21 Essential Places to Visit During a Traverse City Michigan Vacation Post

Are you planning a Traverse City Michigan vacation? Check out some essential places to visit and things to do in this beautiful northern Michigan city.

Planning a trip to Michigan is super exciting! If you’re anything like me, you’re here because you love to research and plan your trip ahead of time. As someone who frequently visits Traverse City and loves to travel, I am giving you a list of the best things to do in Traverse City.

You are going to learn about places to visit like wineries on Old Mission Peninsula, restaurants to check out downtown, and the most unique places to visit. After learning about these places and some helpful tips, you are going to be ready for your next Michigan travel adventure!

21 Essential Places to Visit During a Traverse City Michigan Vacation.

Wineries

Northern Michigan wineries are some of the best wineries in the USA, especially when it comes to white wine. The Michigan climate and local terrain produce a variety of grapes perfect for wine. Even if you are not a huge wine aficionado, I recommend checking out some of these wineries for their stunning views.

Old Mission Point

Starting along the Old Mission Point Trail you’ll find Mari Vineyards. This winery is unique in that they specialize in Italian wines.

Black Star Farms is a well known winery on Old Mission Point. With an expansive property, they offer so much more than wine tastings. The on-site restaurant, Bistro Polaris offers a variety of items on their menu. On Sundays they have a 3 course brunch. They also have a bed and breakfast if you’re interested in staying on the property.

Brys Estate has a delicious frozé (rosé slushie) drink offered in the summer months. On its own, their rosé is one of my favorites. Don’t miss their Secret Garden store while you’re there. When you are driving into the estate, the Secret Garden is on the right side. The store carries a variety of soaps, lotions, and more that are all made in house with the lavender grown on the property. In July you’ll be surrounded by beautiful fields of lavender. In the spring and fall, enjoy the views of Traverse City bay from their outdoor deck and patio.

Another one of my favorite wineries is Bowers Harbor. The entrance of this winery is so welcoming. One of their most well known wines is the Winston merlot, named after the beloved dog of Bowers Harbor.

If you’re looking for incredible views of the bay, Chateau Grand Traverse is not to miss. The winery is situated atop a hill, offering spectacular views of the vineyards and Grand Traverse Bay. Similar to Black Star Farms, Chateau Grand Traverse also offers onsite accommodations.

With a more contemporary style, 2 Lads offers a variety of reds, whites, and sparkling wines. I personally love their sparkling wines, especially the sparkling rosé and crisp sparkling white.

Leelanau Peninsula

Moving over to Leelanau Peninsula, we have more wineries! Although technically these wineries will be found as you drive away from Traverse City, I still wanted to include them as essential places to visit during a Traverse City Michigan vacation.

Not only will you find delicious wine at Brengman Brothers, they also have a restaurant serving up delicious cuisine. Check out their website for hours. If you are in the Grand Rapids area, they also own 40 Pearl, a wine tasting bar located right downtown.

Another one of my favorite Michigan wines is Mawby Wine. They offer a variety of wines and ciders including sparkling, which are so delicious and fun! I especially recommend trying Sex and Blanc.

Ciccone Vineyard & Winery makes their wine in house using grapes grown right on the estate. In the summer they offer live music and other unique experiences. Check out their website to find a calendar of special events.

Rove Estate not only offers wine tastings, but tours as well. Located at the highest point of the Leelanau Peninsula, it’s a great place to soak in the unbelievable views of northern Michigan.

Although Tandem Ciders is not a winery, I’m including it because it’s one of my favorite ciders! If you are driving through the peninsula, definitely check this place out. Their tasting room is intimate and cute. They have a variety of ciders worth trying, especially Smackintosh.

Downtown Traverse City

Shopping

If shopping is more your thing during a vacation, check out some of these fun and unique places.

A unique store to Michigan, Cherry Republic offers all things cherry! A fun fact, Traverse City produces about 75% of the United State’s tart cherries and 25% of the sweet cherries annually. Cherry Republic has delicious jams, jellies, salsas, dips, and more all with cherries as the main ingredient. If you’re walking down East Front Street in downtown Traverse City, stop by this delicious store.

If you’re looking for unique vacation souvenirs or gifts, visit Warehouse MRKT. This warehouse has a variety of boutique type stores. Two of my must visits here are Hexenbelle, a coffee shop that offers delicious Arabic dishes as well as Darling Botanicals, a fun and trendy plant store.

You’ll find even more shopping at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. This building has been transformed into a multi-use space offering shopping, dining, and other unique experiences I will be expanding on later. For shopping, there are several boutiques offering a variety of products like jewelry, clothing, housewares, decor, and more.

Restaurants

I am giving you a few of my favorite restaurants to visit during your Traverse City Michigan vacation!

If your family is more casual or you plan to be with a group who has varying level of food interests, Little Fleet may be the perfect place. It’s a permanent venue for a few food trucks offering cuisines like Japanese, Mexican, American BBQ, and pizza. The center of the venue has plenty of outdoor seating and the location is walkable to other parts of downtown. I highly recommend the burrito from Happy’s Taco Shop.

Farm Club is my all time favorite Traverse City restaurant. The food can’t get any more fresh, as they grow many of their ingredients on site. Because of this, their menu changes frequently. They offer delicious salads, soups, sandwiches, charcuterie, and seasonal entrees. The outdoor space is perfect for hanging out and enjoying your meal al fresco. Note that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays each week.

Trattoria Stella is a well known Italian restaurant in Traverse City that has been a staple for 20 years. They partner with several local farms and the pasta is house-made. If you’re looking for a romantic date night option, definitely consider making a reservation.

Samsara Southeast Asian Cuisine is another amazing restaurant. With Cambodian and Laosian roots, the husband and wife owners offer some of the best Asian food in northern Michigan. They offer both dine in and takeout, so if you prefer to stay in, consider ordering their food to go.

Family Friendly Attractions

As you’re planning your vacation and looking for some activities to add to your itinerary, these family friendly attractions are perfect for everyone.

Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor waterpark and resort. Kids LOVE this place. It’s a super fun way to spend time with loved ones and they offer a lot of family friendly activities. This is a great option for any time of year.

In the warmer months of the year, definitely take a drive out to Mission Point LightHouse. Located at the end point of Old Mission Peninsula, visitors can learn about the history of the lighthouse and see stunning views of Lake Michigan. This is also a great place to look for Petoskey stones.

I mentioned The Village at Grand Traverse Commons earlier in this post because of the boutiques, but they also offer a variety of tours. The building was once an asylum so there’s a lot of history that can be learned here. They offer walking tours of the property, and even a haunted tour at dusk.

If you’re looking to relax on your Traverse City Michigan vacation, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is a great place to visit. You can stay on site and be pampered with all of the spa amenities. They also have a golf course and several restaurants. It’s a great place to check out if you’re looking to relax and stay in one place.

There are so many fun things to do in Traverse City and essential places to visit. I hope this list gives you some ideas for your next vacation!