Things to do in Traverse City
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Traverse City
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best all round month, with early swims still possible, harvest menus, crowds gone and prices easing.
Best summer value with long light, cherry harvest starting and thinner crowds than July.
Peak colour typically in the second to third weeks, with M-22 and the Heritage Trail at their best.
Best beach and festival month, but worst crowds, peak prices and the fastest sell outs.
Quiet blossom shoulder with calm wineries and lodging down sharply, though the lake is still cold.
Winter for Crystal Mountain skiing, snowshoeing in the dunes, empty tasting rooms and lowest rates.
Worst months, mud season with snow gone, blossoms not yet and seasonal businesses still closed.
What's on
- National Cherry Festival Eight days around the Fourth of July
Eight days downtown with an air show over West Bay, parades and cherry markets, mostly free events.
- Traverse City Film Festival late July
Centred on the State Theatre, a film lover's week in town.
- Traverse City Restaurant Week late February
Prix fixe tiers at top restaurants, the insider winter pick in local guides.
- Northwestern Michigan Fair early August
The county fair adds a classic summer event to peak season.
- Iceman Cometh early November
One of America's biggest point to point mountain bike races, finishing in Traverse City.
- Traverse City Beer Week around 6-14 November
A locals' winter anchor overlapping Iceman week in recent previews.
Best things to do in Traverse City
Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail
An 18 mile peninsula of close together wineries with bay views at nearly every tasting room.
Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery
The largest estate on Old Mission, loved for its deck, estate Rieslings and reds and lavender garden.
Bowers Harbor Vineyards
A boutique, dog friendly winery above Bowers Harbor built for a relaxed, unhurried tasting.
Mari Vineyards
Italian varieties in a Tuscan feeling stone winery with caves, the pick for red wine drinkers.
2 Lads Winery
Sleek, modern and sustainable, with strong Pinot Noir and bay views away from the main road.
Chateau Grand Traverse
The pioneer Riesling producer on the peninsula and a historic pick for a first visit.
Chateau Chantal
A ridge top winery with the classic panoramic view over both bays and live music in season.
Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail
A bigger, more rural wine peninsula of three loops through Suttons Bay, Leland and Northport.
Where to stay in Traverse City
Downtown Traverse City
first trip, all-round base
Walk to dinner, wine bars, the State Theatre, Clinch Park and the market, and drive out by day.
Warehouse District / West End
quieter downtown-adjacent stay
A few blocks west of Front Street, still walkable, across from West Bay beaches with bay views.
The Village at Grand Traverse Commons Area / West Side
repeat visitors and food-focused trips
Stella, the Commons tasting rooms and trails at your door, with downtown five minutes away.
Old Mission Peninsula
romance and wine
Winery inns and bay views in vineyard quiet, but no walkable town and dark driving after tasting.
Leelanau Villages - Glen Arbor / Suttons Bay / Leland
second base or split stay
Base here for Sleeping Bear, Leelanau wine and small village mornings over city nightlife.
Acme / Grand Traverse Resort
golf and resort trips
Self contained with golf, spa and an East Bay beach club, ten minutes northeast of town.
Think twice about
- East Bay US-31 motel strip
Car dependent chain motel sprawl on a busy highway, charmless and noisy, turning every dinner into a drive.
- Far-out US-31 / Airport sprawl with no bay access
Strip location with no beach and no walkability, the worst of both for a Traverse City stay.
- Remote vacation rentals far down either peninsula
Pretty photos can strand you 30 plus minutes from dinner on dark roads after wine tasting.
Best restaurants in Traverse City
The Cooks' House
A tiny chef owned house serving tasting menus built entirely around Northern Michigan farms.
Modern Bird
An energetic, chef driven dining room with pastas and inventive seasonal plates.
Trattoria Stella
Farm driven Italian in brick vaulted former asylum cellars, with house made pasta and cheeses.
Farm Club
A farm restaurant and brewery built around Loma Farm, best for lunch after a trail ride.
Amical
A long running casual European bistro on Front Street, the smart pick for a first night.
The Boathouse Restaurant
The waterfront fine dining classic at Bowers Harbor for Great Lakes fish at sunset.
Aerie Restaurant and Lounge
A tower top restaurant trading marina intimacy for a panoramic East Bay vista at altitude.
Poppycocks
A Traverse City institution for eclectic, produce forward lunches and dinners downtown.
Outdoor things to do in Traverse City
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Thirty five miles of Lake Michigan shoreline with 450 foot perched dunes, forests and farmsteads.
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
A one way loop of 12 overlooks to a dune dropping about 450 feet to Lake Michigan.
Empire Bluff Trail
The best short hike in the park, through hardwood forest to a boardwalk 400 feet above the lake.
The Dune Climb
A wall of loose sand about 300 feet to the first crest, with a view over Glen Lake.
Pyramid Point
A shorter climb near Glen Arbor with a payoff view over Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands.
Glen Haven
A historic lifesaving village on the shore with restored buildings, a beach and dune loop.
Sleeping Bear Point
A dune loop by Glen Haven that balances the viewpoints with shoreline and human history.
TART Trail
A paved, mostly flat trail running through town along the bay, the classic in town ride.
Best hotels in Traverse City
Delamar Traverse City
The best downtown waterfront luxury, with pools, a private beach area and a waterfront restaurant.
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
The best luxury resort, with tower bay views, three golf courses, a large spa and a beach club.
Chateau Chantal Winery and Inn
A working winery inn on a ridge with panoramic bay views, estate breakfasts and tasting downstairs.
Inn at Black Star Farms
An estate inn on a working farm and winery with trails, a tasting room and farm breakfasts.
The Homestead
The dunes area resort base in Glen Arbor for Sleeping Bear and the Crystal River.
Hotel Indigo Traverse City
The best boutique downtown stay, with bay views and a rooftop bar across from West Bay beach.
Park Place Hotel and Conference Center
The historic downtown landmark since the 1930s tower era, walkable everywhere at moderate prices.
Alexandra Inn
A small design led inn on US-31 with a private beach, soaking tubs and exceptional guest ratings.
Is Traverse City expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $95 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $210 a person |
| Splurge | $475 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery: a few days ahead
- MAWBY: a few days ahead
- Interlochen Center for the Arts: weeks ahead
- Schooner Manitou: a few days ahead
- Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club: weeks ahead
- The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort: weeks ahead
- The Wolverine at Grand Traverse Resort: weeks ahead
- LochenHeath Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Book June to August and fall colour lodging months ahead, especially for Cherry Festival and winery inns.
- Book Cooks' House, Modern Bird and Stella, then Arcadia and Bear tee times and sunset sails.
Is Traverse City safe?
- Low crime small city, but Great Lakes water is the serious risk with waves, currents and cold water.
- No shade on the dunes means sunscreen, a hat and extra water, and allow double drive times in lake effect snow.
Traverse City travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not stumble into Cherry Festival week unknowingly, and do not try both wine peninsulas in one day.
- Never climb down or fully across the dunes unprepared, and avoid Front Street restaurants chosen by proximity alone.
Getting around Traverse City: public transport and more
- You need a car done properly, though downtown is walkable and the free BATA Bayline covers Front and Grandview.
- TVC airport is 10 to 15 minutes from downtown, and the TART Trail makes a bike a real transport tool in town.
- For wine days book transport, use a real designated driver, bike the Leelanau cluster or book an established tour.
Who Traverse City suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Traverse City your trip
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