Crystal Mountain

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K E E P I N G T H E M E D I A U P - T O - DAT E O N T H E N E W S A N D E V E N T S AT C RYS TA L M O U N TA I N
• Fall 2005
What’s Inside
12500 Crystal Mountain Drive
Thompsonville, Michigan 49683-9742
crystalmountain.com
INSIDE:
The latest Crystal Mountain news
for our friends in the Media.
Story Ideas for Autumn
Fall chairlift rides
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Fall Golf – Packages
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About Benzie County
Crystal’s 6th Annual
Vinter Celebration
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Vinter Cele
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Autumn Weekends
LABOR DAY’S
Autumn Weekends
LAST SPLASH!
Scenic chairlif
About
at Crystal
Scenic
chairlift
rides
Crystal
A
About
Autumn in Benzie County
Fall Golf
Autumn Weekends Crystal Mountain
Fall Golf
Mountain
Scenic chairlift rides
About
Last Splash Labor Day Celebration
is a beautiful time to explore the area.
In addition to great fall golf and lodging deals, planned events and themed weekends,
autumn’s fabulous color show makes for an unforgettable northern Michigan getaway.
Here’s a peak at what’s happening in Crystal’s neck of the woods:
From Detroit: (234 miles) Take I-75 north
to US-10 west to M-115 west.
From Grand Rapids: (130 miles) Take US-131
north to Cadillac, exit M-115 west.
Crystal is 39 miles NW of Cadillac on M-115.
From Cadillac: (39 miles) Crystal is 39 miles
NW of Cadillac on M-115.
From Traverse City: (28 miles) Take US-31 south to
Thompsonville Road (County Rd. 669, 10 miles past
Interlochen). Follow County Rd. 669 south to
Thompsonville. Turn right at blinker light,
2 miles to Crystal.
From Manistee: (28 miles) 21 miles north on
US-31. Turn east on County Road 602,
then 8 miles to M-115. Turn west to Crystal’s entrance.
From Lansing: (171 miles)
From Chicago: (280 miles)
From Ft. Wayne: (295 miles)
From Indianapolis: (380 miles)
From Windsor: (243 miles)
From Sarnia: (247 miles)
Or fly to Thompsonville airport: Its 2900 ft.
paved runway is just two minutes away.
Benzie Fall Fest
Crystal
Mountain
WHO:
Crystal Mountain is a family-owned
year-round resort featuring 36 holes of
championship golf, an outdoor pool and
water playground, extensive family activity
programs, downhill and cross-country
skiing, over 260 superb lodging
accommodations, dining and award-winning
conference facilities. Crystal Mountain
is located 28 miles SW of Traverse City,
Michigan.
TOTAL ACREAGE:
(800) YOUR-MTN
crystalmountain.com
1,500 acres
BRIEF HISTORY:
“Number One Resort in the Midwest.”
– Ski Magazine 2005 Resort Survey
Crystal Mountain first began as a community
ski area in 1955. Five years later, a group of
local investors acquired it and renamed it
Crystal Mountain. In 1966, the Petritz family,
along with two other investors, purchased
Crystal and eventually took sole
ownership in 1981.
October 7-9 and 14-16
Everyone’s involved in this countywide event,
which offers activities such as scenic chairlift rides,
Crystal’s Haunted Forest (see below), unique
small-town shopping, festivals, live entertainment
and pumpkin carving in Michigan's smallest, but
most scenic county. Visit www.visitbenzie.com for
a complete listing of activities. From $130 per unit,
per night.
Fall Golf
Crystal’s Haunted Forest
October 8, 15, 22 & 29
It’ll be enough to make people want to stay out of the woods at night… Guests can enjoy a
horse-drawn hayride from the Mountain Adventure Center at Crystal to the entrance of the
eerie Haunted Forest, just on the edge of Crystal’s property, where the fun begins. Who
knows what lurks behind the trees or over the next knoll? There’ll be a milder version for
children earlier in the evening.
