Traverse City... been?

[gvsugod]

Not going to the dunes and hiking up and down would be a major mistake.

 

[pjcalla]

If you want a road trip, head to Charlevoix, which is about 1 hour north. Eat whitefish at The Villager Pub, then walk down to the docks and see some BIG boats. Or walk through town and shop, if that's your thing. I don't know when you're going, but there are often concerts, etc. down by the docks in Charlevoix.

Also, there is Bay Harbor (about 15 minutes northeast of Charlevoix), which you will find mega yachts, high end shopping, etc. A few years ago, there was an awesome car show on the grounds, that was free of charge.

You could also continue and go on into Petoskey. Nice town, good food (try the City Park Grill), lots of shopping.

Then if you continue, you can get to Harbor Springs, right across Little Traverse Bay. I haven't been there in a couple years, but I remember it was a nice town to walk, eat, shop, etc.

There is also a paved path that runs along Little Traverse Bay that you could ride your bikes.

I know a lot of my suggestions included shopping, I'm not a shopper, my wife is. Just throwing it out there, you know, have to keep the wife happy and all.

If you want to watch a great sunset, head down (from Petoskey) to Walloon Lake and get a table at the Barrel Back Restaurant down at the foot of Walloon Lake. Good beer, and good, reasonably priced food. If you're there on the week-end, you may want to make a reservation.

We go up north a few times a year, as my in-laws have a lake house up there. We are going up in about a week, and I cannot wait to get out on the lake and enjoy the slower paced life that is northern Michigan. Have fun on your trip, it will probably not be your last.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I'm mentally debating to head up towards Petosky... Or up the Leelanau penisula.

I'd like a Petosky stone!

Guess if we have two full days to be out and about - could do both...

 

[gvsugod]

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan Voted Good Morning America's 'Most Beautiful Place' - ABC News

I really cant stress enough, go to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

 

[gus1989]

Bumping for more input on things to see and do. We will be going in August. Might make it up to Mackinac Island also. What about a sailing adventure?

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Report:

Sleeping Bear Dunes is FANTASTIC. Seriously fantastic.

We didn't have too much time to spend, but I'd imagine that one could spend a whole week scouring the lands and never repeat something. We only did the driving loop/tour: Scenic Drive - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (U.S. National Park Service) We did the short loop hike off of one of the stops. That hike takes you out to the top of the Dune Climb. We didn't walk down to the parking lot just to walk back up again... Was a neat hike. The overlook stop on the drive was outstanding. 450' above lake level is something to behold. You'll be disappointed if you don't get there on a clear day, however.

There's not much in Empire, MI other than the park Visitor's Center. We got a few maps/brochures and paid the $10 entrance fee while there. There's also a neat little Chocolatier in Empire. Grocer's Daughter Chocolate / Truffles, Caramels, Puddles, Bars & Other Unique Creations Neat small shop. I bought just a few little bites/treats.

The little village of Glenn Arbor is kind of neat. Tourist-trappy shops & eateries. Prices reflect being that they're kind of the only places for miles around where you can do that kind of stuff. We had lunch at Good Harbor Grill. Good Harbor Grill in Glen Arbor Michigan Decent ham sandwich and good clam chowder was the lunch special. Another little spot to visit is Glenn Haven. Glen Haven, Michigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There's a cool little USGC museum there. And a nice beach. Hopefully the water will be warmer for you in Aug than it was for us the other day. It was 53 degrees for us...

Just up M-22 is Crystal River Outfitters. Glen Arbor, MI Kayak, Bike, Canoe Rentals | M22 | Wine Tasting On a whim (seriously - we were way up on Old Mission Peninsula when we decided) we decided we wanted to go canoeing. It was a 2.5-3 hr / 7 mile canoe trip down the Crystal River. Only a few miles by vehicle...but the meandering nature of the river makes the trip quite a bit longer. Very cool - nice calm water. Crystal clear.

The bay front itself in TC is very cool. Lots of good people watching, cool to look at the boats in the marina. Due south a block and a half is Front Street. This is were all the action is downtown TC. Lots of really cool stores and great restaurants.

