Restoration planned for Sleeping Bear Dunes inn

An inn in northwestern Michigan that once welcomed lumberjacks and dock workers may have a future as a bedand-breakfast lodge.

The National Park Service intends to lease the Sleeping Bear Inn and Garage in Glen Haven to the nonprofit Balancing Environment and Rehabilitation for restoration, according to MLive.com.

The inn was constructed around 1865 and closed during the 1970s. It is northwest of Traverse City along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

“We have been looking for someone willing to invest in the Inn,” Sleeping Bear Dunes Superintendent Scott Tucker said in a release. “The lease will preserve the two buildings and allow greater visitor experience in the historic Glen Haven Village.”

The buildings need rehabilitation to bring them up to code. Balancing Environment and Rehabilitation also would work closely with the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Lakeshore for inn operations.

The plan is for the inn to have seven second-floor guest rooms and one on the first floor, Chief Ranger Phil Akers said. The second story of the garage would be converted into two guest suites.