Top rated for its fully equipped kitchen, perfect for every meal.
Arcade/game room
A rare find - fun for all ages with on-site arcade and game room.
Centrally-located
You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.
Discover nearby landmarks
Close to Glen Lake
6 bedrooms4 bathroomsSleeps 14
Popular amenities
Hot tub on site
Garage parking available
Kitchen
Washing machine
Air-conditioning
Barbecue grill
Explore the area
Glen Arbor, MI
Glen Lake
Place, Glen Lake
3 min walk
beach near Downtown Glen Arbor
Place, beach near Downtown Glen Arbor
3 min drive
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Place, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
6 min drive
Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital)
Airport, Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital)
49 min drive
Rooms & beds
6 bedrooms (sleeps 14)
Bedroom 2
1 Queen Bed
Bedroom 3
2 Single Beds
Bedroom 4
1 Queen Bed
Bedroom 5
1 King Bed
Bedroom 6
1 Queen Bed
Guest apartment open living area
1 Double Futon
Master Suite
1 King Bed
4 bathrooms
Bathroom 1
Toilet · Shower only
Bathroom 2
Toilet · Shower only
Bathroom 3
Toilet · Shower only
Bathroom 4
Toilet · Shower only
Spaces
Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Separate dining area
Garden
Dining area
About this property
Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th!
Smittys GA is a unique home situated on a very private seven acre partially wooded site, surrounded by flower gardens, featuring neo-classical inspired architectural elements uncommon to the area.
The main home features 3 bedrooms (2K,1Q), 2 loft bedrooms (1Q, 2T), 3 bathrooms, 2 spacious living rooms with 20' ceilings , an exercise room complete with a flat screen TV, stereo, universal weight machine, Precor elliptical glider and yes a ceiling fan. The home also features a screened in, fully finished, heated (hopefully not needed but there if it is) 3 stall garage with an all-weather ping pong table which can safely be taken outdoors, Tournament Foosball table (indoor only), stereo and also a lighted, marked, outdoor (driveway) 1/2 court basketball court also with stereo.
Inside the home the dining room opens to the formal living room (living room one) which runs the length of the house from Northern to Southern exposures. To the North the living room opens through double doors onto an airy enclosed screened porch featuring a 20' ceiling. The screened porch in turn, opens through double doors onto the rear of the homes two spacious decks. The rear deck overlooks a large and active organic fruit and vegetable garden which abuts the balance of the properties acreage. There are approximately 5 acres behind the home which in turn adjoin the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park land. The property is surrounded by another 28 acres of land held in the Leelanau Land Conservancy.
Returning to the main home, the formal living (East end of home) room opens to the south (front of home) through double doors onto a sunny 320sf redwood front deck. This deck is in the feature thumbnail picture and is surrounded by flower gardens so don't forget to use the zoom feature on this one.
The middle door in the photo is the mainly used entrance on the front of the home. It enters into a large foyer and mudroom built to separate the house into two zones where, for instance, kids could watch an action movie in one living room and parents could read a book in the other or vice versa. The foyer leads to the mudroom and both also feature Brazilian terra cotta tile as an aesthetically warm but thoroughly protective flooring area and space to shed the shoes. Here you will find a thoroughly stocked walk in pantry.
Through the mudroom turning to the right leads to the kitchen. Left at the mudroom leads to the second living room which intentionally incorporates many of the trim design elements of living room one. The spacious second living room was built to feel more casual and features high knotty spruce ceilings, two ceiling fans, an eight foot tall sliding window wall on the northern exposure and a spiral staircase to the 2nd loft bedroom as well cushy comfortable Natuzzi leather sofa, loveseat and chair and a Denon surround system.
Continuing west through the second living room takes you to the third bedroom featuring a queen bed, skylight for those spectacular starry nights and a sliding doorwall to the north deck. Continuing on you pass across the 'pass-through' which is the door nearest the garage. The 'pass-through' was designed to allow quick access between the front yard and the back yard. Accordingly this area also features Brazilian terra cotta tile and a place to 'kick off your shoes'.
Continuing on westward takes you past the 3rd bath and into the exercise room. Here you will find a universal weight machine, a Precor glider, flat screen TV, wet bar, a second refrigerator, and entrance to the garage which was described early on.