Specifically, we ate at Mackinaw Brewing Company Mackinaw Brewing Company - (231) 933-1100 Located in the heart of downtown Traverse City, Michigan, Mackinaw Brewing Company is the premiere place to go for hand crafted beer, great food and a fun atmosphere! and at North Peak Brewing Company North Peak Brewing Company Traverse City Michigan Of the two, North Peak wins hands down. *note - I'm not much of a fan of beer so I didn't have any...* Also patronized the Espresso Bay coffee shop a few times. Good stuff - though pricy. My wife said that she's been searching for gelatto like she had in Italy 16 years ago - and finally found it here.

We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites on the far eastern side of town: http://www.countryinns.com/traverse-city-hotel-mi-49686/usatcmi I don't know what this property USED to be, but it's now this. Had a banner up that this spring/summer is/was their Grand Opening. Can tell the building is freshly remodeled. Not a bad place to stay - I only chose this place due to the ratings on Trip Advisor, price, and location. And in all honesty, even the HoJo across the street looked pretty decent, as did the Knight's Inn immediately next door. Definitely not "average" for a HoJo or a KI.

We also hit just a few wineries. Black Star on Friday: Black Star Farms ? Winery and 2 Lads on Saturday. http://www.2lwinery.com/ I'm not much for drinking wine - but the facilities at both places are pretty cool. Check out the rooms (and prices!) at the Black Star Inn. Wow!

We also went to the Old Mission Lighthouse on Saturday morning. Kind of a neat place. Not too far from the lighthouse is Old Mission General Store. Also a fun/neat place. There's also a rather nice public beach on Old Mission Harbor on Old Mission Road. THAT water was definitely tolerable. I would have gone actual swimming had I had a suit on. As it was - we waded for an hour while I was searching for Petoskey Stones. (And found several small ones!)

Note about carrying guns: Other than on the buildings at Sleeping Bear, I only saw ONE "no guns" sign in Traverse City. I wasn't looking too intently, but I was looking. The one sign I saw was on the door to the newspaper office. Home » Traverse City Record-Eagle Right along the west edge of the cool stuff on Front Street.

In TC - we were never hurting for parking. However - we weren't ever down there during high times. YMMV

 

[gregkl]

Report:

Sleeping Bear Dunes is FANTASTIC. Seriously fantastic.

We didn't have too much time to spend, but I'd imagine that one could spend a whole week scouring the lands and never repeat something. We only did the driving loop/tour: Scenic Drive - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (U.S. National Park Service) We did the short loop hike off of one of the stops. That hike takes you out to the top of the Dune Climb. We didn't walk down to the parking lot just to walk back up again... Was a neat hike. The overlook stop on the drive was outstanding. 450' above lake level is something to behold. You'll be disappointed if you don't get there on a clear day, however.

There's not much in Empire, MI other than the park Visitor's Center. We got a few maps/brochures and paid the $10 entrance fee while there. There's also a neat little Chocolatier in Empire. Grocer's Daughter Chocolate / Truffles, Caramels, Puddles, Bars & Other Unique Creations Neat small shop. I bought just a few little bites/treats.

The little village of Glenn Arbor is kind of neat. Tourist-trappy shops & eateries. Prices reflect being that they're kind of the only places for miles around where you can do that kind of stuff. We had lunch at Good Harbor Grill. Good Harbor Grill in Glen Arbor Michigan Decent ham sandwich and good clam chowder was the lunch special. Another little spot to visit is Glenn Haven. Glen Haven, Michigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There's a cool little USGC museum there. And a nice beach. Hopefully the water will be warmer for you in Aug than it was for us the other day. It was 53 degrees for us...

Just up M-22 is Crystal River Outfitters. Glen Arbor, MI Kayak, Bike, Canoe Rentals | M22 | Wine Tasting On a whim (seriously - we were way up on Old Mission Peninsula when we decided) we decided we wanted to go canoeing. It was a 2.5-3 hr / 7 mile canoe trip down the Crystal River. Only a few miles by vehicle...but the meandering nature of the river makes the trip quite a bit longer. Very cool - nice calm water. Crystal clear.

The bay front itself in TC is very cool. Lots of good people watching, cool to look at the boats in the marina. Due south a block and a half is Front Street. This is were all the action is downtown TC. Lots of really cool stores and great restaurants.

