Trip to Traverse City

During my 3-week road trip this summer, my first stop downstate was to Traverse City! I’ve been wanting to spend a little extended time in this town. I feel like I haven’t explored here in a while… so I wanted to hit some familiar favorite spots. I absolutely adore visiting the Traverse area; there’s just so much to do and see (and eat and drink!) Read on… for a beautiful scenic drive, some very famous dunes, all the places I ate & drank, two lighthouses I’ve seen before (but one I was finally able to tour inside!), along with a dope coffee shop I was able to work at all day while visiting.

PIERCE STOCKING SCENIC DRIVE

One of my very favorite spots in the entire state of Michigan… is the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. It’s a 7.8 mile loop along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It’s just outside Traverse City in Empire. The drive loops through the Beech-Maple forest and sand dunes and provides insight to the history of the area, and insane overlooks of the dunes. It’s a self-guided tour of the drive, there are numbered signs along the way that provide more educational information. You can park your car and get out to read more about each spot. I’ve done this before, and I was chasing golden hour, so I quickly darted to my favorite stop… #9. Be prepared to audibly gasp if you’ve never visited before. It’s stunning.

GRAND TRAVERSE LIGHTHOUSE

I’ve visited the Grand Traverse Lighthouse a few years back, but this was my first time being able to pay the tour fee and climb up inside the tower, which is one of my favorite things to do. This lighthouse is… just stunning. The interior has been beautifully restored. You can take a self-guided tour, and learn about the artifacts… and they even have their own gift shop. I explored the grounds for a bit, got a few photos/videos, and climbed up to the top for a view of Lake Michigan. Highly recommend if you’re way up in the Leelanau Peninsula visiting!

MISSION POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Another beautifully maintained Traverse City lighthouse that you can climb to the top and tour is Mission Point Lighthouse. All proceeds directly support the restoration, maintenance and historic displays. This lighthouse is located at the end of Old Mission Peninsula. So a pro tip is to try a few wineries along the way, and then hit the lighthouse for golden hour. (Although if you want to tour, you’d need to go earlier in the day.) But this one was built in 1870, after a large ship hit a shallow reef and sank just in front of where the lighthouse now sits.

PLACES TO EAT/DRINK

The list in Traverse City is endless on places to eat and drink… but here are the places I tried during my time there! In Leelanau Peninsula, up in Northport, I hit up New Bohemian Café, which was delicious for lunch. I’m still dreaming of that French ham & swiss baguette. You have to check out a few wineries when you’re in TC (I checked out Bonobo and Black Star Farms while I was there.) Bonobo always has a rotating slushy… this time was lavender lemon, which was bomb. The Little Fleet is a great place to grab a cocktail and try some of the local food trucks in their parking lot. Workshop Brewing is a nice brewery… and they have snacks to eat as well! One of my favorite dinners was at The Filling Station Microbrewery. I ended up sitting at the bar… next to two really kind women. The pizza was delicious, and I had a mimosa style beer that was delish. And last but not least, I worked all day from Brew, which was an amazing coffee shop. Dope playlist, immaculate vibes, and great coffee.

Black Star Farms

Workshop Brewing

The Filling Station Microbrewery

Brew

I hope you enjoyed my round up of my trip in Traverse City! Any spots I missed? Next time I want to check out Pyramid Point… but if you have any additional food/drink recommendations, let me know! I’m heading back down there in a few weeks for a wine weekend with my girlfriends to celebrate our 100th Wine Club! Also… my HOMES shirt is from Upper Peninsula Supply Co. Let me know any other questions in the comments! xo