Traverse City Information

The Traverse City area is rich in culture and recreation. In 2007, the AARP selected Traverse City as a "city to watch." Their criteria for that year was selecting the top cities in the US that are the most liveable. USA Today (October 2010) rated the area in their top 10 places to enjoy wine. TripAdvisor.com listed Traverse City as #2 in their list of top 10 charming small communities. In June, 2010, AOL Travel News listed Traverse City as one of America's top 10 beach towns. There is a lot to enjoy:

CULTURE
Interlochen Center for the Arts—This internationally acclaimed academy welcomes exceptional students in the fine arts to participate in their summer arts camp and academy high school. The center also offers adults opportunities to express and perform in a variety of artistic disciplines.

Traverse City Film Festival—Started by the Academy Award Winning director Michael Moore, this festival has grown to become one of the largest and most respected film festivals in the country.

City Opera House— This venue is the oldest of the three historic opera houses in Michigan. This restored venue offers national, international, and local and regional entertainment and arts opportunities and educational programming, as well as a site for public and private celebrations.

State Theatre—This historic theater was completely renovated as part of the Traverse City Film Festival. The Festival owns and operates the State as a "year-round, community-based, mission-driven, and volunteer-staffed art house movie theater."

Old Town Playhouse—Located three blocks from downtown Traverse City, the Old Town Playhouse was created to bring amateur theatre to northern Michigan.

National Cherry Festival—In July of every year, cherry lovers come from all over the world to visit Traverse City for this festival.

Dennos Museum Center—Located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, this gem of an art museum focuses on collections of artwork by Inuit artists of the Canadian Arctic.

EDUCATION
The Traverse City Area Public Schools includes two public high schools.

Northwestern Michigan College is located in the northeastern part of Traverse City on 200 beautiful wooded acres. The college offers associates degrees and certificates and Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees through NMC University Center partners in 60 areas of academic study.

RECREATION
Whether you are a boater, a fisherman/woman, a hiker-outdoor enthusiast, or just like exploring the many charming small towns in the area, Traverse City has much to offer:

Lakes: Close to Lake Michigan, Lake Leelanaw, Grand Traverse Bay, Long Lake, Silver Lake, Duck Lake, and Green Lake.

Skiing and Golf: Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa, Traverse City Golf Courses

Spots of Interest: Historic Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Fishtown in Leland Michigan, Sutton's Bay, Northport.

WINERIES
Because of it's particular climate, this part of Michigan boasts some of the best wineries in the state. Two in the area to check out are Chateau Chantal and Chateau Grand Traverse.

RESTAURANTS
There are many good restaurants in Traverse City to choose from. The following always rate in the top ten: Tratoria Stella, Amical, Boathouse Restaurant, Red Ginger Restaurant, Apache Trout Grill, The Cook's House.

TRANSPORTATION
Bay Area Transportation Authority—BATA offers scheduled and dial-a-ride services to the villages of Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties to Traverse City and in between. Flex routes also operate in the Suttons Bay area.

Cherry Capital Airport—Service to Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis and Marquette, MI. Airlines serving Cherry Capital Airport are American Eagle, Delta, and United.

For more information about the Traverse City area, contact the Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau.