Traverse City, MI Travel Guide

Traverse City holds such a special place in my heart. Growing up here, I knew how beautiful it was, but I didn’t realize how special it was to live there.

When I was younger, Traverse City was like an untouched diamond. People knew about vacationing here, but only through word of mouth. Now, it’s been named the number two small town destination to visit in the United States, and home of numerous famous attractions such as the Cherry Festival, Film Festival, Sleeping Bear Dunes, M22, and so much more.

I like to tell my friends from out of town that Traverse City is like the diamond of Michigan. Set on the “pinky” of the mitten, situated right on Lake Michigan, with numerous lakes within.

With it’s gaining popularity many people opt to go to TC for bachelor/bachelorette parties, babymoons, summer vacation, and even weddings. For the details on our Traverse City wedding (which was a dream come true) click here. If you’re planning a trip here, look no further, I have all of the details you need to know!

I definitely suggest visiting in summer or fall for the activities I’m listing below. Winter is stunning as well with so many activities like skiing, snowshoeing, and sleigh rides, but winter is not my forte!

For the sake of details, some of these items are located in Empire and Leeland area which are right outside of Traverse City (just a short car ride), but 100% worth the trip.

Let’s get into the details. Read on for what to do, where to eat, and where to stay.

Special Events To Visit For:

Cherry Festival - a week long celebration with Fourth of July as a bookend.
Film Festival - another week long celebrations with movies in all of the downtown theaters, and a giant blow up screen right on west bay at night. Usually the beginning of August.

What to do:

Wine Tasting on Old Mission Peninsula (OMP) and Leelanau peninsula. The best way to do this is by hiring one of the numerous buses to take you around to the wineries of your choice so that you can safely experience a few! Some of my favorites are:

Mari Vineyards- this is the winery where we got engaged and had our rehearsal dinner!
Bryes Estate Vineyard and Winery - try to visit while the lavender fields are in bloom
Chatea Grand Traverse - for a beautiful view
Bonobo Winery
Chateau Chantal - a beautiful estate winery and inn.

Visit the Lighthouse on OMP

The drive to the end of the peninsula itself is a sight you have to see, especially at sunset. The lighthouse is situated at the very end. You can choose to go along either bay, or straight down the middle. I’d suggest going out on peninsula drive and returning to the base of the peninsula on Center Road so you can get the best of both worlds. Be sure to stop at the general store on our way back for a little slice of history.

There are numerous fruit and veggie stands along OMP that you can stop at. This one with the cherries is one of my favorites!

Blueberry picking on OMP

Pyramid Point

One of the most beautiful hikes. It’s on the shorter side, but the view is unmatched.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

You simply MUST! I’d suggest doing sleeping bear dunes the way we used to when we were younger. First head to the dunes in the morning to hike up to the top, and around lunch time head over to the end of Platte River to finish the day floating into Lake Michigan.

Platte River

This can be an entire day itself if you start from the very beginning. It’s one of the things I loved most as a kid! You can either tube or kayak, but I’d definitely suggest a tube for a more relaxing day! There is a rental company at the very beginning if you opt for this option.

North Bar Beach

I can’t believe I’m telling the world about this beach, but here I am!

Golfing

Some of our favorite spots are:

Rent a boat on West Bay

Or head to Clinch Park beach for the day, although the beaches on the peninsula are my favorite.

Boat on Torch Lake

The most beautiful lake you will ever see. If you do rent a boat on Torch Lake, be sure to go down the river, anchor at the sandbar for a while, and finish the day with dinner at Dockside on the east side of the lake.

Shop downtownFront Street

Some of my favorite stores are:

Parasailing

The view of the peninsula and the two bays from the sky is spectacular.

Tube/Kayak/Paddle board on the lake or down boardman river

You can head to Paddle TC to rent kayaks or paddle boards, and get driven to the entry point of the river so you can ride them back into the bay.

Get ice cream at Moomers

They are most famous for the flavor “cherries moobilee” made with real Traverse City cherries and pieces of brownie.

The original Moomers store sits on the dairy farm where their cows roam.

Head to the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday or Saturday morning across from West Bay.

Walk or bike along the tart trail

If you like running or biking you have to do so on Peninsula Drive. I miss my old running route!

Drive to Fishtown Leeland for the day

The Cheese Shop is famous for their sandwiches, and The Cove Restaurant has the most beautiful view! Head to Bluebird for a more home-cooked style dinner.

Head to Mackinac Island for the day

If you’re visiting in the fall, head to the pumpkin patch, go apple picking, and go through the corn maze!

Where To Eat

Okay, not that we’ve covered what to do, let’s get into the good stuff! The food!

Drinks:

Indigo Rooftop - for a view
Red Ginger - for a sophisticated
7 Monks - if you love beer
Low Bar - for a speakeasy vibe
The Little Fleet - for a fun outdoor atmosphere
The Parlor - for fun drinks

Eat:

Red Ginger - a classy thai restaurant, perfect for date night
Tap Root Cider House - for a farm to table menu
Amical - and ask to sit outside.
Zest Plant Based Kitchen - for a smoothie on the go or yummy lunch outside
The Dish Cafe - for a delicious lunch
Grand Traverse Pie Company - for incredible pie, pot pit, salads, and sandwiches
The Little Fleet - for the outdoor atmosphere and food truck environment
North Peak - the caesar salad and cheddar ale soup is to die for
The Boathouse - for a beautiful dinner on the peninsu
Jolly Pumpkin la - for a fun bar on the peninsula
Firefly - for sushi and other American style dishes on the river downtown
Bardons - for soft serve ice cream
Moomers - for hard ice cream

Zest Plant Based Kitchen

The view from The Boathouse Restaurant.

Coffee:

Good Harbor - the absolute best! Their homemade dairy free milks are to die for
Morsels

Where to Stay:

Given that I grew up here, I can’t say I have the best options for places to stay. There are numerous hotels along both East and West Bay that are great options. I’d also suggest an Airbnb or VRBO downtown or on the peninsula.

And that’s it folks. I hope you enjoyed yet another travel blog. As always, I actually have a“travel hacks” highlight where I explain how to use google maps to save places that you want to visit in the future, whether you have a trip planned or not! Click here to view that, go through these places and be sure to save your favorites! I’d love to hear which ones you end up going to! Never hesitate to DM me on Instagram or shoot me an email here, I love hearing from you!

Until next time, XO,

Di