Sleeping Bear Inn

The Sleeping Bear Inn awaits visitors.

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Quick Facts

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible

Originally known as the Sleeping Bear House, this inn with bright geraniums filling its window boxes welcomed the guests of the little village for nearly one hundred years. D.H. Day himself married the daughter of the innkeeper and lived in the second story for a while. In addition to Day and his family, the inn hosted an eclectic mix of lumberjacks, dock workers, businessmen and posh passengers. But these two types of guests were kept apart. The inn was divided into two sections: the visitors or vacationers occupied the better rooms at the front the workmen and lumbermen occupied the crowded upstairs and rear. Management even staggered meal times so that the two types of guest would rarely interact.

The inn provided three good meals a day with pancakes their specialty: plain, blueberry, and strawberry. The inn did not provide alcohol (alcohol was never permitted in lumber camps because it disrupted worker's efficiency). Travelers were required to abide by those rules also. But, there is a story told about a locomotive operator forgetting to flip a switch and driving the engine right off the dock into Lake Michigan because he was inebriated.

In 1928 a major renovation modified the Inn, enclosing the porch and adding a wooden stairway in the rear, the two red brick fireplaces, and interior bathrooms. These improvements allowed tourism to live on even after other area industries closed. The Sleeping Bear Inn closed in 1972.

Look for a sign, high on the east facing wall, that states "Erected in 1857." That was the date the original builder and proprietor, Charles C. McCartey began his many business ventures, not the date of the Inn's actual construction.

A wayside outside the inn entitled, "Smell the pancakes?" tells of the inn's history.