Elk Rapid’s’ first settler, Abraham Wadsworth, came to the area in 1852 and called it Stevens. A post office opened in 1854 and in 1858, Wadsworth renamed the area Elk Rapids after finding a pair of elk antlers at the mouth of the later-named Elk River.
While heading up to Traverse City this past spring, we decided to take a swing through Elk Rapids. Our first stop was Bellaire to see Jackie’s mother. We then headed north on M-88 along the east side of Intermediate Lake through Central Lake. Providence Organic Farm and CSA looked interesting and offers a huge selection of organic produce as well as a farm-to-table cafe with tacos, tostada, lamb stew and much more. We continued north through Eastport and then headed south on US-31 between Lake Michigan and Torch Lake through gorgeous rolling farmland. We passed several orchards and fruit and vegetable stands as well as WaterFire Vineyards-Torch Lake Winery, Bos Wine and Ethanology Distillation.
Our first stop in Elk Rapids was the Shorts Brewery Pull Barn. Shorts’ more well-known location is in Bellaire, but in 2017 they added a few beer taps to their Elk Rapids production facility and it quickly evolved into a year-round destination with great beer and tasty food trucks.
Elk Rapids is a charming little beach town that does not get the recognition that other larger cities up that way get. After parking the car, we spent a few hours walking Main Street and visiting several quaint shops. We have never spent much time here in the past but loved it and the town was bustling. Main Street parallels the slow-moving Elk River which empties into Lake Michigan, surrounded by a gorgeous sandy beach that we wished we had more time to enjoy.
I love antiques, and Elk Rapid has three good stores: Harbor Antiques Mall, Blue Owl Antiques and Harbor Antiques.
Jackie loved Tiny Traveling Boutique, Stuff and Such, Haystacks (a very good women’s clothing store), Word Love Goods, Ginger Snaps, My Michigan Roots and Elk Rapids Harbor Wear.
We peeked into the very cool Stoney Cabin Toys in an old stone building with a vintage tricycle hanging from their sign.
The Flour Pot Bakery and Coffee Shop is great. There was a line out the door, but well worth the wait.
Elk Rapids has many very good restaurants including Riverwalk Grill, Town Club Elk Rapids, Chef Charles’ (it was packed and the pizza looked great), Ames Cafe and the cool-looking Cellar 152.
Just outside of town is the great Pearl’s New Orleans Kitchen where we dined a few years back.
One of the most unique attractions in town is Guntzviller’s Taxidermy and Spirit of the Woods Museum. The business was founded in 1928 and moved to the area in the 1970’s. The museum features professional dioramas of Michigan wildlife. Displays include a full-body elk, mountain lion, whitetail deer, bear, waterfowl, fish and much more. The museum also has an impressive collection of Indian artifacts and antique fishing and hunting gear.
The Elk Rapids Historical Museum, open Saturday in July and August from 1-4 p.m., is also worth a stop.
The Harbor Days Festival, the big event each year, always begins the first Wednesday in August and is a fun-filled weekend of car shows, paddle board races, food, music and much more.
A growing event throughout the whole lakes area is the Paddle Antrim Festival which celebrates the waterways and communities of Northern Michigan. The festival is held the second weekend after Labor Day and includes a two-day paddle event through the Chain of Lakes Water Trail. This choose-your-own-adventure paddle allows you to paddle one or both days and decide how far to travel. There are exits strategically placed along the route, so you paddle anywhere from 7 miles to all 42.
Jackie and I loved Elk Rapids and hope to be back soon.
