Funkier Properties

07/24/2024

07/23/2024

If you’re wondering about setting out your blankets and chairs for the concerts at Venetian here is the current policy.

07/11/2024

06/25/2024

Live on the lake summer concert series kicks off on June 27th. Here’s the schedule.

Don't miss out on Live on the Lake, a captivating Summer Concert Series at the Odmark Performance Pavilion in downtown Charlevoix. Situated in picturesque East Park, this venue offers stunning views of the Charlevoix Marina and Round Lake, creating the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable concert e...

06/23/2024

Pita Cruiser
One of the places I highly recommend is the Pita Cruiser. They were a food truck in the alley across from the building behind the Cantina. Then they took a summer off to travel with their kids (one of which just graduated from high school this year). But now they’re back with a brick and mortar store across the street from the building, cross Clinton with the light and they’re in the central drugs block.

The food is fresh, fabulous, and generously portioned. The owners and staff are friendly and absolutely doing their best to make sure you have a good experience.

Buried under the gyro pita is some of the best french fries in town. They also have Chicken Shawarma, Falafel, Greek salad, and some other things I haven’t tried.

As always check for their latest operating hours, but right now they’re open six days a week and closed on Wednesdays. (I always recommend checking restaurants’ operating hours and days. They change with the season and the staffing availability.)

06/07/2024

Venetian 2024 Schedule

05/27/2024

Have you tried the new (this year) soufflés from That French Place? Delicious! They serve it warm but I actually I like it better after it’s cooled and hung around for a bit, but that means you have to have patience…

They have a new cookie – it’s my favorite cookie that they make. I’ll have to take a photo of them.

( I swiped this photo from a real That French Place had posted…)

05/20/2024

Thanks to Charlevoix Vintage News for posting this photo from the early 1950’s.

FunkiER Properties’ building looks a little bit different back then.

08/08/2023

If you want something fun to do on Saturday, This is always interesting. Lots of good art. If you go a little bit later in the day, it’s right next to wonderful craft beer, salads, and best pizza around!

08/05/2023

This is a really wonderful exhibit celebrating Todd Warner’s art and his life. It includes art from his home that he collected from all over the world. His art has always made me smile and this exhibit did too. While there might have been watery eyes at times because he’s not with us anymore, I have chosen to focus on the smiles instead.

The Todd Warner Menagerie exhibition is open today, Sat. Aug. 5th,11am-6pm and is open most days....location: 10090 US 31 at the church in Atwood(now Menagerie Gallery)..along with Bier Gallery which is open 7 days a week!

07/23/2023

 If you can’t be in Charlevoix right now getting ready to watch the finale of the Venetian Festival with the boat parade and fireworks. Here’s the next best thing watch via Round Lake Cam

Hurray! The Round Lake Cam is back!We want to truly thank all of our contributors for making this happen. We couldn't have done it without you. We are bles...

07/19/2023

JAX Northside Food & Spirits

These are kind of unfair pictures … the strawberry shortcake is only around when fresh strawberries are at the peak of season. The brisket nachos are the Tuesday special in winter - they have definitely mastered the horizontal brisket technique so that you get toppings with all the chips. Even the regular menu appetizer of the avocado crab stacker, which is delicious I modified to take out the avocado.

If you’re going to even consider dessert at Jax’s, then you might want to consider food management- taking a box home or having a appetizer for dinner. The portions are very filling.

I don’t have any pictures of any of the regular unmodified menu items. They have a really good Reuben sandwich and burgers. They have one of the few salad bars in town. It’s not huge but it’s good and fresh. I’ve been known to like banana peppers on my burgers and they let me get some of the salad bar to put on my burger.

They’re open from 3 to 9pm and they’re closed Sundays and Mondays so if you’re looking for a late lunch or dinner this is a good place!


07/16/2023

If you need an excuse to visit Kilwins Charlevoix or Charlevoix Dairy Grille today is National Ice Cream Day! Go celebrate!

Happy ! Norman Rockwell’s July 13, 1940 cover for The Saturday Evening Post uses warm colors and harsh shadows on a near abstract background to effectively evoke a hot summer afternoon at a crowded beach.

