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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A visit to Charlevoix

One more thing we did while on vacation was to visit the city of Charlevoix.  It's about an hour away from Traverse City.
We wanted to go to see the Mushroom or Hobbit houses.  They were built by Earl Young between 1919 and 1970.  Most of them have a distinctive wavy roof, are built of stone, fit into the natural landscaping and a lot of them have a rock fence of some type.
We were able to walk around one area and see a lot of them, then drove to see a few more.


Upon arriving in Charlevoix, we found they had lots of beautiful buildings, including these churches.
We found the visitor center, got a map and started on our walk.


 This was the first house Earl Young built for himself.  The main house is to the right.  The house above the garage is a guest house.



 Isn't this stone work incredible?



This is the original Mushroom House.


 This is the Half House.  It looks like it was cut in half.  Earl Young built it for his daughter when she got married.



 The current owner has a sense of humor and has a gnome sleeping on the roof.



 This is the Thatch house - the only one with a thatched roof.






 This was Earl Youngs second house.  If you can see the chimney, you will see that he made it to look like the concrete was melting.






This house is named Abide.


 This house was built for the owner of Speedway and is right on the shore of Lake Michigan.  It's since been sold and is now owned by the Bolthouse Farm family.  They produce lots of baby carrots!



 This home has this stone fence that seems to go on forever!






Some of the homes have mailboxes that go with their homes.


 We caught glimpses of Lake Michigan as we made our way around the city.  It was looking a little rough.



We had packed a picnic lunch and we ate it on a bench looking over the pier.


After lunch we went through this old home.  It was the home that Earl Youngs wife grew up in.


 Then it was time to head back.  It got darker and darker as we drove.



 Soon we were in a deluge!  We were happy to get back to our little cottage.



It was a good evening to read and relax!
The next day we packed up and drove home.  We had a restful and enjoyable time and some day we hope to return!

17 comments:

Great-Granny Grandma said...

These are wonderful. My favorite is the one with the thatched roof, and I love that very long stone fence.

Jean said...

I never heard of this city. SO interesting and unique!! Earl Young was a really creative craftsman. Right down to the melting chimney, lol!

Hootin Anni said...

How fun! I most certainly enjoyed your photos. What a terrific day. Those storms were something else!! Glad you took us with you.

Arlene G said...

Oh those hobbit houses are darling.

Rebecca said...

I have a new item to add to my bucket list! Earl Young is new to me!

Ramblings of a Retired Lady said...

What unique homes and it was fun seeing them so I can imagine how you felt seeing them for real. Thanks for sharing.

Dianna said...

Oh what fun! Glad the rain held off until you were on your way back to the cottage.

Barb said...

My husband and I were just in Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix last week for just a couple of days. We also drove over to Cheboygan one evening to go see the movie “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. Michigan is really a beautiful state - and all those lakes!We are very lucky.

Terri D said...

Those home are amazing! You and your hubby always have the best adventures!! Thanks for always taking us along!

Kim said...

Very, very cool houses. We have one or two around here, I'm sure they were inspired by the ones in your area.

Laurel Wood said...

Oh, I would love to visit here. Such charming photos and that rock wall is unbelievable. Have a great weekend.

Sandi said...

Wonderful architecture!

Abide... big smile! :)

That stonework is amazing.

LL Cool Joe said...

I bet that thatched roof is high maintenance? Everywhere looks immaculate, and the grass looks so green too.

Sally said...

How wonderful, Mari! I'm so glad y'all had a good time. The stone work always amazes me. Take care.

xoxo

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

Sorry - playing catch up. But I love this so much!! So charming!! This is the kind of thing I would want to go tour on my vacation too. Thanks for sharing xoxo

Laura said...

Those homes are so cool!! They have such a cozy feel to them. We'll definitely have to drive around that area next time we go.

Jenny said...

Oh my goodness those houses! I never knew about them! I want the thatched roof one. xoxo