Traverse City is a scenic city on the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. Directly north of Traverse City, the Old Mission Peninsula splits the Grand Traverse Bay in two, with a beautiful windswept landscape and great views of the bay on either side. Slightly to the west, the Leelanau Peninsula, with its charming small towns, forms the "pinkie finger" of the Michigan peninsula, jutting into Lake Michigan. Both peninsulas are prime winemaking regions within the state, and as such are one of the main tourist attractions in the region.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Traverse City is a city of around 15,700 people (as of 2023) founded in 1852 in the Grand Traverse Bay Area of Northern Michigan. It is known locally and branded as the "Cherry Capital of the World"; around 75 percent of the nation's cherries are grown in Michigan, and most of those come from the Traverse City area. The Grand Traverse region has a temperate climate, with hot summers and cool winters.
Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA), 3233 Cass Road, ☏ +1 231-941-2355. M - F 6:10AM to 6:40PM; Sa 8:10AM to 5:40PM; no service on Sundays. Fixed-route service within Traverse City, and an advance-reservation curb-to-curb service in rural Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties. Fares $1. Rental cars are available at Traverse City airport; however, they tend to be expensive.
North of Traverse City is one of the area's lighthouses: 1 Old Mission Point Lighthouse, Mission Point in Old Mission, ☏ +1 231-529-2333. Built in 1870 on the 45th parallel, and decommissioned in 1933, it now houses township employees. Located at the tip of the Old Mission peninsula, north of Traverse City. Traverse Symphony Orchestra, 121 E Front St, Suite 301, ☏ +1 231-947-7120. Founded in 1951, now Northwestern Lower Michigan’s largest resident performing arts organization and only professional orchestra. 1 City Opera House, 109 S Union St, ☏ +1 231-941-8082. 1891 opera house under renovation and restoration. Theatre productions and dancing.
1 Centre Ice Arena, 1600 Chartwell Dr, ☏ +1 231-933-7465. 7AM-10PM. Home of the Detroit Red Wings training camp, as well as ice skating, hockey, fitness center and hockey camps. It also has a store inside for hockey apparel and various items. (updated Feb 2025) Farmers Markets of Downtown Traverse Sara Hardy Farmers Market, GT Commons Market. Grand Traverse Balloons, Inc., 225 Cross Country Trail, ☏ +1 231-947-RIDE (7433). Multicolored, seven-story-tall hot air balloons flights over the Grand Traverse Bay area. One-hour sunrise or sunset flights with champagne celebration. $245. Traverse City Hang Gliders / Paragliders, ☏ +1 231-922-2844. Paragliding down sand dunes near Lake Michigan.
1 Aroma's Coffee, 10850 E. Traverse Hwy, ☏ +1 231-929-2688. Specialty coffees, teas and a large selection of soups and sandwiches. 2 Amical, 229 E Front St, ☏ +1 231-941-8888. Open Monday through Saturday from 11AM for lunch and 5 to 10PM for dinner, and Sunday 9AM-3PM for brunch. Eclectic European cuisine. Seasonal menu with dishes like chicken with poblano and mushrooms, fetuccine with pancetta and leeks, and pork with smoky peanut mole. $12 - $30. (updated Sep 2017) 3 Apache Trout Grill, 13671 SW Bay Shore Dr, ☏ +1 231-947-7079. Fish, Salads, ribs and steak. 4 Auntie Pasta's Italian Cafe, 2030 S Airport Rd, ☏ +1 231-941-8147.
Old Mission General Store, 18250 Mission Rd (follow M37 to Old Mission Road turn right go 1/4 mile turn left on Mission road we are on the right hand side), ☏ +1 231-223-4310. Historical General store on the Old Mission Peninsula. Food, wine, beer, spirits, gifts, ice cream, antiques, pizza, Deli. Wineries are scattered throughout two areas - the Old Mission Peninsula north of Traverse City, and on the Leelanau Peninsula northwest of Traverse City. They are situated on the 45th parallel which provides excellent climate conditions for growing wine grapes.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Oct, Traverse City typically sees ~16°C daytime highs and 12 rainy days.
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