It’s that time of year again! While this winter sometimes felt an awful lot like spring, real spring is starting to bloom across Leelanau County, and with it, Leelanau’s seasonal businesses are mounting their grand returns. From Empire to Leland to Northport, the Leelanau Ticker has your guide to the spring reopening calendar.

Traverse City/Base of Leelanau

>Memorial Day weekend is the de facto summertime kickoff in northern Michigan, and what screams “summer” more than a lakeside bar? Paradise Cove Bar & Grill (formerly South End Tiki) is set to open for the season on Friday, May 24, this year with a brand-new addition: the “Sugar Shack,” which will serve hard-scoop ice cream all summer long.

>According to events manager Ed Blackburn, Jacob’s Farm will kick off its event-hosting season on May 7 with Michigan State University Extension’s first-ever Agritourism Summit. The business will then open to the general public on June 1.

Suttons Bay/Lake Leelanau

>Local art, gifts, and décor shop Bear Den Gallery officially opened for the 2024 season on Friday, March 29.

>“You can let the world know we will be up and running May 17 and are looking forward to our third season,” Capital Dog co-owner Sue Burns tells the Leelanau Ticker. You heard it here first!

>Golf season will kick off at Bahle Farms on Monday, April 29.

>Popular local food truck Taqueria Las Lagunas is back at Suttons Bay’s Barrels & Barrels for another season. The business shared the news late last month, along with its hours for the spring: 11:30am-8pm every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  

>While 9 Bean Rows has been open all winter, the farm is gearing up for a busier time of year, including the relaunch of its wood-fired pizza oven and the return of its “Sunday Music of the Farm” series. Held from 1-3pm every Sunday, the concert series kicks off with Trillium Groove on June 30 and runs through the end of August. A full lineup can be found on the 9 Bean Facebook page.

>Bay Burrito will be open tomorrow (Saturday, April 13) from 11:30am-4pm. “We plan to be open by Memorial Weekend for the season and operating at least five days a week,” owner Desmond Berry tells The Ticker. “We are trying to be open every Saturday until then.”

>Though not returning from a winter break, North Country Kitchen and Bar is changing things up this spring, introducing a daily happy hour promotion and seeking partnerships with local farmers “to bring fresh and local options to our menu.”

Northport/Omena

>Closed for renovations since New Year's, Fingers Crossed – which debuted last season with a menu of Mexican and South American inspired dishes – is officially back as of this Wednesday, April 10. Fingers Crossed is also one of eight local businesses participating in this year’s Northport Omena Spring Restaurant Week, scheduled for April 27-May 5. Other establishments include Barb’s Bakery, New Bohemian Café, Around the Corner Food and Fun, North End Pizzeria, Mitten Brewing, Knot Just a Bar, and Fischer’s Happy Hour.

>Speaking of New Bohemian Café, the coffee shop was one of several Leelanau businesses that closed up shop for spring break; it’s now back to normal operations.

>Similarly, Barb’s Bakery shut down for the month of March, but is back up and running as of last week. April hours are 7am-2pm Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

>Dune Bird Winery officially opens for its third season today, April 12. Spring hours are 12-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 12-7pm on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays.

>While questions swirled about the future of Yard & Lake after the hybrid retail/restaurant spot hit the market last month, the business has been teasing its 2024 return on TikTok and Instagram. Proprietors did not return requests for comment about specific plans.

>After a brief move from Northport to downtown Traverse City last year, esthetician and herbalist Kelly Kehl has brought her business, Little Beauty Kitchen, back to the tip of Leelanau Peninsula. Kehl’s new studio and retail space is located inside Barb’s Bakery and held its soft opening on March 23. The Leelanau Ticker shared the news in January that Kehl and her husband had become the first-ever homebuyers for the Peninsula Housing nonprofit.

Leland

>Ask a Leelanau local what they think of when they hear the phrase “opening day,” and most of them will bring up the springtime return of Leland’s Village Cheese Shanty. That grand return occurs today, with the Cheese Shanty kicking off the 2024 season with a 9am-5pm day.

>Another Fishtown staple, Carlson’s Fishery, is already off to the races for the year: The business marked the “first day of fish season” yesterday.

>We broke the news last month about Fishtown’s newest business: Leelanau Goods, a clothing and apparel boutique that, despite its name, has until now only done business online and via a location in Santa Monica, California. Leelanau Goods will set up shop in its namesake county for the first time next month, with Wednesday, May 15 slated as opening day.

>While the Riverside Inn was open through the winter this year for the first time ever, the establishment is marking the arrival of spring with a refreshed spring menu, which rolled out last week.

>The Find North, a gift shop and clothing store with two Leelanau locations – one in Leland and one in Northport – shared in November that it would be moving to a new Leland spot in 2024. The new location, at 102 North Main Street, will open this summer. Meanwhile, The Find North will reimagine its original Leland shop – in the Harbor Shops on Lake Street – as the “Find North Warehouse.” The warehouse is a “temporary space” that “will provide all items at 40% off retail prices,” and is described on the Find North Facebook page as “our way of giving back to our community and welcoming new patrons, while also helping us transition over to our new location on Main Street.”

Glen Arbor

>Funistrada closed for the first week of April to “finish up some exciting projects,” but reopened with a "fresh look" this past Tuesday.

>Blu has been on pause since March 3, but reopens for the spring/summer season today. Also this week, Blu owners Randy and Mari Chamberlain – who started the business 16 years ago last month – announced they are retiring and selling the restaurant to their son, Brandon Chamberlain.

>Supper, the new dinner restaurant at The Mill Glen Arbor, opens next Wednesday, April 17.

>Good Harbor Grill announced on Facebook last week that it will open on Friday, April 26, “just in time for Glen Arbor Restaurant Week.” This year’s 10th annual Glen Lake Restaurant Week runs from April 26 to May 4 and will feature participation from Good Harbor Grill, Art’s Tavern, Blu, Boonedock’s, Broomstack Kitchen & Taphouse, Cherry Public House, Funistrada, La Bécasse, and Western Avenue Grill. More details here.

>Women’s clothing store Cottonseed Apparel has also announced a reopening date of April 26.

>Local bagel shop and deli L'Chayim Delicatessen is targeting a May 1 reopening for its Glen Arbor location; the business also has shops in Beulah and Frankfort, both of which opened on April 1. All three locations closed for an extended spring break at the beginning of March.

Cedar/Maple City

>Le Bécasse announced on March 5 that it was closing for an extended spring break. The restaurant reopened on Wednesday and is marking the occasion with both a “winemaker wine dinner” (scheduled for April 18) and a slot in Glen Lake Restaurant Week.

>Polish Countryside Kitchen, closed since October, plans to kick off the 2024 season over Memorial Day weekend.

>Owners of the Blue Moon Ice Cream Shop say that, “barring mechanical issues, the plan is to be open this coming weekend.”

Empire

>Shipwreck Café reopened yesterday, after a two-week spring break.

>Local gifts and antiques shop The Misers’ Hoard is easing into the season. Closed since New Year’s, the shop will be up and running for weekends this month before switching over to daily operations on May 1.

>The Secret Garden, a seasonal art gallery, kicks off its season in May, after which it will be open daily through the end of the year.