Traverse City Travel Blog

Believe it or not, one month of the new year is already gone. Before you know it, the cherry blossoms will be in bloom, then summer beach days will arrive. Not long after that, fall colors will pop and we’ll be ringing in 2025 at the CherryT Ball Drop in downtown Traverse City.

The seasons go by

Guess what? 2024 is a leap year!

The extra day of February might get you excited about spending even more time out in the snow. Or maybe you relish more opportunities to appreciate the warm comforts of wintertime inside. Either way, you can take advantage of the longer month with a winter weekend

It seems like we just turned the calendar from June to July, and now we’ve changed it again to August. In just a few short weeks it will be fall, believe it or not.

As awesome as autumn is, why does summer have to go by so fast? Unfortunately, there is no pause button on life. But there is still time to slow down and soak up summer in northern Michigan before it’s too late. 

If you’re seeking a Michigan destination where you can really appreciate and contribute to the conservation of our state’s natural beauty, it’s hard not to think of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Traverse City-area treasure offers 70,000 glorious acres of trails and beaches spread along 65 miles of spectacular shoreline.  

Quick, name a part of the world known for its wine. For many of us, the answer might be Napa Valley in California or Bordeaux in France. Well, get ready to add Traverse City, Michigan to that elite list.

In 2018, Michigan voters approved legalized cannabis for recreational adult use, and Michigan’s cannabis industry has grown substantially since that time. It is legal to use cannabis in the Traverse City region on a limited basis (details below). There are a number of licensed dispensaries where you can buy cannabis; however, smoking cannabis in public is not permitted and you cannot drive under the influence of cannabis. 

There’s a lot of natural beauty at the Michigan Legacy Art Park, a 30-acre preserve in the Traverse City area with two miles of hiking trails that meander through woods and spring wildflowers up to sweeping views of the Betsie River Valley. 

There also are more than 50 permanent sculptures dotting the landscape and telling stories about the unique history and culture of our state through the eyes of professional artists.

Nearly 100 brewery members of the Michigan Brewers Guild will gather on Saturday, May 13 for the 2nd Annual Spring Beer Festival at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City. Beer lovers will have about 465 different brews (and 76 unique styles) to sample from breweries all across Michigan. Tickets for the festival – one of five hosted each year by the Guild – are available for $50 in advance ($60 the day of) and include 15 tokens each redeemable for a 3-ounce beer sample.

From a distance, it might seem glamorous for an author to take a whirlwind tour around the country signing books for adoring fans in each city they visit. But in Doug Stanton’s experience as a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, it can be more like a marathon of drudgery as you hawk your wares out of a suitcase. 

That’s one reason Stanton and his wife, Anne, started the National Writers Series. The year-round festival in Traverse City invites authors to a different kind of public event that breaks up the monotony of a typical tour. Each event creates space for authors and book lovers alike to get a refreshing breath of fresh air. 

Traveling in and out of the pinky of the mitten?

Keep reading to find the answers to frequently asked questions about Traverse City’s very own Cherry Capital Airport (TVC); the Northern Michigan Connection.