Fancy a journey right into the heart of Cherry country? If you’re planning a vacation to Traverse City, Michigan, which is on the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, there’s a lot more to love in this area than just cherries. Think of these five awesome travel destinations as your Traverse City starter pack.
Enjoy your stay in Traverse City in luxury at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. With nearly 600 rooms, suites and condominiums – including many in the distinctive 17-story milk carton-shaped glass tower that is one of the most iconic buildings in northern Michigan – the resort is the perfect base for a vacation in Traverse City. Right outside your door, you’ll find multiple restaurants, on-site shopping, pool and spa facilities, a nearby private beach club, an entertainment center that offers ax throwing, among other things, and three 18-hole golf courses, one of none other than this legendary Jack Nicklaus. Needless to say, you can have a lot of fun at the resort before you leave the property.
If you’re a fan of craft beer, there is no shortage of places in Traverse City to find a great brew. More than a dozen craft breweries call this small town home, and many are within walking distance of downtown Traverse City. 7 Monks isn’t a brewery, but it’s one of the best beer bars in the state of Michigan with 46 taps ranging from IPAs and stouts to Belgians and sours. Almost every beer fanatic can find something they love on the keg list – a significant portion of that consists of local and Michigan-made beers. And that without talking about the menu, which is filled with decadent pub fare, or the Prohibition-inspired cocktail lounge called Low Bar just down the stairs waiting to be discovered.
Visiting Traverse City during the summer cherry season is ideal for reasons ranging from the fruit itself to the glorious summer weather in northern Michigan. Even if your trip is outside of the main travel season, you can still get your cherry repaired by stopping by one of the most notable native retailers in northern Michigan. Cherry Republic’s motto is “Life, liberty, beach & pie,” and the company’s list of products – ranging from jams and dried cherries to cherry-fortified maple syrup and cherry wine – lives up to that credo.
Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor
When planning your visit, keep in mind that Cherry Republic was originally not founded in Traverse City, but rather in the nearby town of Glen Arbor. The Glen Arbor Store remains the signature place: a cluster of several buildings in a pleasant wooded setting that truly feels like its own little magical kingdom. However, if you don’t have time to take a drive to Glen Arbor, there is plenty to love in downtown Traverse City. Just make sure you don’t go out without a bag or two of the cherry and sour patch candies!
The Farm Club is just 15 minutes’ drive from downtown Traverse City in beautifully rural Leelanau County. It is as unique as any company can be. It is a farm, restaurant, brewery, bakery and market in one. It was founded in partnership between Loma Farm, one of the area’s top vegetable farms, and The Little Fleet, a downtown Traverse City bar that hosts a cluster of food trucks in the warmer months. The Farm Club offers the opportunity to enjoy unique farm-to-table food and simple but flavorful beers in a secluded rural setting. When you walk, grab fresh produce from the market or take a walk or bike ride on the nearby Leelanau Trail, a paved leisure trail that connects directly to the Farm Club.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.
Ten years ago, viewers of ABC’s “Good Morning America” voted Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore the “Most beautiful place in America. “It’s not difficult to see why. Sleeping Bear Dunes features rolling hills of deep green forest and golden sand that give way to 64 miles of glorious Lake Michigan shoreline. The view from the top of the dunes will take your breath away, just as you would otherwise zoom down the side of one of these dunes at full speed. Although the dunes are about a 45-minute drive from downtown Traverse City, it’s a worthwhile hike to get a glimpse of one of the great wonders of the world.
Get Local News in Your Inbox!
