Location: Traverse City
Top Things to do in Traverse City
The 10 Best Budget-friendly Things to do in Traverse City, Michigan (MI)
Traverse City, known as a four-season playground, is now celebrated for quality cuisine, wine and culture. Miles of sugar-sand shoreline include the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with romantic lighthouses and coastal villages. The glacier-sculpted landscape of orchards and vineyards includes 16 golf courses. Swimming, sailing, paddling, hiking and fishing are favorite warm weather activities, while winter turns the region into a playground for skiers, snowmobilers and snowshoers.
Restaurants in Traverse City
1. Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 195 reviews
Traverse Area Recreation & Transportation (TART) Trails is a system of paved and dirt trails for walkers, hikers, bikers, skaters and skiers in Northern Michigan. Trails are open year-round and available for many users and uses. Many of the paved trails offer access to local breweries, wineries, coffeehouses, restaurants and other area attractions such as lakes, rivers and beaches. Many of the dirt trails offer world class mountain biking and hiking opportunities for users of various skill levels. Numerous area bike shops offer rentals for any type of technical or recreational riders. Dogs are also welcomed on the trails and must be leashed and cleaned up after.
Reviewed By ChuckE976 - Detroit, United States
The TART Trail is excellent! It's well maintained, paved, and has an abundance of beautiful scenery. I'm not normally a bicycle ride or walk through nature type of person, but I really enjoyed these trails. My wife is a cyclist and she talked me into renting an eBike so we could ride together one day. We rode 26 miles and I really enjoyed it. The trails are well marked and nicely paved, they are plenty wide for "traffic" in both directions. There and a few parking areas, a bike repair station, and even some port-a-potties along the way. And there are a number of benches too if you wanted to stop for a snack or drink or just look at the scenery. We were there in early October and with the color change, it made for a very scenic ride. There were people of all ages on the trails from families with young kids, to "serious" cyclists, to seniors, walkers, rollerblades, eBikers, etc. I'll definitely go back again next year.
2. Gallaghers Farm Market
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 35 reviews
Reviewed By MichelleF369 - Traverse City, United States
What's not to love? They have fruit, veggies, and wine and cherry products from local growers/producers, plus some "exotic," i.e. non-local things, but mostly just good seasonal produce, milk, ice cream, and baked goods. Kids love to visit the barnyard to see the animals and play with the toy tractors/animals in the toy barn. They've been doing this a long time, and I appreciate that it's just good products, not a kitschy "experience" for sale (though you can stick your head in a wooden cutout of what may be a caricaturized farmer in the parking area and take a photo if you're into that)
3. Traverse Area District Library
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 106 reviews
Reviewed By Wander27014
Great Children's garden & floral area in front of the Library for kids of all ages to explore & enjoy as well as the vast selection & services inside.
4. Lake Michigan Shoreline
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 54 reviews
Reviewed By victoriarH5460FV - Grand Haven, United States
what an incredible drive along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Traverse City and along the Peninsula stopping to see the grape vinyards and buy wine as gifts. Absolutely tranquil and breathtaking- great photo stops
5. Dennos Museum Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 166 reviews
Located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College, the Dennos Museum Center offers an ongoing array of changing exhibits in the arts and sciences. The museum holds and exhibits one of the largest and most historically complete collections of stone sculpture, prints and drawings by the Inuit artists of the Canadian Arctic, in the United States. Its hands-on Discover Gallery features interactive engagement with the arts and sciences. The museum produces a concert series of blues, jazz and world music and other entertainment forms each year from September to May in the center’s 367 seat Milliken Auditorium and hosts performances by other community groups throughout the year.
Reviewed By terryhV463JA - Traverse City, United States
The galleries and store are nice. The concerts are our favorite there. The acoustics and lighting are great, but our favorite thing about this venue is the seating. The rows are far enough apart if you feel the need to shake a little more than your head....you can!
6. Clinch Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 236 reviews
Reviewed By Gypsy1102 - Boston, United States
a great park away from the city lovely on the lake and easy to walk .. under road safe tunnel way enjoy the quiet and the views
7. Front Street
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 916 reviews
Reviewed By 294jeanneb - Brown Deer, United States
Lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. Plan to spend a morning or afternoon taking everything in. Very walkable.
8. Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 417 reviews
Welcome to Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery. Spanning 91 acres, Brys Estate is one of the largest contiguous winery estates on Old Mission Peninsula. Opened in 2005, we're a family-run business that crafts wines from our 58,000 vines planted less than a mile from Lake Michigan. The Brys experience includes an old-world tasting room, unique Upper Deck, and a barn-turned-guest house that offers panoramic views of the bay and Old Mission Peninsula.
Reviewed By ememl - Dallas, United States
If you are ever at Brys, I recommend the Frose and blueberry mustard. Visitors also need to stay for the view on the upper deck because it is so beautiful on a perfect summer day!
9. Spider Lake
10. Right Brain Brewery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 217 reviews
Right Brain Brewery, aka RBB or "The Brain," is a microbrewery located in the up and coming SoFo District of Traverse City Michigan. Award-winning culinary inspired beers brewed with a brain, and without extracts. Beer No Evil!
Reviewed By 182carar
We did a kabrew tour while we were in TC and this was our favorite. So many fun and clever choices. The inside is really cool.
