25 Best Things to Do in Traverse City Michigan: A Local’s Guide for Every Season

Last Updated: July 2026

The best things to do in Traverse City run from Lake Michigan beaches and dune climbs to wine tasting on two peninsulas, a walkable downtown, and a food scene that now gets national attention. This is my rundown of what’s actually worth your time, sorted so you can build a trip around it whether you’re here for a weekend or a week.

I’ve been coming up to Traverse City for years, in every season, and I’ve done the touristy stuff and the local stuff both. This post is the things-to-do list; if you want the full trip picture — where to stay, when to come, how to get around — start with my complete Traverse City guide and use this as the deep dive on what to do once you’re here.

Hit the Beaches on Grand Traverse Bay

The beaches are the first thing I’d send anyone to, because the water here genuinely doesn’t look like Michigan — it turns a clear turquoise on a sunny day that first-timers don’t believe until they see it. Clinch Park sits right downtown, walkable from Front Street, with calm shallow water that’s great for families. West End Beach is a short way down the West Bay near the marina, and Traverse City State Park Beach on the East Bay pairs a good stretch of sand with a campground across the road (there’s a pedestrian overpass so you’re not crossing US-31 with kids).

My quieter pick is the beach at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, out by the Old Mission Point Lighthouse, where you’re standing on the 45th parallel exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole. For the full breakdown of every beach worth knowing, see my Traverse City beaches guide.

Day Trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is 30 minutes west and the one day trip I’d never skip — it was voted the Most Beautiful Place in America, and it earns it. Climb the Dune Climb, drive the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive for the dramatic overlooks, and hike Empire Bluff if you want the postcard view. A vehicle pass is required: $25 for seven days or $45 for an annual Sleeping Bear pass. In winter the whole place transforms — trailheads stay plowed for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and you can sled down the dune.

I’ll be honest, I almost treated this as a quick stop on my first trip and I’m glad I didn’t — give it a half day minimum. My full Sleeping Bear Dunes guide covers how to skip the entry line and which beaches inside the park are worth your time.

Taste Your Way Through Wine Country

Traverse City’s two peninsulas sit on the same latitude as Bordeaux, and the cool-climate whites and rosés are the real deal. Old Mission Peninsula packs 18-plus wineries into a narrow strip with bay views on both sides — Brys Estate (a 155-acre estate with a lavender farm), Chateau Grand Traverse, and Mari Vineyards with its underground tasting room are my regular stops. Leelanau Peninsula spreads its wineries across rolling countryside with villages between them, plus Tandem Ciders and 45 North.

Here’s the one piece of advice I give everyone: don’t try to do both peninsulas in a day. Pick one, actually enjoy the drive and the stops, and book a tour or line up a designated driver. In winter, snowshoe wine tours at 45 North and Black Star Farms let you trek the snowy vineyards and warm up with a tasting. Full details on every stop are in my Traverse City wineries guide.

Sail the Bay on a Tall Ship

Sailing Grand Traverse Bay on a tall ship is the Traverse City experience I recommend most to families. The Traverse Tall Ship Company runs excursions on the Manitou, a replica 1800s cargo schooner, and the yacht Scout. The two-hour ice cream cruise — with Moomers ice cream, consistently ranked among the best in the country — is the easy win with kids, and there are longer sunset sails if it’s just adults. You can book some excursions into mid-October, when the fall color around the bay is stunning and the crowds have thinned.

Explore Downtown and the Commons

Downtown Front Street is where I’d spend an easy afternoon — walk from Boardman Avenue to Union Street and you’ll hit Cherry Republic (free cherry samples), M22, and a run of local boutiques and shops. Grab pie at Grand Traverse Pie Company while you’re at it.

Just west of downtown, the Village at Grand Traverse Commons is worth an hour on its own — it’s the beautifully restored former Traverse City State Hospital, now full of shops, coffee, and restaurants like Trattoria Stella in the old chapel. For where to eat across the whole city, see my best restaurants in Traverse City guide, and for the craft scene, my brewery guide.

