Traverse City is located on Lake Michigan so there are obviously a ton of water activities, but also so many great food options, loads of beautiful nature trails, and even some amazing wineries!
My family typically visits Outer Banks, but last year they decided to mix it up and head up north to Traverse City, Michigan! We were there for about 5 days and seriously did so many things.
There were 6 adults, 2 teenagers, and a toddler on our trip – so we opted for renting a house just a little south of downtown Traverse City. We stayed right on a little lake called “Silver Lake,” which is not to be confused with the very touristy and beautiful Silver Lake a few hours from here. My parents have a boat, which definitely came in handy!
Check out the full list below which has 10 inexpensive and family friendly activities to do while you are visiting Traverse City, Michigan!
#1: Get in the Water
Like I mentioned above, my parents brought their boat so we luckily could just head out right on our little lake. Our rented house also had kayaks which were ridiculously fun. We also bought some big rafts to just sit and hang in the water (find them here) and some toys for O to play in the sand (find them here). You can also rent these activities if you don’t have direct access to water.
If water sports aren’t your thing, there is still plenty to do in the water! O was just as happy splashing around in the cool and clear water. Some of our favorite spots to jump in the water are listed below.
- Schneider’s Beach & Park in Leland, Michigan
- Clinch Park in Downtown Traverse City, Michigan
- Grand Traverse Lakehouse in Leelanau, Michigan
- Silver Lake in Hart, Michigan
- We didn’t actually go here but have heard it’s amazing!
#2 – Eat in Downtown Traverse City
You know we focus our trips on where we can get the best food. Technically, this could be a post all in it’s own – but I figured I’d put three of our favorite spots in this blog post! I couldn’t find any pictures but another spot we LOVED was Patisserie Amie.
Joel found this burger spot and it was pretty delish. It’s super family friendly and even has kid’s meal’s half off on Monday nights. He got the “Shrek Burger” which has “Fried Cheese, Fresh Jalapeno, Pulled Pork, Coleslaw, Haystack Onions, Bourbon BBQ Sauce” on it. Hey, vacation is about splurging, right?
The Little Fleet
This place is amazing. It’s a bar that also has food trucks outside which is great when you want to try multiple types of cuisine! The food trucks rotate, you can see the list here. We tried a few different types of tacos and had some of the BEST fish and chips ever. During the week, it doesn’t open til 3 but on weekends it’s open all day, just be sure to check the hours before you go!
Slabtown Burgers
This place is an institution! There is a line out the door, always. Speaking of the door, it’s tiny and not stroller friendly. There is plenty of seating outdoors though so don’t let that deter you. The burgers, fries, and milkshakes are totally and completely worth the wait. Be aware that they are closed Sundays, so don’t try and go then because you’ll be disappointed.
#3 – Drive to Leland, Michigan
This little town is ADORABLE. Like, straight out of a Hallmark movie. It’s about a 40 minute scenic drive from downtown Traverse City but you don’t want to miss this spot. The water is amazing, there are white sand beaches, so don’t forget your prescription sunglasses, and there are tons of restaurants and shopping. They are famous for their cheese sandwiches, which is why there is a line out of the door of this little shack. We didn’t wait for one, but I don’t recommend following our lead there.
There is also tons of fun little shops around Leland. We stumbled upon a little craft area too in the middle of some of the shops! O was too little to partake, but you could easily spend your whole Lake Michigan trip in the town of Leland. They even have a food and wine festival in June!
#4 – Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Let me just tell you that this National Park is BEAUTIFUL but holy crap, be prepared to exercise! There are a few ways to enjoy this wonderful park which you can read all about here on their website. We enjoyed them two different ways! We started the “dune climb” but only made it up the first hill because oh my goodness was it steep AND I was carrying a 2 year old. I don’t recommend that. But, I highly recommend visiting the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes because they were magnificent.
The other way we explored the Sand Dunes was the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. It’s a 7.4 mile drive “through the Beech-Maple forest and sand dunes and provides insight to the history of the area, a sampling of the vegetative communities found within the park and, best of all, spectacular overlooks of the Glen Lakes, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Lake Michigan.” The fastest speed is 20 mph and there are plenty of pull off spots to view the scenery and even have a little picnic.
#5 – Donuts in Northport
One of our favorite things about visiting the places like Traverse City, Outer Banks, Cape Cod, etc. is all the cute little towns! We drove through Northport and saw this cute sign for donuts and knew we had to stop. While you are driving around the peninsula, just make sure you pay attention to the small towns and make a pit stop when you see something cute or delicious.
#6 – Grand Traverse Lighthouse
It’s no surprise that Traverse City has a ton of outdoor activities. I mean, it’s literally SO beautiful out there. But, this activity was equally historical and fun. The lighthouse is inside of Leelanau State Park which you will need to pay to enter so just be prepared for that. You could spend an hour or two here wandering around, heading inside the lighthouse, and learning about shipwrecks out in the bay.
#7 – The Village at Grand Traverse Commons
Okay, this place is the COOLEST. If you take any of our suggestions, it should 100% be this one. The Village is a former asylum that now has shops, apartments, restaurants, and more on the 63 acre campus.
“The former Traverse City State Hospital is immersed in over 100 years of history. The evolution from a state run asylum to a thriving and bustling community is the foundation of what makes The Village what it is today.”
While I’m pretty sure it’s haunted, it was amazing to walk through (during the day) but know that it’s not very stroller friendly. Whenever you visit Traverse City, check out The Village event page because they have a farmers market, live music, and even late night tours!
#8 – Tacos + Tamales at Spanglish
This restaurant was so good, it deserved its’ own number. Spanglish is located outside at The Village at Traverse Commons. Since there were 9 of us eating,
I think we probably tried the whole menu and everything was amazing. That green salsa right there is good enough to eat on anything and everything. The quesadilla is perfect for kiddos who aren’t into tamales or burritos. Find the whole menu here.
#9 – Small Town Shopping
I mentioned this above but stopping in the little beach towns is probably one of my favorite things about places like Traverse City. I love seeing what kind of fun snacks they have like these freaking delicious cherry BBQ potato chips from Great Lakes Potato Chip Co. which you can order here and probably should because they were so good. Some of the towns we stopped in are listed below!
We also stopped at an antique store and got some great food props for recipe pictures. I love buying random things on vacation because whenever I use it, it reminds me of all the fun we had on our trip. Cheesy, I know.
#10 – Spend Time with Your Family
While going on little excursions is super fun – it’s equally as fun to just hang out with your family with your phones away and play games, watch a movie or make dinner.
I’m a very big fan of puzzles so I tend to do at least one with my family while we are on vacation together. Our go-to family movie is The Princess Bride because it’s the best and don’t even fight me on that.
More travel tips.
Since you are having travel envy right now learning all about Traverse City, here are a few other blog posts to encourage you to take some family trips.
- Ohio to Michigan with Mazda USA. The best way to road trip, in a fancy Mazda SUV.
- 8 Family Friendly Things To Do In Ann Arbor. While there are countless things to enjoy in Ann Arbor, here are 8 great ones!
- Barrier Island Bagels: Restaurant Review. I think about this bagel place at least twice a week. Take me back to Outer Banks!
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