They are the best!! The staff is most helpful, the new…read morelibrary gorgeous, all is immaculate & we love being there.

The post office is so small it should be in the Guinness Book of World Records. I am fairly sure…read moreit has not changed much from when my grandparents went there. You can rent a P.O. box which comes in handy if you only live here part of the year.

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.

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. .

I came here for a little help from the SCORE folks - they give advice for small businesses. I…read morecannot say enough nice things about them: they were professional, helpful, friendly, supportive. Amazing. Just amazing. Many thanks to the SCORE program itself, and many thanks to the locals that make it what it is here in Traverse City. If you're a small business owner and need any help, they are there for you.

I was having trouble with my Libby app. Kelly at the Woodmere branch was phenomenal. It took an…read morehour and a half but she was successful in the end. I can't thank her enough for her persistence in figuring out the problem. Great job Kelly

Library visit #2 of our trip! This large library is a stone's throw from the downtown Traverse City…read morearea and features a small-ish kids section with a cute boat play installation, small aquarium, friendly staff, clean family bathroom, computers and more. My son and I passed an hour here reading books and playing a puzzle on the computer. The entrance to the library felt like it could use a little more light and energy but once you make your way to the kids section it's more inviting. They also have a little free library out front.

Ok, so, on 31 between Traverse City and Charlevoix there is Elk Rapids which is very cute and worth…read morea visit. In Elk Rapids you can take a side road called the Cairn Highway that travels through Elk Rapids and up alongside of Torch Lake, it's a scenic drive and won't take a bunch of time off of your route as it will pop you right back on to 31 again. While on there you will pass the 45th parallel (exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator) and at that spot there is a special marker where a rock from each of the counties in Michigan have been stacked into a small monument aka a cairn (which is what the highway is named after). By no means is this a destination location, the Eiffel Tower it is not, but if you are in the area and want a more scenic drive for 20 minutes and like obscure America then this is for you!

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.