RSS Feed
ABC’s Good Morning America declares Sleeping Bear Dunes “Most Beautiful”
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
Official Press Release of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau
Jamie Jewell, Visitors Bureau Treasurer and Spokesman
Contact: 231.334.5524 or jamie@thehomesteadresort.com
GLEN ARBOR, MICHIGAN— After viewer votes were tabulated, roughly four million watched last Wednesday when ABC’s top morning show, Good Morning America, crowned the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore “The Most Beautiful Place in America.”
“To be singled out is an incredible honor, especially when you consider the competition,” says Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor’s Bureau spokesperson Jamie Jewell.
In the days leading up to the announcement, a shortlist of destinations—among them, Cape Cod, Mass.; Aspen, Colo.; Sedona, Ariz.; Lanikal Beach, Hawaii; and Grand Teton National Park, Wyo.—inspired over 100,000 people to cast votes.
Northport summer resident Mario Batali—an international celebrity chef, frequent guest, and friend of Good Morning America —reportedly gave the region a powerful endorsement. This was followed by a surprise visit from an ABC producer who enjoyed a ranger-led tour of Sleeping Bear plus insider recommendations from the sales and editorial team at TRAVERSE: Northern Michigan Magazine on the region’s best accommodations.
“We were tipped off by our friends at TRAVERSE who told the GMA folks, ‘If you want to experience the Sleeping Bear Dunes, you’ve got to stay at The Homestead, which is in the heart of the park,” says Jewell. During her stay at The Inn, The Homestead’s historic hotel located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Jewell says ABC producer Sabrina Parise’s schedule was packed with activities that included hiking a number of trails in the park, a daytrip to South Manitou Island, filming along Sleeping Bear’s Pierce Stocking scenic drive, time at The Homestead sampling local Leelanua Peninsula wines, and surveying the incredible shopping and outdoor activities available to lakeshore visitors in the charming coastal town of Glen Arbor.
“In the short time I was able to spend with her,” says Jewell, “it was evident she enjoyed the area, the region and the people. But in the end the winner of this contest was decided by tens of thousands of viewers who, themselves, have been so touch and inspired by their own memories of this spectacular destination that they took the time to write.”
Media Contact: Jamie Jewell, Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor’s Bureau, 231.334.5524 or jamie@thehomesteadresort.com. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube! Sign up for our monthly eNewsletter for the latest news and events.