Specifically, we ate at Mackinaw Brewing Company Mackinaw Brewing Company - (231) 933-1100 Located in the heart of downtown Traverse City, Michigan, Mackinaw Brewing Company is the premiere place to go for hand crafted beer, great food and a fun atmosphere! and at North Peak Brewing Company North Peak Brewing Company Traverse City Michigan Of the two, North Peak wins hands down. *note - I'm not much of a fan of beer so I didn't have any...* Also patronized the Espresso Bay coffee shop a few times. Good stuff - though pricy. My wife said that she's been searching for gelatto like she had in Italy 16 years ago - and finally found it here.

We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites on the far eastern side of town: Traverse City Hotels | Country Inn & Suites Traverse City | Home I don't know what this property USED to be, but it's now this. Had a banner up that this spring/summer is/was their Grand Opening. Can tell the building is freshly remodeled. Not a bad place to stay - I only chose this place due to the ratings on Trip Advisor, price, and location. And in all honesty, even the HoJo across the street looked pretty decent, as did the Knight's Inn immediately next door. Definitely not "average" for a HoJo or a KI.

We also hit just a few wineries. Black Star on Friday: Black Star Farms ? Winery and 2 Lads on Saturday. http://www.2lwinery.com/ I'm not much for drinking wine - but the facilities at both places are pretty cool. Check out the rooms (and prices!) at the Black Star Inn. Wow!

We also went to the Old Mission Lighthouse on Saturday morning. Kind of a neat place. Not too far from the lighthouse is Old Mission General Store. Also a fun/neat place. There's also a rather nice public beach on Old Mission Harbor on Old Mission Road. THAT water was definitely tolerable. I would have gone actual swimming had I had a suit on. As it was - we waded for an hour while I was searching for Petoskey Stones. (And found several small ones!)

Note about carrying guns: Other than on the buildings at Sleeping Bear, I only saw ONE "no guns" sign in Traverse City. I wasn't looking too intently, but I was looking. The one sign I saw was on the door to the newspaper office. Home » Traverse City Record-Eagle Right along the west edge of the cool stuff on Front Street.

In TC - we were never hurting for parking. However - we weren't ever down there during high times. YMMV

Sounds like you had a great time! Over the years I have been to all of those places except for canoeing on the Crystal. We used to do the Manistee. Your report has me missing the area. Unfortunately my Mom moved away a few years ago so I don't go back.

Remember, you can't really tumble Petosky stones as they tend to fall apart. I believe you have to hand polish them or just put them in a vase of some sort with water. That brings the markings out.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Sounds like you had a great time! Over the years I have been to all of those places except for canoeing on the Crystal. We used to do the Manistee. Your report has me missing the area. Unfortunately my Mom moved away a few years ago so I don't go back.

Remember, you can't really tumble Petosky stones as they tend to fall apart. I believe you have to hand polish them or just put them in a vase of some sort with water. That brings the markings out.

I didn't plan on tumbling any of the stuff that I did find. They're all quite small - like fingernail sized. And yes - they're all much prettier when wet than dry. LOL

 

[gvsugod]

Report:

Sleeping Bear Dunes is FANTASTIC. Seriously fantastic.

We didn't have too much time to spend, but I'd imagine that one could spend a whole week scouring the lands and never repeat something. We only did the driving loop/tour: Scenic Drive - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (U.S. National Park Service) We did the short loop hike off of one of the stops. That hike takes you out to the top of the Dune Climb. We didn't walk down to the parking lot just to walk back up again... Was a neat hike. The overlook stop on the drive was outstanding. 450' above lake level is something to behold. You'll be disappointed if you don't get there on a clear day, however.

There's not much in Empire, MI other than the park Visitor's Center. We got a few maps/brochures and paid the $10 entrance fee while there. There's also a neat little Chocolatier in Empire. Grocer's Daughter Chocolate / Truffles, Caramels, Puddles, Bars & Other Unique Creations Neat small shop. I bought just a few little bites/treats.

