Reopening Safely in Traverse City

In Traverse City and the surrounding regions, the well-being of residents and guests is top priority. That’s why our region is following local, state, and federal guidelines to ensure safety, health and peace of mind. We are all in this together—and residents and visitors alike need to be vigilant to ensure our community is able to remain open. 

If you want to know if your favorite local business is open, the best thing to do is call them or check their website/social media!

In the video and information below, you’ll find a snapshot of what you can expect when you visit the Traverse City area. 

What Is Open

Most businesses, activities and attractions in our region are open in some capacity (based upon seasonality), including:

• Hotels 
• Restaurants and bars are open for outdoor dining and take out (this varies and is dependent on individual businesses). Click here for places to eat outside and here for take out options. 
• Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries with outdoor seating only. Click here for places to sip outside. 
• Retail stores
• Parks and trails including the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (click here for details) 
• Ski hills 
• Grocery stores
• Other essential businesses
• BATA Bus, Transportation and the Cherry Capital Airport
• Golf courses
• Marinas

What You Can Do

Live like a local! We ask all visitors to follow the same guidelines we do here in TC, which means following regulations set forth by the state of Michigan and the CDC, including:

• Wear a face mask while in indoor public spaces and in crowded outdoor public spaces (required by the state of MI, Executive Order 2020-147)
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
• Practice social distancing by staying six feet away from people who aren’t in your household
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home if you feel sick or have had contact with someone with COVID-19 symptoms. If you have symptoms while traveling, please self-quarantine and seek guidance from the resources below. 

What TC Is Doing

Each business has their own safety procedures, but here’s an idea of how our hotels and businesses are creating safe environments for staff and customers.

• Implementing “contactless” processes and payments wherever possible
• Requiring frontline staff to wear masks and other PPE as necessary
• Requiring guests to wear masks and other PPE as necessary
• Screening employees for symptoms before every shift
• Enhancing cleaning practices

Hotels

• Implementing new cleaning procedures of rooms and commons areas
• Providing sanitation stations throughout the property
• Minimizing guest contact in elevators, lobbies, etc.

Restaurants

• Continuing take-out and curbside services
• Outdoor seating, click here for options

Retail

• Limiting occupancy to 25%
• Frequently sanitizing high-traffic areas
• Posting clear signage to encourage social distancing

Health Resources

If you are in our region and experience symptoms, here is local health information:

Grand Traverse County COVID 19 Site
Munson Healthcare
GT CO Health Department 
Benzie/Leelanau Health Department 
Health Department of NW Michigan