Traverse City is a stunningly beautiful city nestled on the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. It makes for the perfect weekend getaway, no matter what you like to do!
Cherry Capital Tips:
There is a little airport here to fly into, or Grand Rapids is a two hour drive and Detroit is four.
Paddle for Pints is a convenient way to brewery hop, kayak, and see various parts of the city! Be sure to book far in advance!
While in Northern Michigan, explore the Leelanau Peninsula, the peninsula on the West side of Traverse City. Check out my guide to the area here! Check out my Frankfort recommendations here!
Adventures & Ales Top Traverse City Recommendations:
Get out on the water! I’d suggest kayaking, or renting a boat from Aussie Watersports!
7 Monks Taproom: A great beer bar with a solid selection of taps along with food and patio seating.
The Workshop Brewing Co.: The best beer in TC! A large space with a plethora of beers and wines to choose from! They’ve also got a small food menu.
Jacob’s Farm: A delightful spot for pizza, BBQ, drinks, and live music on a scenic farm.
Right Brain Brewery: A stupendously large tap list, and be warned—the flights here are massive! Right off Boardman Lake.
Filling Station Microbrewery: Breakfast pizzas, beermosas, and a large tap list! Also right off Boardman Lake.
Peace, Love and Little Donuts: Fancy mini donuts! Yum!
Winery hop: There are 40+ breweries in the TC area to indulge at! They all make their own wine and some have quite the view to soak in.
My favorites on the Old Mission Peninsula on the East side of Traverse City are:
Bonobo Winery: Delicious wines, lake views, and a small food menu
Mari Vineyards: Set in a castle-like setting they’ve got a huge outdoor space with amazing views
Bowers Harbor Vineyards: Another great winery, you can wander the vineyards here which is cool. They’ve also got their own hard ciders!
For the Leelanau Peninsula side see my guide here!
The Little Fleet: A food truck park with a bar and outdoor seating. The place to be on on a weekend night!
Hit the course: Golf is super popular in Northern Michigan so pick a course and make a tee time! I enjoyed our experience at The Old Course at Sugarloaf, it was pretty inexpensive and was nice overall. Their Bloody Mary’s are absolutely superb.
Short’s Brewery
Other Things to do in Traverse City:
Drive an hour to Short’s Brewery in Bellaire: You’ll hear me preach this over and over—Short’s beer is so good! Soft Parade will forever be one of my favorite beers. They’ve also got fantastic food.
Rare Bird Brewing Co.: Average beers, yummy food!
MiddleCoast Brewing Company: Located inside State Street Market which has some food stalls as well! The beers here are pretty average.
Silver Spruce Brewing: Basic beers in an industrial taproom.
North Peak Brewing: Average beers and a full food menu.
They also own Kilkenny’s next door, an Irish Pub that has North Peak beers available.
