Lazing on colorful floats. Crystal clear lakes and even more beautiful sunsets. Juicy fresh berries and heavenly cherry pie. Speed boats, pontoon boats, and sail boats dotting the horizon. Small towns and cozy shops.

Family laughing together and bustling around a crowded kitchen and bending over cards and dominoes late into the night.

These are the things that draw us back to Michigan each summer.

We love exploring new places. We love driving off in an unknown direction or plotting courses through new territory. There is also, however, joy in returning again and again to beautiful places that hold comfortable memories and family summer after summer.

Northern Michigan is one of those places for our family.

A Weekend in Traverse City MI

Traverse City, Michigan is a tiny (about 14,000 people) town in Northern Michigan along the gorgeous Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. The greater Traverse area is the country’s largest producer of tart cherries and for this, and other reasons, the area explodes with tourists each summer.

My husband’s family has been vacationing in Elk Rapids, an even smaller town just north of Traverse City, since he was a little boy. The town sits between Lake Michigan and Elk Lake and is one of those places where kids still bike around the quiet streets and the town gathers each week for a street festival.

Regardless of whether you stay in Traverse or one of the surrounding towns, below are some of our time tested spots and tips and the things that will have you coming back to the area again and again.

STAY.

We stay in a rental home to the north of Traverse City in Elk Rapid, Michigan. It is a tiny little town on a big beautiful lake. I highly recommend going the AirBNB or rental route for a relaxing lake vacation.

However, there are also a variety of other accommodations available in the Traverse City area.

EAT.

A lot of the restaurants in Traverse City have come and gone in the time we’ve been there. Since we rent a house for our large extended family we eat many of our meals in house, but there are a couple we recommend.

Road Side Stand

Frequent stops are made during our week at the little road side stands between Traverse City and Elk Rapids. THESE ARE A MUST.

Grab a couple pints of delicious fruit (cherries are an obvious choice) and a fresh pie or two.

Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor MI

If you don’t mind cherries in your water (and literally everything else) then this is a fun place to eat. More on what you can do below but this is a great place to grab lunch or some yummy ice cream.

Cherry Republic Website

TO DO.

Boating? Beaches? Shopping? Festivals? The Traverse Area has this and more. Here are some of our favorite things to do with kids:

traverse city

Most people think of the streets of shops and restaurants when they think of Traverse City. You can certainly find lots of yummy treats and interesting souvenirs and trinkets, but when our kids get bored of that there are other fun things to do.

Pirate’s Cove Miniature Golf and Adventure Park

Mini-golf and so much more. This is a fun place to play for an hour or more.

Great Lakes Children’s Museum

Have an unfortunate rainy day? This is our top recommendation. It is small, but full of lots of hands on activities for little people. Visit their website.

elk rapids

This cute little town is only a couple of blocks long, but it manages to keep our kids happy and content for a week every summer. Swimming and boating on the lake are our favorite activities, but when we take a break from that – these are our favorite things to do.

Habor Days Street Festivals

During the summer there is a street festival every Wednesday evening. Main Street shuts down for music, food, and street games.  My kids love the simple games (like hoola hooping above), fire truck visits, and more.

Veterans Park & Beach

This playground and beach right on Lake Michigan are stunning and perfect for little ones. My kids love the nautical theme of the playground. It has a huge shade tree that provides excellent cover from the summer sun. The beautiful blue waters of the lake pull you closer eventually. There is a large beach and shallow water off to the right just perfect for wading and exploring.

Boating

Every year we rent a pontoon and/or speed boat for a day. This is always one of the highlights for everyone, but especially my kids. Boat around Elk Lake or ride it a ways to a local sand bar.

Surrounding area

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore

This is one of my favorite trips in the area. About an hour drive from Elk Rapids (a little less from Traverse City) are the incredible Sleeping Bear Dunes.

It is a long hike – with younger kids expect to go up and down the big hill and that’s probably about it.

A few tips: Bring Sunscreen. Get there early so there are less people and the sand is cooler.

Learn More Here.

click to read more national park adventures

Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor

If you’re going to the Dunes then this is a quick trip a little further up the road and worth the stop. They have several locations so check the website below to see if there is one that is more convenient to you.

We bought most of our souvenirs here where you can literally buy anything cherry. The dark chocolate dried cherries are one of my favorite things on earth (my husband’s is the Cherry BBQ sauce – the spicy one!) and don’t forget to stop at the cafe for a huge variety of playful ice cream flavors – all of course involving the star of the show.

Visit Their Website to Learn More

Have Even More Time?

Below are the things I WANT to do in the Traverse City Area but haven’t gotten around to yet.

• Lighthouse
• Winery Tours
• SUP in one of the lakes
• GT Butterfly House & Bug Zoo

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