I've spent a lot of time during the last 14 summers in the Petoskey area. And I'm a HUGE fan of Ernest Hemingway, so the upcoming "Hemingway Weekend" (my name for it - not theirs) at the Hotel Walloon on Walloon Lake is something I needed to find out about.

According to MLive.com, the new Walloon Hotel will hold what they are calling, "Walloon Lake: The Last Good Country, an Ernest Hemingway Occasion" (see why I called it the "Hemingway Weekend"?) on the weekend of April 29th - May 1st. You'll stay at the hotel on Walloon Lake (where the Hemingway family still has a home) and you'll meet and hear from people who knew him and/or are experts on his life. It's going to cost between $672 and $1536 a person. But, you SAY you're a fan of Hemingway, so.....

If you want the cheaper "Banana Don's Self-Guided One Day Northern Michigan Hemingway Tour", here's what I suggest:

Start in downtown Petoskey. Go to the McLean and Eakin Bookstore on Lake Street. It's a cool bookstore and they have a whole section devoted to Hemingway.

Then walk down to the waterfront and visit the Little Traverse Historical Museum. They've got some Hemingway stuff there.

Head west on US 31 out of Petoskey to Horton Bay Rd (right across from the Bay Harbor Golf Club - I'd say it's a 10-15 minute drive). Head south to Walloon Lake. When you get to the lake, you're in Horton Bay. Go to the Horton Bay General Store. Hemingway used to hang out there and got married next door, in a church that's not there anymore. I don't know if they still do it, but we've been in Horton Bay for their 4th of July parade in years past - and it was pretty entertaining.

Then, I suggest wrapping up the day by heading back to downtown Petoskey and stopping at the City Park Grill. The bar where Hemingway used to sit is still there. And the food's good. So have some dinner and adult beverages and toast your tour guide.

 

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 –10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.

Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.

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