When Karin Andrews posted on Facebook asking if anyone would be interested in a community walking group she wasn’t sure if anyone would respond, but now the “Let’s Walk Suttons Bay” group has over 160 members and counting.
Let’s Walk Suttons Bay is a free community walking group open to anyone who wants to get outside with their neighbors and explore the village on foot.
“I thought it was a nice way to get some community members together,” Andrews said after the inaugural walk that drew in around 30 people.
The group meets Mondays at 5 p.m. at the Suttons Bay Library, where walkers take off on a different route and end the stroll at a different local business each time. The walks last around 45 minutes to an hour and cover about one and a half to two miles.
While the walks provide some light exercise, the real benefit is the social connection and ability to meet new people. Participants of all ages have joined the walks and many have brought their dogs along as well.
"Everybody was talking and not exactly speed walking,” Andrews laughed. “I only knew two people there (at the first walk) and there were definitely people that came alone.”
The walks also serve to spotlight local businesses by ending each outing at a different downtown Suttons Bay destination. The first walk concluded at Freshwater Trading Co., a recently opened refill shop. Other businesses including Front Porch and Bayside Gallery in collaboration with French Valley Winery have also agreed to host the walkers. Poppy Things will host the group at the end of June with a discount shopping night.
Andrews explained that she chose Monday evenings in part because they tend to be slower for local businesses and it gives residents the chance to discover and explore places they might not usually want to visit.
This isn’t the first time Andrews has brought people together around a shared activity. In the winter of 2024 she started a local cold plunge group and saw how quickly strangers could become friends through a simple weekly gathering. When she heard about a walking group in Traverse City, she thought Suttons Bay could benefit from something similar.
As the group continues to grow she expects it to evolve and said that there are already some break off groups organized for different times outside Monday evenings. While she isn’t sure about what the colder months will mean for the group, Andrews has not ruled out trading in sneakers for snowshoes once the winter hits.
For now, Andrews hopes that the group remains a simple, welcoming way for people to spend time outdoors and get to know their neigh
