Cheese travel
Cheese in Michigan
Michigan's best cheese stop is Leelanau Cheese near Suttons Bay, where a window in the shop looks onto the make room. On the Saginaw Bay side, Pinconning gave its name to a style of aged colby, and the Pinconning Cheese Co. still sells it on M-13. In August, the Caseville Cheeseburger Festival takes over the Thumb for ten days.
Factories and Dairies to Visit
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Cheese Tours
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The Cheese Regions
Leelanau Peninsula and the North-West
The Leelanau Peninsula north of Traverse City is wine country, and Leelanau Cheese fits right in: a small creamery making Swiss-style raclette, open to visitors Monday to Saturday. Cheese is made on Tuesday, and the best moments to watch are when the curds are lifted into hoops, around 10am and 2:30pm. Inland near Kalkaska, De Vor Dairy Farm and Creamery makes gouda and ice cream, runs a farm store and books cow cuddling sessions.
Saginaw Bay and the Thumb
Pinconning, just off I-75 north of Bay City, has been tied to cheese since about 1915, and Pinconning Cheese Co. and Fudge Shoppe sells cheese aged up to ten years. Further east on the Thumb, Caseville's cheeseburger festival runs for ten days in mid-August.
Ann Arbor
White Lotus Farms, just outside downtown Ann Arbor, makes artisan cheese alongside microgreens and bread, and sells from a farm cart on Saturday mornings.
When to Go
Summer and early autumn are best. The Leelanau Peninsula is at its busiest from July to October, when the wineries and farm stands are open, and the Caseville festival falls in mid-August. De Vor's farm store opens most days in summer but only Friday to Monday in winter.
A North-West Michigan Loop
From Traverse City, drive up M-22 to Leelanau Cheese near Suttons Bay on a Tuesday morning to catch the hooping, then loop back through the wine country. The next day, head 40 minutes east to De Vor near Kalkaska for gouda and ice cream.
Getting Around
Drive. Traverse City has the nearest airport for the north-west, and I-75 runs past Pinconning on the way north from Detroit.
More Places to Buy Cheese
| Stop | Town | What you can do | When open | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Lotus Farms | Ann Arbor | Farm cart with the farm's own cheese, bread and microgreens; café on site | Farm cart Saturdays 9am to 2pm; café Tue to Sat 7am to 7pm | whitelotusfarms.com |
Where to Stay in Michigan
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Questions People Ask
Where can you watch cheese being made in Michigan?
At Leelanau Cheese near Suttons Bay, through the viewing window in the shop. Cheese is made on Tuesdays.
What is Pinconning cheese?
An aged colby-style cheese named after the town of Pinconning on Saginaw Bay. The Pinconning Cheese Co. sells it aged up to 120 months.
When is the Caseville Cheeseburger Festival?
Ten days in mid-August on Michigan's Thumb. In 2026 it ran from 14 to 23 August.