The Old Mission Peninsula

The Old Mission Peninsula is the long, narrow finger of land — about 18 miles of it — that reaches up the middle of Grand Traverse Bay and splits it into two arms. It’s one of the most scenic and sought-after places in the region: a ridge of orchards, vineyards, and farmsteads with water on both sides, all of it Peninsula Township. Center Road (M-37) runs up the spine to the Mission Point Lighthouse at the very tip, which sits right at the 45th parallel — the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole.

This is the older half of the region’s famous wine country. The peninsula’s mild, water-tempered climate is ideal for grapes, and about a dozen wineries are spread along its hills, alongside the cherry orchards that the area is known for. The peninsula’s history runs deep, too: the community of Old Mission, near the tip, grew up around a Presbyterian mission founded in 1839 — the oldest settlement in the Grand Traverse area — and the missionary there is credited with planting the region’s first cherry tree.

For buyers, this is premium country. Waterfront and water-view property is scarce and expensive, working orchards and vineyards trade at a premium, and zoning here is deliberately rural to protect the farms and the views. If you’re buying acreage, remember the county’s rule requiring a septic inspection before selling a home within about 300 feet of the water (see the well-and-septic note).