Sleeping Bear Dunes
Stretching along 64 miles of Lake Michigan coast, Sleeping Bear Dunes is a national treasure. During the warm months, you can relax on the sandy beaches and canoe in the rivers. The 22-mile paved Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is the easiest to navigate by foot, bike, and wheelchair; other trails for hikers climb up the bluffs or plunge into the forests.
Village at Grand Traverse Commons
Not far outside downtown Traverse City is a complex of striking Victorian brick buildings and wooded parklands. This former psychiatric hospital, which opened in 1885 and closed a century later, fell into disrepair until a massive redevelopment project brought it back to life. Now it is home to condos, offices, and boutiques. You can take a historic tour of the unrestored buildings and tunnels, or stick to the restaurants, bars, and a warren of artisan shops.
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Most years, Interlochen, located 15 miles south of Traverse City, hosts hundreds of concerts, theater performances, and other events. Many are free and outdoors, and their frequency crescendos in summer, when the center’s youth camps draw students from all over the world.