Top Things to do in Benzie County
Countries
What to do and see in Benzie County, Benzie County: The Best Budget-friendly Things to do
Discover the best top things to do in Benzie County, United States including Crystal Lake, Betsie Valley Trail, Lake Ann Brewing Company, Point Betsie Lighthouse, Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre, Honor Trading Post, Michigan Legacy Art Park, Outrider Horseback Riding, The Frankfort Light, Tubing Platte River.
Restaurants in Benzie County
1. Crystal Lake
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 100 reviews
Reviewed By 182gregoryf
We have been vacationing every summer at Crystal Lake for at least 10 years. It is a beautiful place. Frankfort Michigan is a hopping little tourist town during the summer. If you need big shopping, you will be disappointed. This is geared for casual dining, t-shirts, and art galleries/book stores. A lovely sandy beach and Lake Michigan is at the end of Main St. Public access to Crystal Lake is the next town over, Beulah, MI. Best to rent a cottage on Crystal Lake and start your own summer traditions.
2. Betsie Valley Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 67 reviews
Reviewed By brianhH5461XT - Frankfort, United States
Built on the former Ann Arbor Railroad grade, the stretch between Frankfort and Beulah is a very pleasant ride. Starting at Cannon Park in Frankfort and ending in downtown Beulah, you get a small town tour, ride through meadows, forests, riverside, Crystal Lake and into downtown Beulah. Take the time to stop and explore and you will be rewarded with some of the most pleasant sights, smells and sounds of summer possible. The entire ride is only about 20 miles round trip, but it's mostly flat, with only the wind on the return trip to slow you down. A very peaceful, lovely ride.
3. Lake Ann Brewing Company
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 78 reviews
Lake Ann Brewing Company specializes in craft beers as well as ciders, mead, and wine. A casual, rustic "up north" tavern. Large outdoor patio, open weather permitting. Live music on Tuesdays year-round. Music on the patio during the summer months Tuesday - Saturday (weather permitting). Check website for music dates/times/performers as well as current operations related to COVID-19 State mandates/procedures. Full food menu from The Stone Oven restaurant right next door. "Great beer without the pomp and circumstance". Group events are welcome. We ask you to call a week in advance to ensure we can accommodate the group.
Reviewed By hopc - Detroit, United States
Lake Ann Brewery is tucked away in a quiet community, bringing homemade brews, local wines, ciders & meads to northern Michigan in a fun, casual setting. Great outdoor stage with musical entertainment and no cover. Ingenious partnership with the Stove Oven Pizza next door to enjoy at the brewery. A win for both establishments. Highly recommend both.
4. Point Betsie Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 307 reviews
Reviewed By dcarlstead - Palmyra, United States
The light house and shop and tours, are great and a lot of the lake history is talked about> The beach we spent time looking at the rocks on the beach. Great views.
5. Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 102 reviews
Reviewed By Serendipity215 - Frankfort, United States
This is a special place with wonderful food and excellent service. The cherry pies are absolutely incredible. I love the Cherry Ade. They also sell all kinds of products made with delicious cherries such as jams and jellies. I have been visiting for more than 20 years with my family as a kid and now with my own family. Be sure to visit when you are in Beulah.
6. Honor Trading Post
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 77 reviews
Kayak, Canoe, and Tubing on the beautiful Platte River. Open year round for making reservations Season Dates May 1st - September 31
Reviewed By L1999AYangelab
Wonderful time kayaking lower Platte with my family. Kids 16,15, and 12 had no issues. Water was perfect allowing you to go at your own pace. The scenery is spectacular! Lots of wildlife to enjoy along the way. Trading post is the spot for enjoying Platte river the staff is kind, informative and make some great food too so after your trip I recommend enjoying some of their food before heading out. We ate there a few times during our trip. Also, a good place to allow the family to pick up some souvenirs. We will be back!
7. Michigan Legacy Art Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By SKW481 - Pinckney, United States
I was here with my daughter and it was great walk in the woods. The art was interesting. The hike was a little more strenous than we thought it would be, but nothing crazy as we have both been walking and hiking before this time. Lots of hills! They have four different trails that total about 2 miles, but you wouldn't have to walk the entire trail. One short trail was handicap accesible, it was about a quarter mile long. My favorite was the Stockade Labyrinth. Well worth the trip. It's really pretty with the fall colors. Definitely worth the trip. They don't charge to walk thru it, but do ask for a $5 donation.
8. Outrider Horseback Riding
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By 341georger
Highly recommend this place. Called a day ahead to get things booked and they had a time slot that would work great for us. Doug led our ride and is the owner. He met us on arrival and had us fill out the requisite paperwork. His brother also works there and helped as we got ready to go. As was mentioned in other reviews, it would be easy to drive right by the place. The sign is not big. Trust your GPS. Horses were all saddled up when we arrived. They all looked extremely healthy. We had a wonderful 2 hour ride through the fields and forested areas around the farm. Doug is an interesting character with a very interesting childhood. He is a cowboy through and through. He chatted with all of us throughout the ride. We are all novice riders and thankfully the horses were all extremely well behaved. We walked, trotted and did a bit of canter. Mostly walking, which was fine for me (did I mention novice rider!). Great day - went for 2 hours. Think that was the perfect length for a reasonably fit group of novice riders. If you are experienced, then longer might be good. If anyone is not too fit, an hour would probably be about right. It was a great day. I have been visiting my folks in Empire for years and was not aware that Outrider was there. We will go back and visit Doug every time we go back to Michigan. Highly, highly recommend.
9. The Frankfort Light
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 141 reviews
Reviewed By ShanOC - Grand Forks, United States
We were in Frankfort on a beautiful hot summer July day! We walked towards the beach and saw the lighthouse! And you could walk out to it?? Cool! Yes! We walked the massive concrete pier to reach the lighthouse. There were places that were wet in the concrete and made walking slippery. Be careful! Many were diving off the pier. We didn’t have clothes to swim in so we jealously watched. We hope to be back! This was part of a fun day in Frankfort!
10. Tubing Platte River
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By 972teresao - Maineville, United States
Absolutely beautiful and low key! Leisurely pace. We started at Riverside Kayak. There process is a little confusing at first. You have to watch a video, then one person needs to drive your vehicle to the ending spot. They transport that person back to your group and then you begin. Whole process took about 30 min. They weren’t busy, so wondering what the time would be if they were. The overall kayak trip was wonderful and also the customer service was good at Riverside. I am in no way demeaning the company. I highly recommend taking some time while in this part of Michigan to kayak Platte River. Note: this is a review for the lower Platte. We were told that the Upper is for more advanced kayakers. Riverside has a $30 rescue fee - this might tell you if you want to do the upper. Cheers to a great vaca in Pure Michigan!