The little village of Glenn Arbor is kind of neat. Tourist-trappy shops & eateries. Prices reflect being that they're kind of the only places for miles around where you can do that kind of stuff. We had lunch at Good Harbor Grill. Good Harbor Grill in Glen Arbor Michigan Decent ham sandwich and good clam chowder was the lunch special. Another little spot to visit is Glenn Haven. Glen Haven, Michigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There's a cool little USGC museum there. And a nice beach. Hopefully the water will be warmer for you in Aug than it was for us the other day. It was 53 degrees for us...

Just up M-22 is Crystal River Outfitters. Glen Arbor, MI Kayak, Bike, Canoe Rentals | M22 | Wine Tasting On a whim (seriously - we were way up on Old Mission Peninsula when we decided) we decided we wanted to go canoeing. It was a 2.5-3 hr / 7 mile canoe trip down the Crystal River. Only a few miles by vehicle...but the meandering nature of the river makes the trip quite a bit longer. Very cool - nice calm water. Crystal clear.

The bay front itself in TC is very cool. Lots of good people watching, cool to look at the boats in the marina. Due south a block and a half is Front Street. This is were all the action is downtown TC. Lots of really cool stores and great restaurants.

Specifically, we ate at Mackinaw Brewing Company Mackinaw Brewing Company - (231) 933-1100 Located in the heart of downtown Traverse City, Michigan, Mackinaw Brewing Company is the premiere place to go for hand crafted beer, great food and a fun atmosphere! and at North Peak Brewing Company North Peak Brewing Company Traverse City Michigan Of the two, North Peak wins hands down. *note - I'm not much of a fan of beer so I didn't have any...* Also patronized the Espresso Bay coffee shop a few times. Good stuff - though pricy. My wife said that she's been searching for gelatto like she had in Italy 16 years ago - and finally found it here.

We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites on the far eastern side of town: Traverse City Hotels | Country Inn & Suites Traverse City | Home I don't know what this property USED to be, but it's now this. Had a banner up that this spring/summer is/was their Grand Opening. Can tell the building is freshly remodeled. Not a bad place to stay - I only chose this place due to the ratings on Trip Advisor, price, and location. And in all honesty, even the HoJo across the street looked pretty decent, as did the Knight's Inn immediately next door. Definitely not "average" for a HoJo or a KI.

We also hit just a few wineries. Black Star on Friday: Black Star Farms ? Winery and 2 Lads on Saturday. http://www.2lwinery.com/ I'm not much for drinking wine - but the facilities at both places are pretty cool. Check out the rooms (and prices!) at the Black Star Inn. Wow!

We also went to the Old Mission Lighthouse on Saturday morning. Kind of a neat place. Not too far from the lighthouse is Old Mission General Store. Also a fun/neat place. There's also a rather nice public beach on Old Mission Harbor on Old Mission Road. THAT water was definitely tolerable. I would have gone actual swimming had I had a suit on. As it was - we waded for an hour while I was searching for Petoskey Stones. (And found several small ones!)

Note about carrying guns: Other than on the buildings at Sleeping Bear, I only saw ONE "no guns" sign in Traverse City. I wasn't looking too intently, but I was looking. The one sign I saw was on the door to the newspaper office. Home » Traverse City Record-Eagle Right along the west edge of the cool stuff on Front Street.

In TC - we were never hurting for parking. However - we weren't ever down there during high times. YMMV

Glad you enjoyed it up there. I literally got home from TC about an hour ago, I didnt do all the touristy stuff though, just sat on the beach and drank whiskey.

TC is a great place to be, spent my whole life trying to leave and now all I can think about is getting back.

 

[AKMSU]

Lots of good wineries up Leelanau Peninsula (I like Leelanau Cellars and Black Star Farms), a few good gun shops to check out (The Armory), Sleeping Bear Dunes, the dune hike is great, but bring water does take about 2-3 hours or the dune climb for a shorter experience. Nice state park on the east bay or Torch lake is just a little bit away. Beautiful part of Michigan for sure! (Ex-Michigander here)

 

[EyeCarry]

I love going up Michigan's west coast all the way to Traverse and beyond. Beautiful. No one has mentioned the "famous" Pasty to eat.... that's pass-tee as I recall. Maybe a touristy food but delicious. Everything posted I would agree with. You might have the timing right and tourist season will be winding down. Used to be their schools started back before us and that cleared out a lot of people.