Tag: Leelanau

A First Timers Guide to Traverse City

On December 11, 2023

Old Mission Lighthouse

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Traverse City is a popular tourist destination in Northern Michigan, located at the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay. Traverse City is famous for the National Cherry Festival which is held each year around the 4th of July.

Where to Stay

If you are looking to enjoy the water, there are many beachfront hotels located on Front Street just a short drive away from the downtown area. My favorite is probably Sugar Beach Resort. If you are up for roughing it on your visit to Traverse City, Traverse City State Park campground is across the street from the pricey beachfront hotels and is about 10% of the cost per night. If you are looking to stay closer to the action, the Delamar has a great location. For an adults-only trip close to the wineries, I highly recommend the Inn at Chateau Grand Traverse on Old Mission Peninsula. Traverse City can get very crowded in the summer and lodging can be very expensive, but prices drop in late fall to early spring if you don’t mind the snow and the cold breezes coming off the lake.

What to Do

You could spend days browsing the shops and restaurants in downtown Traverse City. Be sure to check out Cherry Republic, which sells 200+ products celebrating Michigan’s Montmorency Cherry. Once you explore all of the shops downtown, head to Grand Traverse Commons, a shopping and dining district in the former State Hospital. Want to learn about the history of the buildings or its reported hauntings? They have tours for that.

Fall in Sutton's Bay

With all the crystal blue shoreline, you are missing out if you don’t get out on the water. Even if you don’t stay at one of the beachfront resorts, there are many public beaches along the waterfront. Places all over the area rent pontoons and jet skis. On our last visit, we took a sunset cruise on the Tall Ship Manitou and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get out onto Grand Traverse Bay.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a short drive away and was voted the most beautiful place in America by Good Morning America. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a great way to see the park. If you are looking to do some hiking, the Empire Bluff Trail is probably my favorite in the state.

There is plenty to do in winter too. There are several big ski hills in the area including Crystal Mountain. Those non-skiers like me can enjoy snow tubing at Michigan’s largest tubing hill, TimberLee Hills. Miles of trails abound for snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

Enjoying a Glass of Wine at Bonobo

If you visit when they are in season, I highly recommend picking cherries or apples at one of the many farms in the area. Of course, those aren’t the only fruit grown in the Traverse City area. There are also many wineries in the area on both Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas. There are wineries in the area that will make you rethink what you know about Michigan wine. My favorite wineries in the area that produce high-quality, interesting wines include Mawby Sparkling Wines and Rove Estate Vineyard on Leelanau and Bonobo, 2 Lads, and Chateau Grand Traverse on Old Mission. If you’re interested in hard cider, Tandem Ciders on Leelanau is my favorite in the area. I am not a beer drinker, but there are many microbrewers in Traverse City as well including Mitten Brewing Company on Leelanau and Jolly Pumpkin on Old Mission.

Where to Eat:

I always struggle on my visits to Traverse City because there are so many interesting restaurants that I want to try new places but I also want to go back to my favorites. The one restaurant that I have to visit every trip is North Peak Brewery. Get anything with the beer cheese and you won’t be disappointed. For breakfast, you can’t go wrong with the Omlette Shoppe or Bubbie’s Bagels. For coffee, I usually head to Cuppa Joe or Higher Grounds. Grand Traverse Pie Company is an iconic lunch (and pie) spot in the area. For dessert, you have to drive out to Moomer’s Ice Cream which was voted the Best in America by readers of USA Today. For a more upscale meal, I recommend Poppycocks downtown or Boathouse Restaurant which serves wonderful food in the middle of a local art gallery.

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. To read campground reviews check out my Michigan Campground Reviews page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page.

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Traverse City Pinterest Graphic

Camping Leelanau State Park

By Ashleigh

On February 6, 2023

In Michigan, Project: State Parks, Wine Travel

Flying over Leelanau State Park

Leelanau State Park is located at the tip of Leelanau Peninsula (Michigan’s pinky finger) and is home to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, 8.5 miles of hiking trails, and a rustic campground. We decided to give it a try this fall and it was a great base for exploring Sleeping Bear Dunes and all there is to see on the peninsula.

