This summer has been too full of home repairs and not enough adventuring so I was glad when Saturday’s adventure arrived. We headed south on M-52 to a historic little town called Tecumseh that our friends Robin & Keith recommended.
Established in 1824, Tecumseh is one of the first three settlements in Michigan territory. The town is filled with charm and quaint architecture. The downtown streets have fun little shops and restaurants to visit. We stopped at the local Chamber of Commerce, however it was closed so we did not visit. It was a beautiful day so we strolled along the downtown streets exploring the shops.
One of my favorites was the British Tea Room & Roof Top Cafe which features a specialty tea shop, tea garden restaurant & a roof top cafe. The atmosphere was charming and I hope to eat here for a future visit as both dining options look like fun.
The most unusual was Great Idea Interior Design which is not only a kitchen design center for your home but also displays fun accessories such as jewelry, scarves & purses that you may purchase. What an an interesting idea to feature these two business under one roof.
The camera shop was closed much to Garrin’s disappointment so looks like we will need to visit a weekday in the future so he can check it out. I did not purchase any treasures this trip though I almost came home with a Michigan tote bag from the The Daily Grind gift shop.
We wanted to check out the Pentamere Winery that is right downtown. This is a small winery where you can view the wine production area from the loft upstairs. You can actually volunteer to help with the process of bottling wine (often on Sundays) too. Our hostess was Cheryl and she also works for the Chamber. Luckily she gave me a couple Tecumseh brochures. We enjoyed a set of six pours for $3.00 each and tasted a variety of dry to sweet wines with different snack accompaniments. Surprisingly, my favorite was Wings of The Wind, a dry white. We learned that Cheryl relocated from the Bay Area to be near her family a few years back just as we did. We enjoyed chatting about the experience while finishing our tasting.
The Farmers Market was wrapping up by the time we left Pentamere, however it looks like a fun thing to explore on a Saturday morning. We almost stopped at the Tecumseh Brewing Company for lunch which is also located right downtown. We decided to save that for another visit as it was a little late for a full meal.
We then strolled the local neighborhoods and admired the architecture of the homes. It reminded me of the historical houses in Williamston.
Afterwards, we headed to J. Trees Cellar, another one of Tecumseh’s wineries. There is a beautiful pond and park outside the winery. We saw several geese and people enjoying lunch at the picnic tables. You can even rent Kayaks and explore the water.
J. Trees Cellar features rustic appeal and is larger in space. This winery specializes in sparkling wines and ciders. We sat at the bar and circled the refreshments we wanted to try. They generally feature one ounce pours for $1.00. The portions felt quite generous. I ordered a cheese plate which was served quickly and was very tasty. The staff was friendly and we enjoyed our visit here. We even decided to purchase the Cherry Cider and the Dalmatia Fig spread to enjoy at home.
I discovered that Tecumseh has a campground called Indian Creek that features a zip line and rock climbing walls. Perhaps we will stay here in the future.
After visiting the wineries, it was time to end our adventure for the day however I look forward to going back again.
