Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.

We loved seeing this beautiful church that looks just like the one in Norway. Very peaceful…read morelocation as well!

Visiting the historic Norwegian church (church of Staves) on Washington Island is a quick but…read moreworthwhile stop. It's only a 2-3 minute drive from the lavender field, and we noticed many visitors doing both back-to-back. There's free parking nearby, and it's just a short walk to the wooden church. The interior is simple and charming, and if you take your time, the visit won't take more than a few minutes. They also hold services on certain days, which would be a unique experience to witness. A nice, quick stop while exploring the island.

Beautiful old lighthouse with a short walk from the parking location to the lighthouse. There is a…read morebeach area with very calm waters that is dog friendly. We had our dog and walked around the grounds and the beach area with no problem. We even encountered other dogs with their owners. Just make sure to clean up after them. There are trash receptacles everywhere. Unfortunately, we were unable to go up to the lighthouse because we had our dog and she was ready to go after about 15 minutes but otherwise, it is a beautiful area. They have a faucet to wash the sand off of you. In general, it's a lovely place to visit.

Cool lighthouse out on the Peninsula here in Traverse City. Great views of the lake and if you go…read moreinside on the first floor, they have a gift shop as well as a little museum that has a video that tells you about the history of the Traverse City area, he lighthouse and the Peninsula. Beautiful views, you can walk down to the beach and actually walk down into the lake if you want to. You can go up to the top of the lighthouse, there is a small fee of eight dollars for adults. We chose not to do that. Still a cute little house. It also sits on the 45th parallel, which is the halfway point between the North Pole and the equator, there's a sign out front that demonstrates that as well. It is certainly worth a 20 minute drive up the Peninsula, especially if you stop at a winery or two as you are coming or going.

such a beautiful drive. I actually live in California so seeing the trees beginning to change…read morecolors was really awesome for me. I was there at the very end of September and they had just started to turn. Peak was going to be in about two weeks however people told me had we waited until peak it would've been bumper-to-bumper. Traffic flowed nicely and it was just a beautiful. Highlights were Legs Inn, a few coffee shops that had some random farmers markets and just the beauty of the trees! I would definitely do this again it didn't matter what time of the year it is!

If you're into scenic drives and you sometimes ignore your GPS and go off-route in order to get to…read morecool spots along the way, Tunnel of Trees is a detour that you should definitely take. It's part of a route that runs along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan around Harbor Springs and it's super calm, has a rural/rustic vibe, and is just generally a really nice drive. It's also in the vicinity of the Good Hart General Store, so if you head this way you'll get a chance to stop there and check out their goods as well. Check it out if you're in the area or passing through. It's worth it!

The Mercato is a collection of shops in the now repurposed Traverse City State Hospital. I wouldn't…read morereally call it a mall, but I guess by definition it fits? Anyway, the shops are teeny tiny but pack a wallop by being beautifully curated and uniquely configured. I think I purchased more here than I have at any other shopping excursion I've had all year. They've got a shop dedicated to alpaca wool goods, a more gentleman focused shop called the Haberdashery, a pet boutique, a used bookstore, a toy store, and many others including my favorite of them all, Moonstruck Gardens, which is packed full of delightful art, stickers, home decor, and more. They also have dining options and a coffee shop if you're thirsty or a little peckish. The layout can be a little confusing but there's plenty of signage to help you along the way. But the beauty of it is just exploring and finding the fun around every corner.

What a fascinating place. The building and grounds are lovely. First of all the building is a…read morerefurbishment asylum. Some say haunted. They did a lovely job restoring this property. There are lovely specialty shops and a few restaurants. One of the restaurants is one of the most highly rated in town. The shops have some interesting handy craft work .. wood, pottery. Jewelry. Decorative glass. .