Stop by our Terrace Café to enjoy locally made SoCo Creamery ice cream cups, or treat yourself to a custom print from our Museum Store at prints.nrm.org/detail/260912/rockwell-joys-of-summer-1940

07/16/2023

Providence Farm & CSA

Some of you have found Providence Farm at the Thursday farmers market.  I get their CSA box every other week. They have options for every week and small boxes and big boxes depending on how many people you’re trying to feed and you do have an option of switching some things out in the box if there’s something you don’t like (for me, that would be beets.)

However, on Saturdays, they have their Mexican pop up in the summer. Oh my gosh, the food is excellent. They’ve had different things on different Saturdays but there’s been a few things that have been consistent like their Carnitas and their tamales. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite because I’m couldn’t. Last fall I got several tamales to stock the freezer to make it through the winter.

A lot of times at 2 o’clock in the afternoon they do a farm tour. It’s about a mile and a half long walk around the farm and where you get to see some of the animals.

The store has many things that they don’t bring to the farmers market, including frozen meat. 

Definitely worth the trip to Torch Lake!

 One of the other wonderful things to do on the way to or from Charlevoix to Providence Farm is stop at Bier Art Gallery & Pottery Studio. The woodblock prints in the Marina Suite came from there. The Lakeview Suite has several several pieces from there- the glass pumpkins in the middle bedroom, the fat cat bad guy sculpture, and the one in the bunny slippers in the kitchen as well as the rocket and alien ships in the master bedroom.

Of course you can stop at Norwood to go to the beach. It is usually less crowded than Michigan beach.

07/09/2023

The Argonne House

Another good choice for dinner, but you need reservations and you need to make them a couple days ahead of time during the season. They are open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner. They have both inside and outside seating. They also have a pick up window. When we used that last year they told us what time we could get our food. We couldn’t just call, order it and go pick it up. I think we picked ours up about an hour and a half later then when we called. Not an issue. It worked really well. Just be aware it’s not going to be a call on demand kind of thing.  I also think if you called late, they may have no open timeslots. 

Their menu is pretty wide ranging everything from shrimp which they’re famous for, pizza, and steak. Everything I’ve had there I have liked. I keep experimenting with what to eat there, because I end up having more food than I need.

Last time I went there Rebecca was my waitress- she was wonderful. I started off with a cup of the seafood chowder which was excellent and then I had a Caesar salad that was bigger than my head and came with two little anchovies on the top which they will not include if you request and a side order of shrimp. You have your choice of steamed, fried or combo on the shrimp. I left about half my salad, but I finished off my shrimp. I’ve never gotten to the point of even asking what they have for dessert.

07/08/2023

Yesterday I talked about shopping for Addie, the dog. Because we know the whole world revolves around her, she’ll tell you.

Let’s talk about shopping for humans… I love both of these stores.

BLOOM unique gift ideas and fabulous flowers. I have been known to pop in on my way home from the bookstore and pick up a few stems.  For those of you that are staying in the Marina suite the white hydrangeas (or the fall arrangement depending on the time of year )on the patio came from there. They are also the business who did the flowers on the front of That French Place this year.

True North Interior Design and Antiques always has interesting things. I’ve gotten some large Japanese glass globes that are part of fishing nets from them. I’ve used them in my yard and they handled the winter in the snow just fine.

You’ll pass both of these on your way to the reserved parking spots for our guests. 

07/07/2023

Just in case you’re wanting the scoop on the Boyne thunder events that are going on this weekend. The boats will come into Round Lake for lunch on Saturday and then leave about 130.

Are you participating in this year's annual poker run? Check out the Boyne Thunder schedule for participants so you can plan your weekend in Boyne City.

07/07/2023

Let’s talk shopping… FunkiER Properties, is dog friendly. So here’s Addie’s (a very spoiled Corgi lab mix) and my favorite shopping spots for dogs.

Treats: North Country Critters you’ll find them on at the Charlevoix farmers market on Thursdays. Addie particularly likes the round peanut butter ball ones.

Leashes, collars, bandannas: The Lake House. Addie is currently sporting a very patriotic, red white and blue collar with Charlevoix on it and she has the matching leash that came from there. (I have to admit that The Lake House is one place that I can spend some money. I always find something I’d like to have in that store.)
Thistle a women’s clothing store also on Bridge Street  has some nice collars and bandannas as well. However, vanity sizing that we’ve heard about a women’s clothes also happens in dog apparel. Addie wears a medium everywhere else but at Thistle she wears a large.