Get Outside: Trails, Kayaks, and Bikes

For biking, the paved TART Trails run right through town, and the Leelanau Trail is the one I’d point you to — 17 off-road miles from Traverse City to Suttons Bay through farms and vineyards. The Boardman River Trail System gives you 24 dog-friendly, family-friendly miles with minimal elevation right in the city, and you can rent bikes, kayaks, and paddleboards to run the Boardman River or Boardman Lake. Paddling the river through the middle of town is one of those things that sounds ordinary and turns out to be the highlight of a trip.

In spring, the cherry blossoms across Old Mission, Leelanau, and the surrounding counties bloom through May for about a week — timing shifts year to year with the temperatures, so build in some flexibility if that’s your goal.

Chase the Lighthouses

The Traverse City area makes an easy Lake Michigan lighthouse run. Old Mission Point Lighthouse sits at the tip of Old Mission with a museum, trails, and a sandy beach. Grand Traverse Lighthouse caps the top of the Leelanau Peninsula at Leelanau State Park, and you can climb to the top. West toward the lake, Empire’s Robert Manning Memorial Lighthouse has a big public beach beside it, and Frankfort’s lighthouse — one of my favorites in northern Michigan — sits at the end of a walkable breakwall when the waves are calm.

Time Your Trip to a Festival

If you can line your visit up with an event, do it. The National Cherry Festival (July 4–11 in 2026) is the big one — air shows, parades, a cherry market, pie-eating contests, and fireworks over the bay, with most events free. Restaurant Week in late February is my insider pick: multi-course prix fixe menus at $25, $35, and $45 across the best restaurants in town, at winter rates. Beer Week in November runs a brewery passport, the Traverse City Film Festival in late July draws films and filmmakers from around the world, and the Northwestern Michigan Fair in early August is a century-old classic. For the full statewide calendar, see my Michigan festivals guide.

Traverse City With Kids

Beyond the beaches and the tall ship, the easy family wins are the Great Lakes Children’s Museum (play-based, best for ages 1–8, reservations recommended), the Butterfly House with hundreds of free-flying butterflies (open May–October), and the Cherry Bowl Drive-In in nearby Honor, where two movies a night come with a diner, mini-golf, and a playground. On a rainy day, the historic State Theatre downtown runs cheap matinees. For more ideas statewide, see things to do in Michigan with kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the number one thing to do in Traverse City?

If you do one thing, make it a day at Sleeping Bear Dunes, 30 minutes west — the Dune Climb, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, and Empire Bluff hike are the signature experiences of the area. Close behind is a day of wine tasting on Old Mission Peninsula and a beach afternoon at Clinch Park downtown.

What is there to do in Traverse City in winter?

Winter brings downhill and cross-country skiing at Mt. Holiday and Hickory Hills, snow tubing, snowshoe wine tours through the vineyards at 45 North and Black Star Farms, and Restaurant Week in late February. You can also snowshoe or sled the dunes at Sleeping Bear, where trailheads stay plowed all season.

Is Traverse City good for families?

Very. Clinch Park has shallow, calm water right downtown, and the Tall Ship ice cream cruise, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, Butterfly House, and Cherry Bowl Drive-In are all easy wins. Camping at Traverse City State Park puts you right across from a good beach.

How many wineries are in the Traverse City area?

There are more than 40 wineries across the two peninsulas — 18-plus on the more compact Old Mission Peninsula and 25-plus spread across Leelanau. If you only have one day, Old Mission is easier to navigate; plan one peninsula per day and book a tour if you’d rather not drive.

Do you need a car to get around Traverse City?

Downtown is walkable with a free summer bus loop, but you’ll want a car for the wineries, Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Leelanau villages, and the outlying beaches. Most visitors drive up, and the road trip along the M-22 corridor is half the fun.

👉 Planning the whole trip? Start with my complete Traverse City guide for where to stay, when to visit, and how to plan your days.