Michigan

Terrain // Grass/Stone | Cost // $40 per night

Birthday Celebration in the Cherry Capital of the World

After the UP, we returned to the lower Michigan peninsula for my 30th birthday. I wanted to check out Traverse City and try some wineries and restaurants. It is very much a touristy kind of town, but there were a lot of fun restaurants and bars to choose from. The best part was my parents drove up to surprise me for my birthday! Michael coordinated everything with my mom, and I had no idea. We enjoyed exploring the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, drinking by the fire, and bouncing around downtown.

“Can I pet that dawg!?”

Where We Stayed

We stayed in Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park. It was a beautiful campground with 500+ spots! But the spots were spacious, and this time of year, it wasn’t packed to the gills. You need a Michigan Recreation Pass in order to stay here. It’s $40 a year for non-residents. 

Excursions

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

This was about an hour away from the campgrounds. It was an absolutely beautiful drive this time of year. There were some incredible views, and it was fun walking up and down some of the Dunes. We did not walk all the way down to Lake Michigan, it was soooo steep. 

Mission Point Lighthouse

Traverse City has five different lighthouses (129 in all of Michigan). The water on this beach was so shallow! You could walk out for at least half a mile without the water passing your knees. Michael also graciously captured several photoshoot-esq photos for my birthday.

Downtown Traverse City

I imagine this is an ideal spot for those who like to shop. Front Street’s evocative brick sidewalks and 19th-century Victorian storefronts are a wonderful setting, especially throughout the year when the trees overhead show off their natural displays. It has over 150 shops, boutiques, galleries, and restaurants.

Food & Drink

The Flying Noodle – The pasta was kinda bland, but the service was excellent. Plus, they gave me a birthday dessert!

Chateau Chantal Winery – This was a beautiful location. However, their wine was not great. We’re more interested in wine, and we later learned that Traverse City does much better with white wine in this climate. 

Dillinger’s – I wasn’t overly impressed with this bar’s selection, but they had a decent burger. 

Seven Monks Taproom – They have 43 beers on tap! Their specialty is the historic beers to which the Taproom’s name pays homage: those few brewed exclusively by Trappist monks according to their monastery’s individual recipe, each originated centuries ago. Only seven of the 174 Trappist monasteries remaining in the world still brew beer, hence the name.

Low Bar – This was fun. You have to go down an elevator to get here (Below Seven Monks). It was so dark in the whole place I felt like a vampire sipping on my cider, lol. 

The Pub – I love a place with live music. We stopped here for a quick drink and some French fries. 

Cherry Republic – This place is 100% worth a stop. Traverse City is the Cherry Capitol of the world, and this is a great place to try out some tasty treats: salsas, marmalades, jelly, candies, wines, and more. We picked up a jar of salsa and chocolate-covered cherries. 

Roy’s General Store – Picture the most cluttered place you’ve ever seen. Multiply it by three 😅 This place has everything you might need while camping, but we primarily came here for their breakfast pizza. Honestly, it’s some of the best I’ve ever had.

Blue Tractor – I’m not usually a BBQ fan, only because they’re over-priced for the quantity and quality. But I got their BBQ Mac n cheese, which was pretty delicious. 

Brady’s Bar – This is more of a local’s bar. Locally drunk by the time we got here, I don’t remember anything about it, but it was fun. 

– Special Shoutout –

Car Trek– Since it was off-season, there weren’t many Uber or Lyft Drivers. We were waiting for a ride for 40 minutes before we finally found a cabbie. If you need a ride, Maliki is the best. He’s English, and he sings karaoke with you. 

Tip:

Depending on whether you like crowds or not, we recommend going in the off-season, as we’re not huge fans of massive numbers of people. I can’t even imagine this place in the summertime; you’d want to book your stay well in advance to ensure you have a spot to stay.