To Grandmother's house we go! A few dates still available in 2024
Family cottage located close to ALL that The Sleeping Bear National Lake National Lakeshore has to offer. When you are done exploring the local beauty, relax at our cottage. 4 bedrooms; 2.5 baths; eat in kitchen; dining room; living room with lots of places to put your feet up; screened-in porch; dock with mooring ball available; (boats and kayaks NOT provided. Laundry; Outdoor picnic table; gas grill; fire pit at the lake, cable and wifi. We offer a quiet retreat, where you can reconnect. The beach is a short walk across the street and down the steps to private frontage on Little Glen Lake. No need to pack up the car for a day at the lake. You are there!
We hope you enjoy your stay!
Property manager
Elizabeth
Languages
English
Add dates for prices
Amenities
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Outdoor space
Parking available
Barbecue grill
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Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
We should mention
A car is recommended for transport to and from this property
About the area
Empire
Located in Empire, this holiday home is on the waterfront. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Lake Michigan. Travelling with kids? Consider Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum and Burnett Park. Make sure you get close to the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.
Empire, MI
What's nearby
Little Glen Lake - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
Glen Lake - 7 min walk - 0.7 km
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - 4 min drive - 2.9 km
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - 5 min drive - 4.9 km
Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum - 10 min drive - 9.7 km
Getting around
Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital) - 49 min drive
Restaurants
Cherry Republic - 5 min drive
Arts Tavern - 5 min drive
Boone Dock's - 5 min drive
Shipwreck Cafe - 7 min drive
Blu - 6 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is To Grandmother's house we go! A few dates still available in 2024 pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
What time is check-in at To Grandmother's house we go! A few dates still available in 2024?
Check-in begins at 1:00 PM.
What time is check-out at To Grandmother's house we go! A few dates still available in 2024?
Checkout is at 10:00 AM.
Where is To Grandmother's house we go! A few dates still available in 2024 located?
This family-friendly Empire holiday home is located on the waterfront, within a 10-minute walk of Little Glen Lake and Glen Lake. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is 3 mi (4.8 km) away.
Reviews
9.4
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
We stayed with our adult children and their significant others, as well as my older brother. The cottage was perfect! So much room for everyone without being on top of each other. We had an old fashioned summer. Sitting on the front porch, playing cards and doing puzzles. We rented a boat and enjoyed the lake. I highly recommend this cottage. Owner was truly amazing to. Work with.
The property is located in a convenient proximity to most of the outdoor activities that you might pursue in the area. The house is equipped with nearly anything that you would need for short or extended stays.
We had a great stay in Glen Arbor. The house was spacious, the dishwasher, mud room, and laundry were great amenities. The large front yard was fun, and a nice buffer from M-22. We brought our boat so being right on the water, with a dock, was amazing. The house was large for our crew. We would definitely stay here again.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay as a family plus grandparents. There was plenty to do on rainy days inside the house and it is located for easy access to all things Leelanau. We will definitely look into this place for next time.
Will only stay at Grandma’s Cottage for future visits to Glen Lake!
The cottage was clean, spacious with access to Little Glen; win, win and win! We rented a boat for the week and used the docking mooring, which worked great. We also enjoyed sitting on the dock and having the best view of sunsets over the dunes.
The kitchen is new with everything you need. We cooked just about every meal during our stay. There is plenty of space for help while cooking with the island and breakfast nook. Clean up is a breeze with the dishwasher and big double sink.
We didn’t have great weather for 2 of the days and were happy with the different areas for people to work, read and play board games. Plenty of space!
Elizabeth is very responsive and so pleasant in our dealings. I lost an earring while at Grandma’s Cottage and I worried I would never see it again. Elizabeth’s cleaning staff found it and she sent it with a forgotten headphone cord to my home. She goes that extra mile that you don’t often see in hosts.
For all these reasons we hope to stay 2 weeks next summer at Grandma’s Cottage!
We had such a nice stay in this cute family cottage. Private lake access across the road is such a nice perk. The location was amazing for us, right in the middle of all the things we love to do. The description here is spot on and communication was great!
Our family of 6 adults and 2 kids had a great weekend at the cottage. There was more than enough room for all of us and some to spare! The kids were able to go over to Little Glen and play in the water. We are already planning on going back. Elizabeth responded quickly to any questions we had!
Grandma’s cottage was just what the doctor ordered. We were able to sit back, relax and unwind. It was quiet, cozy and an ideal place to connect with family. Very close to Sleeping Bear Dunes and a reasonable drive to Traverse City. Better than the city are all of the unique, cool little towns around there. If you want a place to check out of the craziness of life, then Grandma’s cottage is it.
I would like to thank Elizabeth and her family for hosting us. We had an amazing time! She accommodated all our requests and made our stay very special. The property was very cozy and exactly like described.
We will definitely come again!
This place was wonderful, felt just like home, very clean and had everything you needed! Plenty of rooms to just relax! Beds were very comfortable and nice lake and bike paths!
We fell in love with the glen arbor/empire area!! Endless hikes and amazing swimming, the kids had a total blast and finished each day exhausted and looking forward to the next!!
