If your idea of a golf trip is to play 54 holes a day, Traverse City is the place for you. With 15 hours of daylight in July there’s plenty of time—and great courses. But with all there is to do there, you might want to limit yourself to 36 a day. The self-proclaimed Cherry Capital of the World, “TC” holds a weeklong cherry festival that attracts 500,000 visitors, who can also enjoy vineyard-studded countryside, lakefront resorts, boating and family activities, all set in a mild summer climate.
Golf
With three courses including the difficult Bear by Jack Nicklaus, Grand Traverse Resort offers a variety of holes and is home to a Jim McLean Golf School. Arcadia Bluffs is a nationally ranked links-style course with horizon-filled views of Lake Michigan. Also along the lake are the three nines at Bay Harbor Golf Club (pictured). Shanty Creek Resorts has four courses, including Tom Weiskopf’s acclaimed Cedar River with its serene lakes and verdant slopes.
Accommodations
With its gleaming glass hotel tower, the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa just completed a multi-million dollar facelift. Cedar River Lodge is the newest and most luxurious of the three villages at Shanty Creek Resorts. The Park Place Hotel is a recently renovated downtown alternative with a Victorian flavor. About 60 miles north of Traverse City is the clifftop Inn at Bay Harbor.
Dining
Two restaurants on the bay are the romantic Boathouse and the Apache Trout Grill, known for its lively bar with Jimmy Buffett ambiance. Poppycocks is an eclectic downtown eatery with an innovative martini bar and live entertainment, while the food is the draw at Lulu’s Bistro, which features big-city dining in tiny Bellaire. While waiting for a table, drop in at Shorts Brewing Company for the best beer in Michigan.
Activities
There’s more to Traverse City than the National Cherry Festival, July 7–14. The Traverse Tall Ship Company can sail you across Lake Michigan in its two-masted schooner. Chateau Chantal offers great wine tasting in a gorgeous setting, along with a B&B. With trails throughout the city and at Sleeping Bear Dunes, biking is big. The minor league baseball team, the Beach Bums, play at Wuerfel Park.