Spooktacular Weekends
October 21-23 and 28-30
It’s Halloween, Crystal Style. Crystal’s Spooktacular Weekends offer activities such as
chairlift rides, horse-drawn hayrides, Crystal’s Haunted Forest (see above), a bonfire,
pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and a costume contest for the kids. From
$199 per adult. Package includes two nights’ lodging, chairlift ride, hayride
and Haunted Forest, bonfire, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and
costume contest.
For more information on any of these weekends, guests can call
(800) 968-7686 or log onto www.crystalmountain.com.
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• crystalmountain.com
It’s Crystal’s ceremonial farewell to the last
days of summer, September 2-5, 2005 – and
it’s a fun-filled weekend for everyone. Guests
can take a last splash in the Park at Water’s
Edge and enjoy a full line of activities, including
chairlift rides, kayak and canoeing trips,
outdoor movies, kids games and activities, a
family golf scramble, climbing wall, a poolside
BBQ and more. Summer may be
coming to a close, but the
memories will last a lifetime!
These events are open to
everyone, whether a
guest at Crystal or not.
Labor Day Weekend
Lodging Bonus –
Guests who stay
three nights over
Labor Day weekend
will receive a complimentary family chairlift ride, a family climb
on the Vertical Edge,
two movie rentals
with complimentary
microwave popcorn, plus
discounts on select activities
and golf course greens fees!
Lodging begins at $140 per night, based on
double occupancy in a hotel room. As always,
up to three kids, 17 and under, sleep free when
sharing accommodations with two adults. For
more information or lodging reservations,
interested parties may call (800) 968-7686.
About
Crystal
Story Ideas
for
Mountain
AUTUMN
Scenic chairlift rides
Fall Golf – Crystal Style
There’ll be no car traffic on this fall color tour. Rent a
kayak or canoe and tour the Betsie, Manistee or Platte
River, all within a stone’s throw from Crystal Mountain.
Most canoe/kayak outfitters are open through mid-October.
Fall Hikes through the Art Park
The Michigan Legacy Art Park, with its artwork dotted
along a woodland trail, is a fall hike like no other. Each
piece of work is representative of Michigan’s history, as
told through the eyes of the artist. Currently, over 35 works
of art, some larger
than life, grace the
hardwood forest of
the Michigan Legacy
Art Park.
ds
36 Hole Golf Package
Stay & Play Unlimited Fall Golf
Package includes nightly lodging, unlimited
golf with shared cart, including golf on your
day of arrival, unlimited Practice Center use
prior to your round and continental breakfast.
Offered midweek in September and seven days
a week in October. Packages beginning at $89
per person, per night.
Autumn Fishing
Special Fall Golf Rates
Not far from Crystal Mountain is the Betsie River,
which come fall, becomes active with salmon and
steelhead making their way upstream and fishermen
trying to catch them. Beginning roughly around Labor
Day, the fishing action starts around the mouths of area
rivers as the fish begin to make their voyage upriver to
spawn. The best river fishing starts about mid-September
and lasts until early to mid-October. Fly-fishing is a
popular sport year ‘round in Benzie County – and
autumn is a fabulous time to get in on the action.
Crystal Mountain can “hook” guests up with area river
guides for a memorable weekend and plenty of fish tales.
Beginning September 26, our discounted fall
golf rates come into effect. Eighteen holes,
with a cart, from $33 per person.
Offered on Saturdays in September from 5-7pm, and
October from 4-6pm. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for
children 4-12 years. Children 3 and under are complimentary
with a paying adult. No reservations required.
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• crystalmountain.com
Crystal’s answer for the November blues
Now in its sixth year, the Crystal Mountain Vintner
A B O U T
B E N Z I E
County Size: 322 square miles; smallest in Michigan
(Only one stop light in entire county)
Slogan: Northern Michigan Preserved
Fall Golf
Joan O’Neill
Public Relations & Communications Manager
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 800.968.7686 ext. 2503 • Fax: 231.378.4594
Offered midweek in September and seven days
a week in October. Package includes nightly
lodging and 36 holes of golf with shared cart.
Or, guests can opt to stay two nights and
enjoy unlimited golf! Packages beginning at
$95 – $160 per adult, per night.