Smallest swing bridge in USA hometown proud…read more Alanson is a small town and it's our claim to fame

Beautiful piece of history wonderful fishing spot great staff always opens on time wonderful view…read morebeautiful river what can you ask for more

Weather cleared a bit, nice up a ski lift, across and back on the bridge. Yes there is the glass…read moreportion, for comfort a walkway portion on the glass has antiskid rubber tracking. But still fully glass visible. Sights good from the top, especially for anyone that has never skied a mountain top. Curious the golf cart path winds up and around as well. They do well reminding to keep your ticket stub as it is scanned along the bridge and lift access. Other options are zip lines (8 sections for about $80?) sounding good, and an alpine-like village at the parking level. September was a good time with a little chill. Obviously this changed with the weather, and the very many snow blowers (!) to keep the lower mountain snow covered as needed. Worth the drive and ($25) to come see this.

The chairlift ride to the top was a fun bonus to the bridge. We had a beautiful day and it wasn't…read moreoverly crowded. We were surprised to see so many people racing across. We took our time and enjoyed the view. The glass bottom section was also a nice touch. The only reason we didn't give it a 5 was the food at the top was pricey. I got a Polish taco and it was good, but it would'vebeennicetohave cheapersnack options. As a nondrinker. I appreciated they made a mocktail version of the lavender lemonade drink. The restrooms were clean as was the picnic area. We also caught a golf cart and shuttle bus ride which was nice since the parking lot is far from the attraction.

This place was absolutely amazing--an old asylum from 1885-1989 turned into housing, shopping,…read morerestaurants, and offices while maintaining the original structure. I love what they were able to do instead of letting it sit abandoned and decay. The history of mental asylums is so interesting, and they offer 2 hour tours for $30 for those ages 12+. I definitely recommend the tour if you are into history, psychology or healthcare. The tour guide was great, and obviously a true expert in all things regarding the Traverse City State Hospital. The background and experience he had with it made him very trustworthy. He was also just a very funny and friendly guy. The tour takes you outside plus certain areas inside to showcase the restoration process. It also takes you inside of an abandoned and decayed men's cottage. You can only enter this building through the tour. Inside, the guide will show you around and you'll be able to see all the empty rooms and dining area and learn about the history of how they lived. You'll also go up into the attic to see all the pipes. Before the tour ends, the guide takes you into the old brick steam tunnels (which can also only be accessed during this tour). The tunnels are spooky and our guide even turned off the lights for us to experience it in the dark, plus try to catch some photos of orbs with the flash on our phones lol. Overall, it was a super interesting tour and I would definitely come back to do the one at night.

Huge property about 3 miles from downtown travers. A lot of shops and dining to explore while…read morewaiting for your tour. I came for a twilight asylum tour and heard great things about Trattoria Stella so came early for dinner at their bar. Love the dark vibe. Opens between 4-5 depending on day. The property is rather spread out so may be a bit hard to go back and forth of any difficulties walking. The hallways do seem wheelchair accessible.

It is worth the drive to the end of Leelanau Peninsula to see this historic lighthouse. It seemed a…read morebit much to pay to access the area and to enter the lighthouse. It is a tight squeeze to make it to the top of the lighthouse. The view of Lake Michigan is beautiful!

At the very tip of Leelanau Peninsula sits the Grand Traverse park/lighthouse/museum area! It's…read morequite small and a bit of a let down given the entire drive up and especially because I've been to the Old Mission lighthouse as well, but still has some nice surroundings. There were definitely a surprising amount of people here while we were here as well, which was interesting because we had seen no other cars on our drive all the way up the peninsula and hardly any people at Leelanau State Park either, so this must be the #1 tourist destination on this peninsula. Not much to do here, but there's a whole gift shop, you can walk around the lighthouse, the museum tours were closed because of COVID, which is understandable, and probably the best part was going to the shore, which is actually a small walk from the lighthouse building. It's a rocky shore, so you can walk around on top of the rocks and just enjoy this uninterrupted view of Lake Michigan. :)