For Summer’s Best Beach Vacation, Head to… Michigan?
By Valerie Stivers and Hank Zona / Photography by Tony Demin for The Wall Street Journal July 21, 2023 8:00 am ET
THE GREAT LAKES region of northern Michigan around Traverse City has quietly transformed in recent years. This has made America’s so-called Third Coast as cool as the other two—and in a friendly Midwestern way that outsiders can find surreal.
Michigan has bragging rights—about its sandy beaches fronting aquamarine waters, the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City and the northern lights (predicted to be especially good for the next year). Now, a burgeoning wine scene, and a wave of new shops and spots to eat have increased the cultural bounty as well.
We cherry-picked itineraries for five northern Michigan days around the hub of Traverse City, exploring the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas, and the coasts to the north and south.
City Day: Traverse City
It’s nicknamed the “Cherry Capital of the World” because it hosts an 8-day summer festival in honor of the juicy red fruit. (Mark your calendar for 2024’s festivities now.) But plenty goes on all year round in this picturesque area facing the Grand Traverse Bay.
Fuel-Up
Wake up in your water-view room at the new Alexandra Inn on the shore of the East Grand Traverse Bay, then drive about 20 minutes to breakfast at chef-owned Sugar 2 Salt, which opened in 2017 and covers the sweet-to-savory spectrum with generous chewy towers of 11- grain porridge topped with seasonal fruit, or brisket and waffles with a poached egg and creamy hollandaise.
Destination
The city’s centerpiece is the almost 20-year-old Village at Grand Traverse Commons, with its shops, galleries and eateries housed in castle-like Victorian buildings. History buffs will be intrigued by the tour about the former state hospital’s renovation, while others explore the grounds. Another option: Settle in at Left Foot Charley for a post-shopping wine tasting. Its crisp Island View Pinot Blanc is a benchmark for what could be the area’s signature grape.
Along the Way
It’s a short drive to the main drag on the shores of Boardman Lake. You’re never far from nature here, so you could also rent a bike at Brick Wheels and pedal the waterfront via a newly completed 4-mile loop on the TART trail system. Expect woodland areas, boardwalks across the water and the occasional swan sighting.
Wind-Down
Grab spicy pork stir fry or vermicelli noodles with turmeric tofu at fast-casual Vietnamese joint the Good Bowl. If you still have energy to burn, stop by Alluvion, an alternative art space for live music that hosts jazz sets and more.
Takeaway
Indulge in a decadent cookie or two from the honor-system cupboard at Slabtown Cookie Co., located in baker Katie Otterman’s driveway (check Instagram @slabtowncookies for details). As Detroit band the White Stripes sang: “Sugar never tasted so good.”
Nature Day: Leelanau Peninsula
Some say this roughly triangular peninsula, which juts into Lake Michigan, resembles a little finger. Its rugged realm contains dunes, Caribbean-blue freshwater and magical out-of-the- way trails to discover.
Fuel-Up
Start your day by winging by Common Good Bakery when it opens at 6 a.m., then hit the road for your fresh-air adventures on the Leelanau Peninsula. Launched in 2017, the bakery filled a niche for European-style baking with its rustic bread and delectable laminated pastries.
Destination
The enormous sand dunes that are Michigan’s most striking geological feature are best explored at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a scenic 40-minute drive from Traverse City. Wind from the lake pushes up the sand in a conveyor-belt effect, creating a series of perched dunes. Access them on foot via the challenging 3-hour Dune Climb trail or by car on Skyline Drive, which has 11 different vantage-points. The park opens at dawn.
Along the Way
Lunch can be casual-elegant or casual-casual. Mill Glen Arbor serves a fancy light lunch (try a tomato and stracciatella salad) in a meticulously restored 1879 grist mill. Or drive to Fishtown in Leland to the Village Cheese Shanty for a hearty sandwich on chewy pretzel bread.
Wind-Down
Comb the nascent shopping scene in Sutton Bay for finds, then chill by knocking back a tart, bright-red pint of cider made from fermented Montmorency cherries—the main local varietal—at Tandem Ciders, a wood-paneled tasting room right outside the town.
Takeaway
A tea towel in a “Dear Clementine” pattern, handmade by owner Chelsey Skowronski of Sutton Bay shop Poppy Things. More delicious: the memory of the cheese bread and elegantly plated Copper River Sockeye at Modern Bird, owned by chefs Andy Elliott and Emily Stewart.
Wine Day: Old Mission
The smaller of Traverse City’s peninsulas is home to vineyards, bucolic farms and an idyllic beach that locals love.
