Traverse City Travel Blog

Traverse City Whiskey lights the flame of the outdoor heater on their patio when the cold weather hits, but customers are looking for something else. Something to warm them up from the inside. This is the time of year when Traverse City distilleries see their customer's tastes change from fresh, light summer drinks to something more robust, something that takes the chill out of the air and gives them warmth.

There is one bear where hibernation is not part of an annual hibernation ritual: the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Many people don’t realize that the National Lakeshore is open year-round. Word to the wise: if you miss a visit in winter, you are missing out on a remarkable experience. 

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

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.

Don’t let your golf game hibernate this winter. There’s no need to fly to warmer climates to keep your skills sharp when the snow flies. There are creative ways to keep the swing, and the body, in golf shape in and around Traverse City during the offseason. 

So many of us think of Traverse City as a warm-weather destination, a place of golden beaches, blue waters, and green forests. But here’s a little secret…winter up north is gorgeous too. You can hit the ski runs, snowshoe or hike through the woods, or just curl up with a cozy glass of wine and watch the snowfall.

Ice wine is a specialty dessert wine made from grapes that have been frozen naturally on the vine. Very few locations can make true ice wine, and the Traverse City area is lucky to be one such spot.