News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan

Historic Inn in Sleeping Bear Dunes one step closer to opening

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Glen Haven Michigan, in Leelanau county, is home to the oldest Inn within the national parks service in the United States. And although it's been vacant for over 50 years, a million dollar federal loan is helping to open the Inn once again.

The nonprofit Balancing Environment and Rehabilitation, or BEAR, is spearheading renovations. Organization president Margaret Kato says she and her husband formed BEAR for the purpose of getting the 166-year-old Inn back up and running.

Kato says the property will be an economic generator for the Glen haven community.

“So all the profits from the inn will be going into maintaining and keeping up the whole village, so that when people come to Glen Haven, they look at what one of my board members likes to call Greenfield village lite” said Kato.

She explains they started the renovation process in 2018 by founding the non-profit. The nine-room bed and breakfast is expected to be up and running by next year.

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