The campground has 51 sites with no electrical hookup or modern bath facilities. Outhouses are scattered throughout the campground. About half of the sites are located on Lake Michigan and the other half are tucked up in the woods. The view from the waterfront sites is beautiful but windy. When camping in the cooler months (like during our visit in October) having some trees between you and the water can help keep you warmer. None of the sites are too far from the water and this would be a great campground to enjoy in warm weather!

While this campground is on Leelanau Peninsula, it is far away from a lot of the things to do. It is a 10-minute drive from Northport, 30 minutes from Suttons Bay or Leland, and an hour from Glen Arbor and Sleeping Bear Dunes. We pretty much left in the morning to explore our favorite places on the peninsula and came back to camp at night. If you are looking for a campground to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes, D.H. Day is probably a better option. But, if you want a beautiful, quiet, rustic campground on Lake Michigan, Leelanau State Park is a great place to stay!

Leelanau Peninsula from the Air

We used our time on the peninsula well. Of course, we flew the drone (see photos above) and then headed down to Sleeping Bear Dunes. Since we have the America the Beautiful National Park Pass, we had to make use of it, so we drove Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive for the first time in a few years. Of course, we did some wine tasting and found a few new favorite vineyards on Leelanau. I haven’t been anywhere in Northern Michigan that I didn’t like and Leelanau State Park did not disappoint! To book your stay at Leelanau State Park, visit MiDNRReservations.com!

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here. To see inside my camera bag, check out my updated Gear Page.

Wordless Wednesday: Vineyard View

By Ashleigh

On March 3, 2021

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

D.H. Day Campground in the Off Season

By Ashleigh

On February 15, 2021

In Camping, Hiking, Michigan, National Parks & Places

Back in 2019, we managed to score a campsite at one of Michigan’s most popular campgrounds right when they were first available to be booked in advance. Of course, I’m referring to D.H. Day Campground and when we first set up camp, we understood the hype around the campground. First of all, it is located in the amazingly beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Second, the campsites are big and private and the campground is quiet. Third, it is located in a great spot to explore all the fun things on Leelanau.

View of our mini camper from the dunes

With campgrounds being closed longer than normal due to COVID, we didn’t attempt to get a prime summer reservation in 2020. Instead, we waited until late in the season when the campground goes back to sites being available on a first come first serve basis. This was Halloween weekend and I was nervous the campground was going to be busy and we were going to have a hard time getting a spot. Well, snow was on the forecast, and being a rustic park there is no electric service to heat up your campers in the freezing temperatures. When we pulled in there were maybe only three or four other sites that were occupied.

We did what any D.H. Day loving camper would do in that situation and we took one of the coveted and near impossible to reserve in the summer waterfront sites. It was very cold and the wind was strong so it was hard to enjoy the beach, but on the other side of the dune, it was a wonderful campsite. We discovered that many sites in this section involve some dune climbing to reach so there are only a few that are accessible to RVs or trailers. Those sites would be AMAZING for tents, though.

If you have been struggling to get a site at D.H. Day, try going offseason. It will be even quieter than in the summer and you may even be able to score a waterfront site. If you go in the fall you’ll also be treated to a show of fall colors on Leelanau. You’ll just need to bring extra blankets and maybe some hand warmers to keep warm.

While in Sleeping Bear Dunes we had to hike the Empire Bluff Trail (top). The last time we had been to the park, we tried the Alligator Hill trail and it did not live up to Empire Buff. I have heard really good things about the Pyramid Point trail and we will have to try it next time but I just needed another chance to soak in that Empire Bluff view before I try another trail that may or may not be better.

To try your hand a reserving a site at this very popular campground, visit Recreation.gov. Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page.

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