The finishes in the home were selected for both durability and comfort with floors being 75% hardwood, 15% quarry tile and 10% carpet. You will find carpet only in the master suite and the two loft bedrooms. The home features knotty spruce ceilings in both the 2nd living room and the exercise room. Countertops are ceramic tile in the kitchen and granite on both the kitchens breakfast bar countertop and the wet bar in the exercise room.
Appliances include a 2nd refrigerator just off the exercise room and front-load washer and dryer just off the kitchen. The kitchen features a Fridgidaire slide-in 4 burner range, over the range microwave, Kitchenaid dishwasher, blender, Bunn coffee maker and grinder, etc.
Above the garage is another 800 sf of living space. This “carriage house” apartment features hardwood throughout, one bedroom with a queen size pillow top bed, 1 bathroom with a shower stall, apartment sized “stacked” washer/dryer laundry unit, an open kitchen with a Jenn-Air electric range, Kitchen-aid refrigerator, appropriate cooking and dining utensils, skylights, a ceiling fan, flat screen TV and bar seating and an open dining area which together would easily seat 6 adults comfortably.
Currently the carriage house also has two additional sleeper sofas for additional sleeping space one of which may be substituted with a second queen bed for a small additional fee.
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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 and a first aid kit
About the area
Glen Arbor
Located in Glen Arbor, this holiday home is on a lake. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Lake Michigan. Enjoy the area's slopes with cross-country skiing and snowboarding, and don't miss out on the snowmobiling and ice skating.
beach near Downtown Glen Arbor - 3 min drive - 1.5 km
Crystal River - 5 min drive - 2.9 km
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - 6 min drive - 3.7 km
Traverse City Beach - 48 min drive - 62.9 km
Getting around
Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital) - 56 min drive
Restaurants
Pegtown Station - 19 min drive
Art's Tavern - 4 min drive
Cherry Republic - 4 min drive
Little Traverse Inn - 14 min drive
La Becasse - 13 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th! pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
How much does it cost to stay at Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th!?
As of 12 Jun, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th! on 11 Sept, 2026 start from S$1,056, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th!?
On-site parking is available at the property.
What time is check-in at Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th!?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th!?
Checkout is at 10:00 AM.
Where is Smittys GA "Right In The Middle Of It All" 6days available June 28 to July 4th! located?
This family-friendly Glen Arbor holiday home is located on a lake, within 3 mi (5 km) of Glen Lake, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Lake Michigan. Crystal River and Little Glen Lake are also within 3 miles (5 km).
Reviews
10
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
The house had everything we needed and tons of space for fun activities. I would certainly recommend this for anyone looking for a cool house to stay in a great location!
Loved staying a week at Smitty's GA! Lots of room and amenities for all ages! Comfortable beds, well stocked kitchen, hot tub and exercise/play room! Secluded grounds are beautiful with flowers and woods! Location is easily accessed and close to everything!
Really enjoyed our stay with 11 people this past weekend. Everything was perfect with plenty of sleeping and space for all of us. James was super helpful before our stay and answered all of our questions. Will definitely be staying again!
We had a wonderful week long stay. Very comfortable for our large family. The owners have thought of everything to make things easy and memorable. Great communication with the host James.
Shay C.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Tom D.
26 Jul, 2013
Perfect location for family's
This was the most amazing house we have ever stayed at!! Big enough for us to host our whole family for dinner and entertaining. The owners are very honest and extremely helpfull! I come to glen lake every year and we will be back!!! Great, great place!!
Tom D.
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Mar, 2020
Tom,
It was a pleasure meeting a young family such as yours. It brought back some memories. I could tell the girls were excited when they got in. And yes Denice and I remember those travel days well too. Through our conversations it sounded like you all had a blast which is exactly what we hoped for. You never did say how the ping-pong rematch with your cousin went.
Seriously though, I very much appreciated your patience as the first renter of the season. We both know SmittysGA was barley ready due to some unforeseen major last minute changes on our end. I hope we were dialed in pretty close.
We also thank your party for such a thorough clean up. It was like no one had been there for a week. We noticed.
