Michigan Attractions in Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Listed below is additional information on Michigan attractions in Grand Traverse County, Michigan to help you plan your next Michigan vacation getaway:

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Location: Northern Michigan

Average Snowfall: 80- 100 inches

Fall Color Season: Late September - Early October

Michigan Attractions

Beaches and Parks

The Traverse City region has a total of 180.8 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 149 deep, aqua-colored lakes that are 10 acres or larger in size.

Famous Cherry Festival

Founded in 1926, the mission of the National Cherry Festival is to celebrate & promote cherries, tourism and community involvement, and to enhance the economic, entertainment, and cultural interests of the Grand Traverse region.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Sweeping for 64 miles in a golden arc along the clear blue waters of Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a national treasure enjoyed by more than a million visitors each year. The national lakeshore, located 23 miles west of Traverse City, covers more than 70,000 acres, including massive sand dunes, seven major watersheds, four stream corridors, 20 inland lakes, beech and maple forests, two islands and the remains of more than 50 shipwrecks. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a living demonstration of the forces that shape our planet, from the distant past, to the present day. Visitors to the area enjoy beautiful vistas while hiking, biking or driving routes along the dunes.

Wineries

Located on the 45th parallel, Traverse City is home to vintners who grow grapes and bottle wines on the scenic Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas. The wines are fast becoming among the finest offered nationally and internationally. The ideal climate, with vineyards protected by winter snows and conditions moderated by proximity to Lake Michigan, has given rise to a wine industry that has been recognized for its quality and variety since the first winery opened here in 1974. Notable for Rieslings, methode champenoise sparkling wines, Chardonnays and fruit wines, Traverse City area vintners are now also receiving high praise from critics and consumers alike for their red wines, Pinot Noirs, ice wines and other varieties.

Visitors can enjoy days of touring and tastings at beautiful wineries located on some of the most breathtaking sites in the area.

Casinos

Owned and operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, both casinos, Leelanau Sands Casino and Turtle Creek Casino, offer Black Jack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Craps, Roulette, and over 200 slots including progressives. Enjoy nationally recognized entertainment in the state-of-the-art Sands Showroom.

Fishing

Detroit News outdoor writer Dave Richey in 1998 rated Grand Traverse Bay and the nearby part of Lake Michigan as the two top fishing spots on all the Great Lakes. In ranking the top 10 inland fishing lakes in Michigan, he placed Elk Lake in Antrim County and Glen Lake in Leelanau County in the top five.

Dozens of fishing charters operate out of East and West Grand Traverse Bays, Leland Harbor, and other nearby areas. During the season running from May through October, people fishing from the charters catch lake trout, salmon, steelhead, and brown trout.

The Boardman River, which flows through downtown Traverse City and nearby rivers including the AuSable, the Manistee and the Cedar, and provide excellent fishing for brown trout. The lower reaches of the Boardman, where it empties into Grand Traverse Bay at Traverse City, are among the many areas enjoying spring runs of steelhead and salmon.

From Glen Lake in Leelanau County east to Antrim County’s Lake Bellaire, numerous inland lakes abound with game fish of all sizes, from bluegills to muskies.

The fishing season in Traverse City does not end with the advent of winter, as ice fishing shanties pop up on lakes and bays throughout the region.

Golf Courses

Set against a backdrop of woods, water and hills throughout picturesque Leelanau, Grand Traverse, and Antrim counties, Traverse City golf is, in a word, incomparable. Matchless designs, stunning beauty, impeccable conditioning and a warm welcome await golfers teeing up in Traverse City. It's America's Golf Coast, a region selected by Golf Magazine as one of the top six golf destinations in the country. Traverse City golf includes designs by Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Doak, and Weiskopf.

Summer Activites

• Scuba Diving - Of all the tantalizing ways to bond with northwest Michigan's waters, none is more dramatic than searching for shipwrecks. Thousands of ships have sunk in the Great Lakes, many of them in fickle Lake Michigan where storms blow up quickly and fiercely.
• Biking, Hiking and In-line Skating
• Canoeing, Kayaking and Tubing
• Come Parasailing with Traverse Bay Parasail L.L.C. for breathtaking aerial views of the fabulous Traverse City Bay Area and crystal blue waters!

Winter Activities

• Cross-Country Skiing - The rhythmic pumping of arms and legs, the short bursts of breath, the gentle "whoosh" of each glide – this is cross-country skiing. And for many, this is what winter in Traverse City is all about.
• Down-hill Skiing
• Sledding, Ice-skating, Sleigh Rides and Snowmobiling

Cities you can visit in Grand Traverse County, Michigan:

Acme Township, Blair Township, East Bay Township, Fife Lake Township, Garfield Township, Grant Township, Grawn, Green Lake Township, Interlochen, Karlin, Kingsley, Long Lake Township, Mayfield Township, Old Mission, Paradise Township, Peninsula Township, Traverse City (part), Union Township, Whitewater Township, Williamsburg

Click here to view all Michigan vacation rentals in this area.