The drive up M-22 is worth the trip alone, but that’d be
only half the story of this wonderful, not to mention
colorful, day trip from Crystal. The Pierce Stocking
Scenic Drive, which is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore, provides plenty of eye candy
along its 7.4 mile route. In addition to the dunes,
camera bugs will find plenty to photograph, like a
covered bridge, the beech-maple forest, the Manitou
islands, Glen Lake and of course, the sweeping views
of Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan and the
Sleeping Bear Dunes Overlooks are, no question,
a must get-out-of-the-car-and-see.
For a unique way to see the colors of Benzie County, we recommend a chairlift ride, where getting to the top of the mountain
is as exciting as the view. Guests can enjoy an exhilarating
ride up the mountain on Crystal’s signature Crystal
Clipper chairlift. Once at the top, there are colorful
views in every direction, including the Betsie River
Valley and even Lake Michigan in the distance. To get
down, guests can either hike down (the mountain is a
modest 375’ vertical) or take the chairlift back to the
base of Crystal Mountain.
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6TH ANNUAL
C T LVinter
A Celebrati
Vinter Celebration
Michigan. As the days get shorter and
fall’s fireworks hit the trees, Crystal gears
up with these special fall golf packages
and rates:
Sleeping Bear Dunes/
Pierce Stocking Fall Color Drive
Scenic chairlift rides
Online Media Room at
crystalmountainmedia.com
Fall is a fantastic time
to golf, especially in northern
In need of a story idea? Here are some, courtesy of
Crystal Mountain. As always, fell free to contact me
with any questions you may have or if you’re in
need of a photo!
Warmly,
Joan
Color Tours by Boat
Crystal Mountain
C O U N T Y
Shopping: Popular hot spots includes the countless
boutiques and artists’ galleries in the
villages of Beulah, Benzonia, Elberta
and Frankfort. Several antique and
second-hand shops.
Population: 16,000 (triples in summertime)
Water: Lake Michigan Shoreline: 60 miles
No. Inland Lakes: 57 total
Rivers: Platte River and Betsie River
Industry: Tourism and agriculture
Recreation: Fishing (Lake Michigan charter
fishing, inland lake and fly fishing),
sailing, mountain biking, golfing,
hiking, boating, gliding, skiing
(downhill and cross-country),
kite boarding, snowmobiling, hunting,
body surfing, mush rooming,
canoeing, kayaking, tubing – and
much, much more.
website: visitbenzie.com
Golf: Eight courses total, including the highly
touted Crystal Downs.
Arts: Home to internationally acclaimed artists
Gwen Frostic (now deceased),
Roland Roycraft, Terri Haugen and
Alan Vigland, plus several juried arts and
crafts fairs throughout summer.
Popular
Attractions: Point Betsie Lighthouse
Gateway to Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore
Lake Michigan Beaches
Gwen Frostic Presscraft Papers
Betsie Valley Recreational Trail
Benzie Area Historical Museum
Shopping and dining in the small towns
of Frankfort, Elberta, Beulah & Benzonia
Celebration is a weekend full of fine wines, notable vintners,
wine tasting, educational classes and exquisite culinary experiences.
Slated for November 10-13, 2005, the weekend starts off Friday
morning with a guided, educational wine tasting tour, with lunch, at
select northern Michigan wineries. Friday evening features the Welcome
Reception where guests can enjoy more northern Michigan wines and
ales, complemented by a heavy spread of hors d’oeuvres.
On Saturday, guests will select from a number of
educational sessions, such as Cooking with Chef Kiteley
(always a favorite), Argentinean & Chilean Wines and
Sparkling Wine with Larry Mawby, all taught by experts in
their craft. Of course, the highlight of the weekend is the
five-course, gourmet wine dinner Saturday evening, prepared
by Executive Chef, Kristin Kiteley, and hosted by
guest vintner, Christine Hanna, of Hanna Winery
and Vineyards of California.
The combination of great food, fabulous wine
and great company makes for an unforgettable
weekend. Three-day packages start at $399 per
adult; two-day packages from $299, based on
double occupancy in hotel accommodations.
For reservations or more information, interested
parties may call (800) 968-7686 or log onto
www.crystalmountain.com.
crystalmountain.com •
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