Thanks,
The Smiths
We had a great stay. The photos online match the actual house. We were a large group and enjoyed all the room to spread out. The sun porch invites you to relax while watching hummingbirds at nearby feeders. We ate most of our meals in and found the kitchen user friendly. James Smith, the host of this property was likewise friendly and relaxed. We had 6 young children with us, James’s demeanor set us at ease, the kids felt welcome and the parents relaxed I would recommend this home and it’s host
Beautiful spacious house! We are an extended family of 15 and there was plenty of room for everyone. Owner was very responsive to our needs. If we return to Glen Arbor, this house would be our first choice!
Beautiful setting! Private.
Plenty of room for 11 adults.
Overall one of the best places we stayed in the past 11 years.
Spent the evenings out by the fire pit.
This home has it all.
Thank you for sharing your home.
James G.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 21 Sept, 2024
Hello James,
With all the places to stay these days we are sincerely thankful you chose ours this time around. We are very happy you enjoyed your stay!
Tx, JS
James was great to communicate with. Property was beautiful, unique, comfortable, expansive, and private with plenty of room for our 3 generational family with lots to do for everyone. It also was a perfect base for exploring all the area had to offer: hiking, biking, golfing, wine tasting, shopping, beaches, kayaking, and much more! It was a fantastic vacation experience!
The house was a perfect fit for our large group. We liked having the ability to spread out and the house was extremely quiet which was a plus with a large group. The location was great, quick bike ride to town or a short walk. There were plenty of things to keep our teenagers/young adults entertained.
We stayed here with extended family for a long weekend in the fall of 2023. Beautiful place! Very good location, great communication with the owner & lots to do. Space is large and well appointed. Hot tub was a hit with all ages. Game room + fitness area was great for the kids. We had so much fun!
Highly recommend!
Smitty's was perfect. Huge house with everything a big group needs. Kid friendly, I would say (we had a 2 and a 9 with us). Walking distance to downtown area (1 mile) and short drive to dunes, beaches, boat rentals, etc etc. Couldn't be happier.
Brian B.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Jun, 2021
Thanks so much! We ate so glad you enjoyed your time in G.A. This has just been a pretty spectacular June weather-wise. We greatly appreciate your time and care taken cleaning up too.
Sincere thanks,
J.S
Excellent decision to stay at Smitty’s GA. Three generations (total of 12 of us, ranging from age 70s to infant). Plenty of room. Kids loved the hot tub and game rooms. Everything previous reviewers have said is true; a great experience!
Absolutely loved this property! We had an extended family of twelve people aged 11-75 who comfortably slept, ate, and played together here for a week. Property is a mile away from Glen Arbor and we walked there more than once. We all enjoyed the hot tub, ping pong table, basketball goal and fire pit. The grounds are beautiful and we were able to use some of the vegetables in the garden and wild berries from the woods. Would definitely book here again!
Property is more sprawling than pictures portray.very quiet wooded area and 1 mile from Glen Arbor. Building is multiple sections, perfect for sleeping children from multiple families. Owner was very responsive. Kitchen is more than amply stocked. Lots to do: grill, hot tub, fire pit, walk in woods, biking to Bear Dunes, Glen Arbor town
We had a wonderful stay in this gorgeous house full of so many amenities. Excellent location for the 13 people in our party 16-58 y old. We enjoyed all the multiple spaces, including hot tub, four seasons room, basketball, work out area and fire pit. Everyone was able to have their privacy and there was no issue with bathrooms. The house was very well stocked.
This area has so much to do, we had bikes and kayaks, enjoyed beaches, boating on the lake and the small towns including traverse city. Will definitely return.
We gathered our adult kids and grandkids (totaling 14) to join us for a week together. We hiked, kayaked, shopped, ate ice cream, and played pickleball. Inside the grandkids were thrilled with the game room and we loved that it was separate from the room we adults enjoyed. The screened in porch is where we spent most of our time. We cooked our meals in the spacious kitchen. The walk to Glen Arbor was easy. And we LOVED all the flowers on the property - gorgeous. The part of the house we loved the most is that it is so spread out! It gave everyone the space they needed, and yet, we were all together.