Bonnie V.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2020
10/10 Excellent
Katrina S.
17 Aug 2020
We love this place!
This is our second summer spending a week at Two Brothers Cottage on Little Glen, and we just adore this place. Elizabeth went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable AND safe. We can’t imagine staying anywhere else when we visit Glen Lake.
Plenty of room for our family of 6 (3 adult children and a teen), close to all the local amenities, lovely lake access with dock.
This cottage is more of a home, and is rich in the owners family history. We are blessed to be a part of it for a week.
This home was perfect for our family of 7. The owner's went to great length to ensure that the home was clean and (COVID-free). Great location with beautiful views of sunrise/sunset and the Dunes! Communication was extremely timely as well. Hope to rent here again next summer.
Property lacks attention by owners - could be so much better....
The property was dirty which was surprising since the owner "claimed" they needed from 9am (check out time) to 5pm (check in time) to clean the property - so you'd think it would be spotless, it wasn't by a long shot. The air conditioning unit will not cool the house, period, it's at least 30 years old and vents deliver nothing to the upstairs bedrooms - but, if you get a week that is cool at night you might be ok... the musty smell listed in multiple reviews is real, very real and if you have any kids or adults in your party that are allergic to mold it's a disaster and they will be on allergy meds the entire trip when in the house, again, old air conditioner might be the culprit. The doors didn't open right, one opened right into the refrigerator, the other had a latch that did not work, all simple stuff if the owner cared, they do not in our opinion. The listing says BBQ grill included, for a house that sleeps 9 it was a tiny weber tailgater grill that couldn't hold 6 burgers and one half didn't work, again, owner could care less so I drove to Traverse and bought a charcoal weber as we had 3 of our meals planned to cook on the grill. The firepit area is a joke, it sits on a hill going down to the water, no way to put chairs around it as it's on a 30 degree angle so not sure how to use that, you won't see any pics of that in the listing.... finally, the steps to the dock are extremely dangerous, they handbuilt a three step platform that is not attached to the shore or the dock to get onto the dock - it's amazing no one has gotten hurt on this. The dock is not nearly as far out in the lake as the ad, which if you've ever been to Glen lake you'll know the closer you are to shore the more little rocks are on the bottom and the further out you go it changes so all sand - it's pretty hard on the feet having to walk out there to get to the nice sand, again, the owner just isn't putting alot of effort into making this place a bit nicer and it would be so easy to do... the final issue for us, and this is on us because we knew this, was the fact you had to cross over M22 to get to the lake, I really thought cars would be going maybe 35mph here but this is on a straight away and they're going 50-60 as you cross the street. Was there any good? sure, the lake is amazing, the area is amazing and I've been going to Glen since 1970 with my family just down the road at Dorsey's - unfortunately we won't be going back, maybe if it had new owners, maybe...
The property was wonderful and it worked well for the nine of us. We loved the front screened in porch and the gorgeous view of the lake. The appliances were great and very modern for an older cottage (the dishwasher was so wonderful to have). Since we were there during COVID we had to have the air off, but the cottage cooled down really well at night with the fans on. Also, I must say that I was really impressed with how well the insulation was between walls. Our family used the two most westerly rooms, and we have a 1 year old daughter who would cry during the night occasionally. Due to the walls our other children were not bothered by her crying.
The proprietor provided excellent hospitality. We have a few times we needed to contact them, and they were fast and very responsive.
The dock was great. We loved how long it was and how it allowed for great views of the dune climb.
We hope to return for more summer fun in the future.
Cottage is tucked back from main rd for privacy. Wonderful front screened porch to have a cup of coffee in early morning. Thoroughly enjoyed our social distanced time here!
The cottage was exactly as it appeared in pictures. The location was great. Near canoeing, boat/jet ski rentals, sleeping bear dunes national park, and of course restaurants in Glen Arbor!
Love the location, close to the Sleeping Bears Dunes and Glenn Arbor. The kids had a great time running in the front yard and walking to the Lake. Great memories made.
Edna H.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
About the host
Hosted by Elizabeth
2 Brothers was purchased as our grandparents retirement home in 1979, after we lost our family cottage to the National Lakeshore. Our Great Grandfather first built on Glen Lake in 1923, forever making the water, the trees and the sand a part of our souls. Today, our family is spread far and wide, but gathering at Grandma's house remains a highlight for each of us - as you can see in the photo from our last Cousins Camp. We can only use the house for a short time each year, so invite your family to come make your own memories for generations.
Why they chose this property
Our dad's inherited 2 Brothers from our grandparents. It is located on Little Glen Lake, where the water is crystal clear, blues and turquoise typically reserved for the Caribbean, not to mention the sandy bottom. It is centrally located to the wonder of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore, biking, hiking, swimming, boating, local festivals, vineyards, farmers markets and road side stands; vibrant arts community.
What makes this property unique
From the updated kitchen and comfortable bed, to walking down to the dock with your morning cup of coffee or to watch the sunset, our abundant quiet spots to nap or read, a family sized table to play board games and puzzles and a screened in porch to take it all in. 2 Brothers offers a family retreat, a place to reconnect with nature and each other - and have a lot of fun while you are doing it.