Traverse City Travel Blog

Hey, it’s that time of year when the days can get a bit dark and dreary, and it seems like the sun hasn’t shone in weeks. All of us Michiganders sure could use a laugh. 

Good thing the all-new Traverse City Comedy Fest is coming up!

The 3-day festival of funny features some of the country’s top standup comics and a variety of specialty shows in a handful of fantastic Traverse City venues Feb. 2-4. You can catch large mainstage acts as well as smaller, more intimate performances with a range of ticket prices all weekend long.

The “Blue Light Special” at this shutdown K-Mart has been replaced by “the house.” There are still “buttons,” but not in the clothing department, they are on a sheet of ice. And you can still find “brooms” however, they are not in the Housewares Department but in the firm hands of players that have come for a game of curling. 

The Traverse City Curling Club is in the final stages of opening a new 28,000-square-foot Curling Center. It’s located at the old K-Mart building at Cherryland Center and features five sheets of dedicated ice. The club had been located at the Centre Ice Arena but found their ice time was too limiting. Plus the type of ice needed for curling is different from what hockey players require. 

As the daughter of a dedicated biker father who is a northern Michigan (NoMich) trail rider and connoisseur, the sport of biking has always been intertwined with the path of my life. I have experienced the spectrum of different types of biking, whether it be road, mountain, tandem, or even stationary cycling. For my family, the draw of the sport is not solely rooted in exercise, but in the opportunity for bonding it provides for families, children, and adults alike. Now, biking may not strike you as a winter sport, but thanks to fat tire bikes, it has transformed into one. 

It’s a glowing celebration during December in Traverse City. Streets shine under twinkling lights and there's a festive spirit in the air. Viewing the annual holiday displays around local homes and businesses has become one of the highlights of the Christmas season in Traverse City. 

Some people can’t wait to join a crowd of strangers outside and count down to the New Year. Others prefer to drink and dance the night away indoors with friends, make memories with the family, or maybe just enjoy an elegant evening for two. 

I first graced the slopes of Hickory Hills as a wobbly-kneed two-year-old, nineteen years ago. By ‘slopes’, I mean the tow-roped Bunny Hill... But let us not be derailed by minutia. I may not remember the moment my parents strapped the toddler version of me into a hot pink training harness and let

The shadow box sits at one end of the northern Michigan garage under an American flag. In it contains the relics of 22 years of Ron Smith’s life. They include medals and a list of Navy duty stations that started in June 1974 and ended in July 1996. It was 22 years of honorable service to this country that started as a parachute rigger and ended as a survival training instructor and counselor. 

With a simple turn of the key, it springs into life. Creating a guttural sound that seems to emanate from the toes, vibrate through your core, and tickle the primal nodes of the brain. This is a rumbling engine that not only speaks of the car, but it also speaks of an era. A time when big, heavy cars ruled the road. It was 1968 when this Ford Galaxie convertible came off the assembly line with untarnished vibrant red paint. Today the car shows some of its years on the road, but it has a classic beauty. It welcomes passengers to a spacious, leather-clad, back seat. The driver views the road over a sea of the red hood. 

This is a Foodie Town, so naturally there are lots of great restaurants offering meals for Thanksgiving. Whether you’re local or visiting, there will be plenty of restaurants to choose from. 

Tickets to “The Nutcracker” at the famed Interlochen Center for the Arts, snowshoeing the trails around the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, spending the night in the historic Hotel Frankfort while it’s all decked out in Christmas décor...the list of unique yuletide experiences in the Traverse City area goes on.