For everything dog related I also highly recommend Ruff Life Pet Outfitters in Petoskey. They helped me find Addie the perfect coat for when there’s lots of snow and it’s cold. As you can imagine a 50-lb corgi lab mix has an unusually body shape but this coat works great and she loves it. They have lots of specialty dog foods. They actually have dog toys that she manages not to rip up in less than a day. Some of them she’s had for a year. One of her dog friends highly recommended the sweet potato treats that are in the bulk container. Addie likes those as well but you have to be realize when it comes to food there’s not too many things she doesn’t like. Skinny taste popcorn is one of the few things she won’t eat. She doesn’t understand the whole point of popcorn without butter and salt.

Charlevoix has a dog park out by the airport. Unfortunately it was not there when Addie stayed at the condos and I haven’t taken her there since she now has her own backyard. So I don’t have a recommendation, but it is an option.

Beaches- Addie recommends no bodies of water. She doesn’t like them. She is part of two water dogs and she can swim but she doesn’t do it willingly. Anybody of water above her ankles is just not a favorite thing. However, she has gone to Norwood beach and she does like walking around the beach and smelling all the smells.

Speaking of water, Addie is not a fan of baths. She does go visit Doggie Detail. While she doesn’t enjoy the process, she definitely knows she looks and smells fabulous when she leaves and she gets to go to one of her other favorite places for a reward. Charlevoix Dairy Grille is her go to spot after getting a bath. She gets a hamburger patty with cheese and a cup of ice cream. She’s not the only dog that I have seen with ice cream faces there.

06/24/2023

When guests ask me for restaurant recommendations for Mexican food I send them one of two places. LT's Tacos, which is in the family fare shopping center in the little log cabin hut, is fabulous- their burritos, tacos and salads are excellent. You will see someone out cooking the meat on the grill regardless of the weather.

If it’s a Saturday and you want to incorporate a farm trip or you’re traveling to and from Traverse City my recommendation is Providence Farm & CSA. Providence Farm is located east of the Torch Lake Café (maybe a mile) at the north end of Torch Lake. You may recognize their name because they’re at our farmers market every Thursday. They don’t have the pop-up every Saturday so I would call if you’re specifically heading there for authentic Mexican food. Their café and farm stand is open 6 days a week.  They use their own organically grown produce and local beef, pork and chicken.

Tamborcitos de Barbacoa, Bistelcal al V***r and Tacos de Carnitas shown below. They have tamales as well. They usually have a vegan option and a gluten-free option as well.

06/22/2023

When people ask me where some of my favorite places are the shop in Charlevoix Elements Gallery is on the list. They have unique art pieces like the hot air balloons that are in two of the suites, along with the Charlevoix Christmas ornaments. Probably my favorite thing that I have for there is a pair of very wonderful cashmere mittens. I’ve had them for several years and still wear them every winter.

Looking for something to do with the grands this weekend ? Fun for friends and adults to do as well. Fairy door scavenger hunt.

Stop into elements gallery for your fairy door scavenger map.

Visit various businesses, find at least five or more .

Come back to elements for a prize and to be entered to win your own fairy door . Color of your choice .

Good luck !!

06/21/2023

The Landing Restaurant

This is a favorite one of my restaurants but it’s open only in the summer which makes it even more special. The Landing Restaurant is located right next to the Ironton Ferry so it is a boat ride or a car ride from the condos. (You could do a bike ride but it’s M 66 with no bike lanes so I don’t recommend it.) It’s right on the water of Lake Charlevoix, and has docks for boaters. ( Boaters have figured out that they can call in their order, pick it up at the dock and eat it on their boat)

It’s hard to find a time when it’s not busy. If you get there right at 11:25 because it opens at 11:30, or if you get there in the lull in the afternoon between three and four, or on a day where it’s kind of overcast and drizzly the wait may be shorter. However, it is worth the wait whatever time you go.

They have a fairly wide ranging menu. I’m trying to think of all the things I’ve tried there. Their greek lamburger, salads, nachos are delicious. I know this sounds like a weird combination but they have sweet potato waffle fries with an Asian peanut butter sauce and jelly sauce. The two sauces come separately. I don’t use the jelly one but I love the peanut butter one. I have to admit my favorite thing on the menu though is there lobster roll. I didn’t really think I’d be ordering lobster rolls in northern Michigan, with lobsters are not exactly being local but they do a most excellent job. I will warn you it is not a cheap sandwich. They also will do lobster on a salad. They have a good beer menu, an extensive specialty cocktails menu, and lots of different kinds of rum.

