9am Fuel up for a great day
The Midwest isn’t exactly known for its oversized bagels, but Bubby’s Bagels are the real deal. They’re fermented for two days, then boiled and baked in an inconspicuous strip mall at the base of Old Mission Peninsula across from Civic Center Park. Skip the line and order online for takeaway. Choose a caraway rye or whole wheat bagel this summer, both made with locally grown flour. Don’t forget to ask for a slather of seasonal cream cheese. Made with foraged ramps or locally grown strawberries, depending on the week, they’re appropriately generous ($6).
10:00am Souvenir hunting
Head to Front Street, Traverse City’s main drag and home to the State Theatre, a project conceived by film director Michael Moore. Join the crowds on M22, where the store sells hoodies, water bottles, and even candles bearing the name of the highway that almost circles Michigan’s mitten-like pinky finger. Find more artisanal keepsakes at Becky Thatcher Designs, a jewelry store known for using Leland bluestone (a by-product of the iron ore furnaces that operated in the nearby fishing village of Leland until the mid-1880s and can still be found on the area’s beaches). Browse bluestone necklaces, bracelets, or rings ($75 to $800). If you want to buy some food, you can walk a few blocks to the Sarah Hardy Farmer’s Market, where you can pick up wild black raspberries and other little seasonal treasures.
11:30 AM: Travel back in time at a historic flour mill
Hop in the car and head northwest to Glen Arbor, a tiny resort town of fewer than 1,000 residents when the snow falls. Ride up and down the area’s drumlins, past cherry orchards and vineyards, and watch as more boats begin to dock on Leelanau County’s inland lakes. Stop into the cafe inside The Mill, a converted 1879 flour mill on the Crystal River. Reopened last year after a meticulous restoration, the cafe features massive oak posts and beams, original milling equipment and artwork (see the giant pickled cucumber painted on a local coffee bag by Northport artist Jesse Hickman). Order a quick lunch of panzanella salad ($12) and step out onto the back deck, which seems to float above the river.
12:30 Hike down the sand dunes to Lake Mama
Continue west to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 70,000 acres of protected forest, dunes and shoreline named for legends of the Anishinaabek people, a Native American group that inhabits the Great Lakes region and surrounding areas. A day pass costs $25. Many visitors flock to the steepest dunes, known as the Dune Climb, and the seven-mile automotive loop called Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. But north of both, the restored 1920s village of Glen Haven offers history, dune hiking and views of Mama Lake (as locals call the open waters of Lake Michigan), all in one place. See Glen Haven’s vintage cannery, boat museum, blacksmith shop and general store, then continue to the Sleeping Bear Point trailhead for a 15-minute hike over the rolling dunes to the water’s edge. Search for Petoskey Stones, fossilized coral unique to the region, or take a quick (and vigorous!) dip and skip stones towards the distant North and South Manitou islands.
3pm: Taste some homemade gelato
Instead of retracing your steps back to Traverse City, head south and loop around to the town of Empire for a stop at Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate, a confectionery shop in a roadside Granny Smith green building. Co-owner Jody Hayden, who sells ethically sourced chocolate molded into bars, bark and even a sleeping bear, opened a gelato shop next door in 2022 (summer opening May 25). Order the Ecuadorian milk chocolate or olive oil gelato ($5.50 a scoop), made with oils from Traverse City importer Fustini. If dairy isn’t your thing, try one of the seasonal sorbets, like peach or Saskatoon (aka serviceberry).
6:30pm Savor local flavors
Back in town, enjoy the hospitality wizards’ attentive service at 26-seater masterpiece Cook’s House. Chefs Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson have unparalleled relationships with area farmers and winemakers, and their respect for ingredients shines through in each dish. Two tasting menus (five or seven dishes, $87 or $104) rotate daily and feature inventive, globally inspired twists; a recent asparagus dish came with lentils, smoked white fish, chives and a fried egg aioli. If you can’t get a seat, take home the tongue-numbing Sichuan chicken wings ($12) at Crocodile Palace. Pick up a bottle of regional wine from Lake District Wine Company (ask about BOS, made by a biodynamic winemaker who recently relocated to Michigan from Napa) and spread out a picnic blanket near (but not too close to) the beach volleyball net at Clinch Park.
9pm: Listen to records and have fun
Music lovers and locals don’t let their summer go by without catching a recital or performance at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a boarding school and performance campus 15 miles southwest of Traverse City that attracts teenage geniuses from around the world. Time-poor travelers can also find world-class music in Traverse City. Catch a show at Alluvion, located inside Commongrounds Cooperative, a new community-owned development. This is an intimate, 150-person performance space with great acoustics that features funk acts, jazz bands, piano trios, guitar ensembles, and more from Interlochen and beyond. This summer, the Alluvial Nights series combines DJ sets and projectors to keep you dancing well into the late hours of northern Michigan sundown.