Fuel-Up
Sleep late and grab a latte at Brew, a chic cafe and bar in the City Opera House building, then get serious about sustenance before a day of wine-tasting. A good chow choice: Oakwood Proper Burgers, that serves all-local craft beef and offers toppings such as grilled jalapeños.
Destination
It’s a 25-minute drive north on Route 37 from downtown to the Mission Point Lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula. Backtrack from there along the wine trail, and stop at the modernist 2 Lads Winery for a wine flight (three 2-ounce pours, $15). Or sign up for a walking tour at picturesque Mari Vineyards, with its views of the lake. Finish up at Black Star Farms Old Mission, an outpost of the Leelanau Peninsula original with a focus on the winery’s white wine.
Along the Way
Visit wine-industry secret—Local Yokels Farm for seasonal fruit grown by a producer of wine grapes. Confirm a dinner reservation at Artisan in the Delamar.
Wind-Down
Michigan sun-worshippers praise Old Mission’s tranquil, U-shaped Haserot Beach, a less- crowded alternative to city beaches.
Takeaway
A bottle of red-blend Bel Tramonto wine from Mari, known for its Italian varietals and creative winemaking.
Culture Day: Interlochen & West
Michigan has miles of freshwater coastline and many parks and hiking trails, but it’s not just about nature—there’s a cultural wave as well.
Fuel-Up
The Rough Pony, a jaunty coffee shop, opened in 2022 in Traverse City’s developing Warehouse District. Stop on the way out of town for next-gen juices and cheeky breakfast fare such as “Bougie toast” (avocado, jammy egg, pickled onion, everything-bagel seasoning).
Destination
About a half hour to the southwest, on the shores of Green Lake, the Interlochen Center for the Arts is known for its star-studded “Guest Artist” concert series—Jader Bignamini conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; the Beach Boys and Brandi Carlile arrive later in the summer. Tours of the grounds are available on demand at the information desk, and often include viewings of live student performances.
Along the Way
The harbor town of Frankfort, half an hour west of Interlochen, was a railroad and shipping nexus with great union jobs until the mid-1990s. Tourist attractions remain, including distilleries, year-round community hub the Bookstore and the Point Betsie Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the U.S.
Wind-Down
Visit less-crowded hideaway Elberta Beach, a five-minute drive around Betsie Lake, either for sun and sand, or to walk behind the dunes (pedestrian road access from the parking lot).
Before sunset, head back to Traverse City to modern Italian restaurant Trattoria Stella for dishes like a crostini with stracchino cheese and dark sweet cherries or a sweet pea ravioli with primavera vegetables.
Takeaway
A bottle of Mad Angler Rye Whiskey from the homegrown rye at Iron Fish Distillery gives a sense of the Frankfort terroir.
Market Day: Charlevoix & East
Charlevoix’s claim to fame is having 12 shorelines, thanks to its location on three lakes and two channels. No residence, it’s said, is more than 3 blocks from water. It also boasts the third largest inland lake in Michigan (Lake Charlevoix) so it’s not surprisingly a spot where boating and fishing are king.
Fuel-Up
Maple-cinnamon granola with tahini glaze, a soft-boiled egg with labneh and za’atar and a “Basic Witch”—a salted caramel steamed milk—are all menu options that will expand your notions about breakfast at the new Middle Eastern-comfort-food cafe Hexenbelle on the west side of Traverse City. You’ll need fortification, since you’re leaving Traverse City proper to stay one night in Charlevoix, choosing new-school retro at the Earl, a historic hotel designed by famed Charlevoix architect Earl A. Young and built in 1959, then refurbished in 2019.
Destination
Picturesque Charlevoix was a fishing town turned weekend and summer resort area for Detroit and Chicago money. Stroll its downtown Bridge Street any day, but especially on Thursdays when it becomes an open-air farmers market. Just a few steps from Bridge Street, the Pine River Hammock Park reflects a Michigan pastime made popular by the resort culture of the early 1900s—swinging in hammocks—which are available to borrow at the park, or from the local library.
Along the Way
The drive north from Traverse City takes you through the Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed, past pristine Torch Lake, Michigan’s deepest inland lake and an elite address for second homes. Peek at it from the grounds of the Providence Organic Farm, which has a Saturday pop-up truck for homestyle Mexican and a weekday market open for coffee, salads and specialty burritos.
Wind-Down
After dinner at Bridge Street Tap Room, a haven for Michigan craft beer, drive a bit south to the southernmost beach at Fisherman’s Island State Park—not an official Dark Sky Park, but a local favorite for star-watching.
Takeaway
A jar of sweet-but-tart cherry-pie filling from third-generation family farm and agricultural- entertainment center Friske’s Farm Market.