I’ve been twice this year. Both times Molly has been my server. It’s probably been two weeks between visits, she remembered me and what I ordered. She is excellent. I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience with their wait staff. Most of them are college students and they are working their butts off. If you go on a beautiful Saturday when everybody’s boating, the staff is really hustling. (I want to put a plug-in for just about all of the service industry staff in Charlevoix. I can count on my hands the few times, and maybe even on one hand the few times, I’ve had what I considered a bad wait staff experience in any of our restaurant or shops. My only recommendation is you need to be patient. It’s the summer, even if people are fully staffed, there’s still going to be waits and as long as you are pleasant and patient I think you’ll have a good experience. Regardless of whether the wait staff works just during the summer or all year round, realize that they make the bulk of their money during the season so tip generously. I’ll be blunt- if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to go out to eat.)

Back to The Landing, they have indoor indoor seating, then they have indoor seating that has the doors open so it’s kind of like an open air porch, and then they have deck seating, and dock seating. The dock seating can get really sunny even with the umbrellas. Now if you’re sun worshiper, you’ll love it. If you’re pale like me who only turns lobster colored in the sun avoid the dock seating. They have added some bigger, triangular awnings on the deck that have helped provide even more shade.

06/20/2023

Lottie’s bagels is usually on my shopping list at the Charlevoix farmers market. Do not wait until noon to visit because they do run out. My favorite things are the jalapeño popper bagels, and their molasses cookies.

Chocolate chip scones that go great with yummy fresh strawberries (lemon poppyseed and cherry do too!)
Scones will be available Thursday in Charlevoix and Saturday in Boyne City. 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

06/20/2023

Join us as we welcome the arrival of summer in northern Michigan at the Charlevoix Summer Art Show, where works of art and scenic views are just a step away! Happening Saturday, June 24 & Sunday, June 25.

06/18/2023

Yum. This looks interesting!

The Boat Box and Beach Box are now available. Please call and preorder so we can cut and prepare the freshest box for you!

06/14/2023

Update now our vacancy in the Lakeview Suite is from 4 PM on Tuesday July 4 to 10:00 am on Sunday July 9.

Lake View Suite - $443 avg/night - Charlevoix - Amenities include: Internet, Air conditioning, Pets welcome, TV, Satellite or cable, Washer & dryer, Parking, No smoking, Heater ✓ Bedrooms: 3 ✓ Sleeps: 6 ✓ Pet friendly ✓ Minimum stay from 3 night(s) ✓ Bookable directly online - Book vacatio...

06/13/2023

We’ve just had a cancellation for June 30th through July 9th. The Lakeview suite sleeps six. It is right on Bridge Street in the middle of downtown and has a deck with an awesome view of Round Lake.

Lake View Suite - $443 avg/night - Charlevoix - Amenities include: Internet, Air conditioning, Pets welcome, TV, Satellite or cable, Washer & dryer, Parking, No smoking, Heater ✓ Bedrooms: 3 ✓ Sleeps: 6 ✓ Pet friendly ✓ Minimum stay from 3 night(s) ✓ Bookable directly online - Book vacatio...

06/13/2023

Only a couple of weeks until Live on the Lake Summer concerts kick-off for the year - it's going to be a great season!!!

06/12/2023

That French Place

Since they are in the same building as us I probably don’t mention them as frequently as I should. I keep thinking most of my guests have found them already. That French Place is on my list of recommended places to eat in Charlevoix. They have sweet or savory crêpes. Fresh made in the summer that means you’re going to wait, but they’re worth it. They have all the fancy coffee drinks. They have quiche, croissants, pastries, cookies as big as your hand and a variety of sweets. On Sundays, they have fresh made baguettes. And if you’re really lucky they have cheesecake – New York style cheesecake. I’m not going to tell you which ones of their pastries are my favorite because if I do they’ll be all gone by the time I get there!  you’ll just have to sample them all until you find your own favorite or favorites!

I stole one of the pictures from their Facebook post before the remodel. I never remember to get good pictures their food. Look in the comments to see a recent photo I took of some of their food.