Love wine tasting? Then stay right at the vineyard. Looking forward to your tee time? Book a room on the golf course.
The Traverse City area has more amenities and more lodging options than anywhere else in northern Michigan, so it’s easy to find the perfect place to hang out for a few days while enjoying your favorite things to do. If you’re a beach bum, you can find a spot on the water. If you’re a foodie, you can grab a room right downtown within walking distance of many unique restaurants. And if you can’t wait to get out on the trail, you can reserve a cottage right in the midst of Mother Nature.
The Traverse City area encompasses the pinky finger of the Mitten, an absolutely gorgeous region of our state with a vibrant urban center, delightful small towns, and two rolling peninsulas that showcase Michigan’s agricultural splendor.
The spectacular natural beauty provides endless opportunities for adventure and is complemented by thousands of hotel rooms, condos, B&Bs, cottages, cabins, resorts, and short-term rentals at a wide range of price points.
Here’s a closer look at some of the most popular ways to have fun this time of year, and how you can find the best lodging for your leisure:
Outdoor Recreation
Whether you love to bike along a paved trail in town or a dirt path through the woods, the Traverse City area is the place to pedal. Ditto for hiking in Traverse City, which can take you down through the VASA Pathway or high above the water in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Whether you prefer to cast a line in a quiet fishing hole, paddle around the bay, or rip a jet ski through the surf, the Traverse City area is ideal for watersports, too, including the perennial family favorite: tubing down the Platte River!
Where to Stay:
From cute vintage campers at the Betsie River Campsite near Frankfort to stylish Scandinavian cabins at KOTI in Williamsburg, there are cottages and cabins all over the Traverse City area near recreational attractions. You also can find vacation rentals close to rivers, lakes and dunes as well as hotels and motels with conveniences such as free breakfast and indoor pools.
The Beach
From the secluded sands and rocky shores of Sleeping Bear Dunes to quiet inland swimming areas and the busy bayfront in downtown Traverse City, there’s a variety of freshwater beaches to enjoy in the Traverse City area.
That includes several pet-friendly options where your dog can splash around and play fetch.
Where to Stay:
The stretch of U.S. 31 through downtown Traverse City offers no fewer than a dozen places to stay right on Grand Traverse Bay. The Traverse City area also offers waterfront accommodations on Lake Michigan and on several inland lakes and rivers. There are pet-friendly places to stay, too.
Farm-to-Table Food and Drink
Late summer and early fall are primetime for farm markets as the harvest dates arrive for so many fruits and vegetables. Beyond that, the Traverse City area does farm-to-table dining better than anywhere with delicious local ingredients showing up in dishes at restaurants across the region.
It goes without saying that the nearly 50 wineries in the Traverse City area gather their juices from area vineyards. The same is true for many of the breweries, cideries, and distilleries around Traverse City, where you can find one-of-a-kind flavors made with local northern Michigan ingredients.
Where to Stay:
There are so many great places to stay in downtown Traverse City right in the middle of the Most Exciting Foodie Town in Michigan. You also could stay right at a vineyard at Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula or in the Inn at Black Star Farms on the Leelanau Peninsula and never be far from the tasting room.
World-Class Golf
The Traverse City area is home to three world-class golf resorts where you can find courses designed by Hall of Famers Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as well as Michigan legends Bill Newcomb and Jerry Matthews. Yet, there are a dozen other championship golf courses that also put the Traverse City area on the map.
Not far from Crystal Mountain Resort are the scenic, heather-lined fairways of Champion Hill along with Pinecroft and Crystal Lake golf courses, which both offer views of Crystal Lake. Near A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort is the 9-hole Elk Rapids Golf Club, designed by Donald Ross, one of the top golf course architects ever.
If The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is too tough, then play The Crown or Elmbrook, both located just minutes from downtown. Or venture into the Leelanau Peninsula where you can soak up the gorgeous on-course scenery of Bahle Farms and Sugar Loaf.
Where to Stay:
The golf resorts are ideal for a golf getaway, of course. But wherever you stay in the Traverse City area, there’s a golf course nearby.
Small-Town Sightseeing
From downtown Frankfort north along the Lake Michigan shoreline to Empire, Glen Arbor, Leland, and Northport, there are cute little port towns all over the Traverse City area. Now is a great time of year to slow down and relax amid the charming Americana of the Traverse City area, browsing boutique shops, strolling through art galleries, and sitting down to meals on outdoor patios in the refreshing northern Michigan breeze.
Come discover historic Fishtown, explore the mind-boggling variety of items at Cherry Republic, admire the fascinating artistry at Spörck Tileart, pick through the amusing antiques at The Miser’s Hoard, or step back into the past at the Old Mission General Store.
Where to Stay:
The Hotel Frankfort and the six-room Old Mission Inn, Michigan’s oldest hotel, are among the historical places to stay in Traverse City that match the charm of the region’s small towns. You also can find delightful B&Bs scattered across the Traverse City area.
