven-days-a-week schedule for the rest of the season. Hours will be 12-9pm on Saturdays and Sundays and 3-9pm on weekdays.

>Also making a comeback in time for Memorial Day is Paradise Cove Bar & Grill (formerly South End Tiki), which will open for the season on Thursday, May 25.

Suttons Bay

>Bay Burrito Company announced earlier this month it would kick off its 2023 season this Saturday, April 15, with doors opening at 11am. The first five customers through the door will receive free Bay Burrito Company t-shirts. The restaurant has been closed since November.

>Also likely reopening this weekend in Suttons Bay is Scoops 22. “We are hoping for April 15,” the ice cream stand tells the Leelanau Ticker. “Seasonal help is hard to get this early in the season, but April 15 is our target day.”

>What screams “spring” more than the first day out on the golf course? Bahle Farms has announced plans to welcome golfers back with an opening day of Saturday, April 29.

Northport

>As previously reported by the Leelanau Ticker, Northport’s Mitten Brewing Company beat many other northern Michigan establishments back for the spring, officially reopening for 2023 with a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Friday, March 17. The business is currently open Thursdays through Mondays.

>The Tribune Ice Cream & Eatery made its seasonal comeback last Friday, April 7, just in time for Easter weekend. According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, the initial plan was to reopen during the first weekend of April, but the business “ran into a few snags” that delayed the return by a week. The Tribune closed out its 2022 season at the turn of the New Year.

>Green Bird Organic Cellars & Farm also came out of hibernation last weekend, reopening its tasting room on Saturday after a February and March break. The winery and cidery will be open this Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm.

>As we reported last week, Dune Bird Winery will reopen for the season tomorrow, April 13. The winery is coming off a successful debut season where, due to unexpectedly high demand, it ran out of wine and had to take an impromptu 10-week winter break starting in January.

Leland

>Leland’s Riverside Inn reopened for the season on March 31 and held its first major spring 2023 event with an Easter brunch this past Sunday. Next up on the event slate is a Mother’s Day brunch from 10am to 3pm on May 14. In addition to special events, the restaurant at Riverside Inn will be open this season from 4-9pm Wednesdays through Sundays.

>For seven years running, The Leland Lodge has taken a three-week break each March “for annual spring cleaning, team-building, and rest before the summer season begins.” This year’s break started on March 18 and concluded this past weekend. The hotel – including its flagship restaurant, Bogey’s 19th Hole – officially reopened on Monday.

>For many in Leelanau County and throughout northern Michigan, the unofficial kickoff of the summer season is the day that the Village Cheese Shanty in Fishtown opens its doors. Call it our own Leelanau-centric version of baseball’s opening day. Well, that day is nearly upon us: Village Cheese Shanty will reopen for the 2023 season this Friday, April 14, at 9am, and will be open 9am to 5pm daily thereafter. To accommodate demand, Village Cheese Shanty is inviting customers to call ahead tomorrow (Thursday) to pre-order their opening day sammies.

Lake Leelanau

>Capital Dog launched into its debut season last spring, serving hot dogs, slow-roasted pork, and ice cream from its location inside the refurbished old fire station in Lake Leelanau. The business closed out its season in October, promising to spend the off season “working on updating our kitchen for a menu expansion in 2023.” Capital Dog hasn’t yet announced a reopening date, but has vowed to return sometime in May. The business’s website encourages customers keep an eye on “the traffic light on the corner of our building,” with a green light signifying that the restaurant is open for business.

Glen Arbor

>Blu will return for the season this Friday, April 14. The restaurant has changed its reservation system for this year, announcing last month that it was “putting away the pens and paper to join the 21st century” by accepting reservations through the online system Tock. Several restaurants in Leelanau County are already using Tock, including Dune Bird in Northport, Martha’s Leelanau Table in Suttons Bay, and 45 North Vineyard & Winery in Lake Leelanau.

>Women’s clothing store Cottonseed Apparel is plotting a reopening date of Saturday, April 22.

>Good Harbor Grill announced late last month that it would “be opening early this year” in order to participate in Glen Lake Restaurant Week. The restaurant typically starts its season later in the spring – last year, opening day was May 14 – but will resume operations this year on Friday, April 28. Glen Lake Restaurant Week runs April 28 to May 6 and will feature participation from Good Harbor Grill, Art’s Tavern, Blu, Cherry Republic’s Cherry Public House, Inn & Trail Gourmet, La Bécasse, Nonna’s Italian Ristorante, and Western Avenue Grill.

Cedar/Maple City

>Maple City’s Broomstack Kitchen & Taphouse has been operating for most of the winter, but did take spring break off, closing its doors from Sunday, March 26 through Monday, April 3. The business reopened on Tuesday, April 4.

>Also fresh off a spring vacation is Le Bécasse. The Maple City-based French restaurant began an extended one-month spring break on March 12, but officially reopens for the new season today, April 12. The restaurant will hold a special five-course “Caribbean Dinner” at 6:30pm tomorrow evening, April 13, to mark the occasion.

Empire

>Shipwreck Café closed for an 11-day spring break from March 26 to April 5, but is officially up and running once more as of last Thursday, April 6.

>Field Trip Goods has announced a reopening date of April 26. This brand-new “mercantile,” which stocks a variety of goods made by “independent, modern makers and merchants, both local and global,” opened its doors for the first time last October and concluded its debut season in late January. Field Trip has been teasing its reopening on Facebook with photos and “new maker introductions.”