Blog

Spring in northern Michigan may be slow to arrive this year, but that doesn't stop us from thinking about the colorful times ahead of us at the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The first signs of the season appear at the park when the snow melts and the dominant colors fall into an earthy palette. Think beige, taupe, brown and steely blue. The landscape itself hasn’t yet awoken, but Lake Michigan’s views sparkle regardless.

Who’s ready for sun and excitement? We sure are, but if you’re not then you may want to stay home because the National Cherry Festival   is almost back! With it comes the annual cacophony of parades, rides, picnics, concerts, and some weird type of fruit that everyone seems to be going on about.

We’re standing in the middle of a closed street, at times jumping up and down a bit, shifting our weight from side to side, and holding our crossed arms to our chests to warm up on this brisk late May morning. We’re checking and re-checking our watches, adjusting earphones and iPhones, chatting with one another, or maybe just staring straight ahead, alone in our thoughts as we wait for the final countdown to race start. The excitement and nervous-tension is palpable.

"Boy, you sure do have a lot of bikes! Are all of those yours?" When friends and family visit us in Traverse City -- and see the inside of our garage -- the quantity of bicycles is always the first thing they comment on.  If my husband had his way, he'd have a bike for every type of biking event in existence! But with small space living, this just isn't a possibility. 

Dark. Decadent. And undeniably delicious. What’s not to love about chocolate? And what better way to celebrate our favorite confection than with a festival? The Traverse City Chocolate Festival, to be exact. 

Paddle for Pints, Traverse City’s most famous “pub paddle” event, has certainly gotten popular! The first of their scheduled outings begins in June and there's only a couple spots left for the rest of the summer season.

Travel writer Kim Schneider's book, “100 Things to do in Traverse City Before you Die” is being launched this week in local bookstores, kicking off with a Saturday (3-6 p.m.) launch party at Brilliant Books. Since the book highlights the Traverse City region we had a few questions for Kim.

(All photos courtesy of Lake Michigan Whale Migration Station. No claims are made for their accuracy.) The volunteers at the Traverse City Visitor Center can almost always come up with advice for baffled tourists who need directions. However, one question consistently leaves them speechless. It’s the one about whale-watching tours.

I started my adventure from Traverse City and made my way north driving the beautiful M-22 highway for about an hour ending at the area known as Michigan’s “Little Finger." This area is home to the Leelanau State Park and one of Michigan’s oldest lighthouses.

Looking for something fun to do as we head into the spring season? We’ve got you covered! Here’s a list of events happening in Traverse City in March.