Jody A.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023
Archival
10/10 Excellent
26 Jul, 2013
4th July First Timers to MI
My group loved the house and felt the photos did not do it justice. It is much larger than it appears in the pictures! One thing that we noticed was that there were no window treatments on the windows. While privacy wasn't really an issue being in the woods, we agreed that a little something would be nice. The pantry was a life saver! And saved us more than once during the week.
A "Things to do and see" binder with local restaurants, beaches, rental informatiion (bikes,boats etc)
would be nice. Overall we had an awesome stay, and the strawberries from the garden were fabulous!
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Mar, 2020
Betsy,
It was a pleasure to meet your family (at check in) and your very nice friends ironically (at checkout). We do hope you all had fun and that you enjoyed the Glen Arbor area as well as the NW MI region. We have been blessed this year (our first renting in awhile) with great guests like your party also. It is so appreciated when a rental party such as yours takes the care to leave the place in great shape for the next group coming in. It makes our job so much easier.
Thank you for your feedback. It is the only way we know for sure what our guests want and expect. We have waivered for years on should we or shouldn't we with respect to blinds, curtains or shades. The privacy of the woods always won out especially now that the kids are older and on their own. We are listening though so I imagine we will be addressing additional window treatments at some level in the off season. We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to post your suggestions.
Thank You,
The Smiths
Archival
10/10 Excellent
kristi s.
11 Jul, 2017
Beautiful Home in Amazing Surroundings
My whole family of 13 stayed at Smitty's for a week this summer and we had an amazing time. The house is even better than the pictures (both inside and out). The gardens are beautiful and perfectly maintained, and completely surround the house.
You can tell the owners love this huge house as well. There is a beautiful, new kitchen, several updated bathrooms, and the 2 lofts are unique and fun. We had some bad weather, but being "stuck" here was the best possible place to be. The kids had fun in the rec room and hot tub, while the adults loved hanging out on the enclosed porch gazing at the gardens.
Finally the house is sprawling and has several "living areas" for people to gather and hang out in. This was particularly nice as one group could play music and games in one area and not be heard by the rest of the people sleeping in the house.
kristi s.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2017
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Mar, 2020
Thank you so much for your compliments. We can guarantee just about everything but the weather and you folks obviously new how deal with it. We were also very very impressed by how you cleaned up and left things. With young children it's not easy - we remember :)
Tx, JS
This large home l all 14 of us well! This is our 9th year as a family coming up here and we love it! The house is 1.14 miles from Glen Arbor but an easy bike ride. We love the Cherry Republic and there is a park with pickle ball, tennis, basketball hoops and playground. The house has a well stocked pantry and spice cabinet. Our family cooks for the large group every night and there are plenty of pots, pans, 2 crock pots, an instapot and plates/silverware. The bathrooms have plenty of toilet paper, hand soap at the sinks and towels as well as a few beach towels. We enjoyed the large hot tub on the deck as well as the high end 5 burner grill for cook outs. James left us quarters for the hockey game in the weight room and the boys were able to work out a couple of times with the universal gym and free weights. Inside the garage there are 6 beach chairs to use as well as a ping pong table, air hockey table and fussball table. Our boys enjoyed the basketball hoop in the driveway and the owner also left a brand new basketball. Great house in a perfect location that accommodates our large group very well!
From Portland, OR to NYC and three other locations we gathered at "Right in the Middle of IT" for a wonderful seven days of talking, cooking, relaxing, exploring villages and wineries and other sites, hot tubing, and more. It is a beautiful home that met our needs. The house was immaculate, large and welcoming. There were plenty of places to hang out and it was so spacious we sometimes headed in the wrong direction to our intended place. The kitchen was huge and filled with every item that you could imagine needing--multiple cooking utensils, a Swedish waffle iron, 3 crockpots if it a cold day and soup sounds good. Two kitchen sinks in the spacious kitchen provided cleanup from all the abundance of farm fresh ingredients from strawberries to fish to steak to zucchini and much, much more. James responded quickly when we messaged him on two occasions. There is a great firepit for a perfect place to end the day at a wonderful VRBO! It was conveniently located so many locations and water opportunities were all around and easily accessed. The bedrooms and baths were convenient and well outfitted with towels and beach towels. The home was beautifully furnished but it was very comfortable and welcoming. We all agreed it was the perfect place for us!
