Local Treasure

Gypsy Distillery ~ Petoskey

For many years, The Bay Harbor Equestrian Center has been host to some of the most famous horse personnel in the country. Unfortunately, northern Michigan winters are not the best place for award winning horses, so the Equestrian Center began to sit vacant for many months out of the year. Therefore, the decision was made to put it up for sale in hopes that it would fall into some hands that would create something wonderful on the beautiful property.

When the Bay Harbor team took High Five to the Equestrian Center for the first time, everything just felt right. The High Five Team wasn’t just looking for a place to expand their distilling operation, but were looking for someplace special they could transform for the rest of their lives. High Five acquired the property in November 2021, 4 years after opening their first distillery. After this began the hard work, transforming a 42,000 square foot building into a state-of-theart distillery, tasting room, cocktail garden, and event space. Relying on the help of a friend turned General Contractor, Bruce Houlmont the High Five Team began the build out of this must see attraction.

Come in and sample their world-renowned spirits or indulge in a craft cocktail made by mixologists all over the country. There is literally something for everyone to enjoy, including a swanky lounge/bar area, game room and great options for food on site including Libe Lula, Mexican fare and Dusty Dogs, a great twist on the All-American hot dog. Enjoy all and more while sitting on top of a million dollar view of Little Traverse Bay.

The Distillery also is an events venue that can be rented out for weddings, parties and any gathering you can imagine. They also have (2) apartments on-site that can be rented, for an adventurous and unique stay that overlooks the distillery and game room below.

For more information, visit gypsydistillery.com.

Cottage Pottery ~ Charlevoix

Cottage Pottery is “Paint Your own Pottery & Canvas” Art Studio located just 3 miles north of downtown Charlevoix. They are a full-service pottery and art studio, offering pottery classes, board art, clay, and canvas art classes throughout the season. Their studio is open year round for pottery to-go kits, instudio painting (by appointment only-prefer book 24 hour in advance) and off-site events with their “Traveling Studio” offering.

The pottery “to-go” kits are perfect for bridal showers, kids parties, girlfriend gatherings and more! The kit includes your choice of pottery, paint brushes, glaze or acrylic paints and step by step instructions. The creations can then be dropped off at the studio for glazing and picked up a couple of days later. Kits can also be ordered and paid for online on the Cottage Pottery website.

The studio is a wonderful place to host a party as well. Bring your group to pick out their own piece of pottery to paint and enjoy every moment of the process. Their are two rooms to choose from including the smaller main floor studio for up to 6 persons or the upstairs room that seats up to 20 persons. If you are bringing in a group, be sure to reserve the studio space in advance.

To learn more, visit their website at parkavenuepottery.com.