Smooth sailing on Lake Michigan's clear water on Suttons Bay, Michigan. (Shutterstock)

MICHIGAN - The most appealing part of Michigan I’ve seen is a stretch of soft sand, hardwood hills and attractive towns and villages between Petoskey and Sleeping Bear National Seashore.

Its hub, Traverse City, is busiest in summer, with families drawn by Lake Michigan’s beaches and golfers by some of the state’s top courses. But in spring, you can still enjoy much of what is so appealing in July without the accompanying mobs.

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A bit of geography. Traverse City is in the northwestern part of the Lower Peninsula. Only 278 km from Port Huron, slightly less from Detroit, it’s an easy drive from much of Southwestern Ontario. Whatever time of year you visit, this will get you started:

Sipping: The moderating effect of Lake Michigan allows grapes to flourish. The Old Mission and Lelanau peninsulas are a sort of mini-Niagara, dotted with small wineries. Many are open year round, including these two whose products I liked:

- L. Mawby at Suttons Bay, which makes only sparkling wines. They’ve received raves in the New York Times and their Blanc de Blancs is the house bubbly at the prestigious Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Visitors are offered a free drink of their least expensive wine, $10-a-bottle Sandpiper, on arrival, then a second free sip from a list of 12. If they’re still game, they can buy two more samples and a bit of cheese for $5. Visit lmawby.com.

- Chateau Chantal, on Old Mission Peninsula, near Traverse City, also has a pretty B&B with rooms overlooking East and West Grand Traverse Bay. They do tastings year-round but also offer vineyard tours and tapas tours in summer. Visit chateauchantal.com.

Shopping: Lots of fine art and crafts, and not just in Traverse City. Tiny Elk Rapids, for example, boasts six galleries, which co-operate to make sure they don’t duplicate their inventory. Mullaly’s, one of two I visited, is known for its glass and jewelry. Check out the odd clocks made by Roger Wood of Toronto. Kinetic metal pieces that turn in the breeze fill the garden area at Twisted Fish. Inside, beautiful ceramic works by Canadian Jan Phelan stood out.

Window-shopping on Front St., in Traverse City, led me into American Spoon, where a table was laden with dozens of jars of jams, jellies, preserves and relishes, and a jar of plastic spoons for tasting.

Snacking: Traverse City calls itself America’s cherry capital, and you’ll find all sorts of goodies — from jams to chocolates — that are cherry based. Locally made Moomers ice cream gets raves. There are, believe it or not, four chocolate makers in town, plus Grocer’s Daughter in nearby Empire, whose best-seller is a scrumptious caramel, made from local honey, with sea salt sprinkled on it.

Green House Cafe was recommended for lunch. They make eight kinds of soup daily. A customer going into nearby Pangea’s Pizza Pub swore it was “the best place in town to eat.’’ They’re all on Front St.

Sleeping: In Traverse City, Great Wolf Lodge has a water park and lots of children’s activities. Native-owned Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is quite elegant and has a free shuttle to a nearby casino. Many of the hotels and motels along the water in Traverse City were advertising rooms for less than $50 a night when I was there in February.