Carol G.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Jul, 2025
Hello Carol,
Thank you so much for your kind words. We try hard and are very pleased and happy that folks who may not necessarily know the area get to find and explore Glen Arbor and Leelanau county in general.
Sincere thanks, JS
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Susan D.
1 Sept, 2013
Reclusive Spot Near Town
We found Smittys GA a very relaxing and accommodating place to stay. Though we were only a few minutes from Glen Arbor, Lake Michigan, & Big Glen Lake, we felt we were in a retreat deep in the woods. I originally wanted something on the water, but had absolutely no regrets with this rental. The property is as pictured in the photos, but the pictures cannot portray the openness of the rooms and the serenity of the place. There are three distinct 'living' spaces - five if you include the front and back decks. My husbands favorite spot was the back deck with its comfortable seating and view of the garden and woods. He wished he had another week to enjoy the peace. Everyone enjoyed conversing around the fire pit in the evening. There were places to gather and places to retreat. The game room and basketball court kept the younger members of our party busy. If you are looking for a private spot to gather with your family, but want to be close to everything, then this is the place for you.
Susan D.
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Mar, 2020
Susan, Thank you for your review. It was a pleasure meeting and talking with you and your family. Thanks even more for leaving the place in such great shape. We noticed. Hope to see you again sometime.
Sincerely J & D Smith
8 friends and I stayed at Smittys GA “Right in The Middle of It All” and the home exceeded expectations. James (our host) was very communicative before, during and after the stay. Check-in was super simple and the home was exceptionally clean. The pictures do not give the home justice. The home is quite large, and rooms are pretty separated. We joked that we could live in the home and never see each other! The home had everything you need for a stay to include all kitchen items, linens and even cooking spices. Washer and dryers (2 sets) made those accidental stains go away (and provided dry cloths for the trip back). The game room (I guess you could say 2 game rooms) provided lots of entertainment and the large hot tub made the end of day relaxing easy. 2 living rooms and a large screened outside sitting room resulted in relaxing morning coffee and afternoon naps. James took care of us and addressed any/all issues (example was day 1 the hot tub was not coming up to temp fully. It was late when it was discovered so James had the technician out the next day to get it fixed). James even informed me he added “hot tub checks” to his pre-stay checklist. Glenn Arbor isn’t a heavy populated place, so you are rewarded with a quiet environment with short drives to local amenities. I’d definitely stay again!
Bradford B.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 18 Oct, 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words and for making a point to recognize our housekeepers efforts too. We do the absolute best we can to address anything that comes up. Thank you so much for your patience with the hot tub as well.
Sincere thanks,
JS
About the host
Hosted by James Smith
My wife and I are were both born in Detroit and grew up in the area with Denice graduating from Wayne State and myself from Ferris State . We met early in 1996, were married in may of 1997, sold our homes, left our jobs, got new jobs, combined two families, bought this home and moved up here to start one new life together in August of 1997. Thinking back it makes us tired just to tell the story
Why they chose this property
Go out on the deck at midnight on a clear summer night and look up - you will begin to understand.
What makes this property unique
I am allowed 2000 characters to explain why and its probably not enough. Maybe it was the tree frog stuck to the glass of our front door during a warm summer rain. Maybe it was the distant howling of coyotes deep in the woods late at night or then again maybe it was the cement trucks buried in the mud up to their fenders a hundred yards into a forest (our front yard) during construction. Or maybe it was just the countless other construction projects done for others or the days, weeks and years of us working out of town to make this all possible. In the end it simply comes down to the land, the magnificent water that abounds in the area, the unpredictable climate and what we have gone through to tame this land and build a home that provides us constant comfort in an unpredictable changing climate. We have slowly over 15 years time, carved our homestead out of what, after a storm has knocked out power for few days, sometimes seems like pure wilderness. This is such a beautiful place but when a late November windstorm roars in from the West, and the leafless trees are swaying 10 feet at the tops or a mid-winter snowstorm from the North drifts 3 feet of snow on the deck the day before the temperature plummets to zero, we are reminded that our presence at our quiet little place in the woods is up to the good graces of mother nature. And that's okay we prefer it that way.
Languages:
English
Premier Host
They consistently provide great experiences for their guests