9 a.m. Fuel up for an epic day
The Midwest isn’t exactly known for banner bagels, but the ones at Bubbie’s Bagels are the real deal: fermented over two days, boiled and baked in an unassuming strip mall at the foot of Old Mission Peninsula across from Civic Center park. Skip the lines and place an online order for pickup. This summer, select the caraway rye or whole wheat bagel, both of which are now made with locally grown and milled flour. Be sure to ask for a schmear of seasonal cream cheese, which is appropriately generous and made with foraged ramps or area-grown strawberries, depending on the week ($6).
10 a.m. Hunt for souvenirs
Hit Front Street, Traverse City’s main drag and home to the State Theater, programmed by the filmmaker Michael Moore. Join the crowds at M22, a store that sells hoodies, water bottles, even candles inked with the name of the highway that nearly circumnavigates the pinkie finger of Michigan’s mitten-like shape. Seek out a more artisanal keepsake at Becky Thatcher Designs, a jeweler known for using Leland bluestones (a byproduct of the iron ore furnaces that operated in the nearby fishing village of Leland until the mid-1880s, which can still be found on area beaches). Ogle a bluestone necklace, bracelet or ring (from $75 to $800). Those who prefer edible purchases can wander over to the Sara Hardy Farmers Market, a few blocks away. You betcha you can grab a pint of wild black raspberries or other micro-seasonal treasures there.
11:30 a.m. Step back in time in a historic grist mill
Hop in the car and head northwest toward Glen Arbor, a small resort community of fewer than 1,000 residents when the snow flies. Bob up and down the region’s drumlins (rolling glacial hills), meander past cherry farms and vineyards, and see the boat tie-ups beginning to swell on Leelanau County’s inland lakes. Stop in at the cafe within the Mill, a former grist mill from 1879 on the Crystal River. It reopened last year after a painstaking restoration and features behemoth oak posts and beams and original milling equipment, as well as artwork (check out the giant gherkin pickles painted onto local coffee bags by the Northport artist Jesse Hickman). Order a simple lunch of panzanella salad ($12) and wander out to the back deck, seemingly suspended above the river.
12:30 p.m. Hike the dunes to Mama Lake
Continue west to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a 70,000-acre stretch of protected forests, sand dunes and shoreline named for a legend of the Anishinaabek (a collective of Native American peoples that live in the Great Lakes region, and beyond); one-day pass, $25. Many tourists flock to the steepest sand dune, known as the Dune Climb, and a seven-mile auto loop called Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. But Glen Haven, a restored 1920s village north of both, offers history, dune hiking and vistas of Mama Lake, as many locals call the open waters of Lake Michigan, all in one stop. See Glen Haven’s vintage cannery building, boat museum, blacksmith shop and general store before proceeding to the Sleeping Bear Point trailhead to hike about 15 minutes across rolling dunes to the water’s edge. Spot Petoskey stones, fossilized coral unique to the region; take a quick (brisk!) dip; and skip stones toward North and South Manitou Islands in the distance.
3 p.m. Indulge in a scoop of artisanal gelato
Instead of doubling back to Traverse City the way you came, make a loop by continuing south to the town of Empire, stopping in at Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate, a confectionary shop in a Granny Smith green building that hugs the side of the road. The co-owner Jody Hayden, who sells ethically sourced chocolate that is molded into bars, barks and even sleeping bears, added a gelato shop next door in 2022 (opens for the summer on May 25). Ask for a scoop of Ecuadorean milk chocolate or the olive-oil gelato that is made with oil from Fustini’s, a Traverse City importer ($5.50, one scoop). Those who are dairy-free should try the seasonal sorbets, like peach or saskatoon (also known as serviceberry).
6:30 p.m. Treat yourself to a taste of place
Back in town, settle into the good care of the hospitality wizards at the Cooks’ House, a 26-seat gem. Respect for ingredients shines in each dish by the chefs, Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, who have unmatched relationships with regional farmers and winemakers. The two tasting menus (five or seven courses, $87 or $104) change daily and have inventive, globally inspired touches: A recent asparagus dish came with lentils, smoked whitefish, chive and an aioli made using fried eggs. Didn’t score a seat? Place a to-go order of lip-numbing Sichuan chicken wings ($12) from Crocodile Palace. Grab a bottle of any of the area wines sold at Lake District Wine Co (ask about BOS, by a biodynamic winemaker who recently moved to Michigan from Napa) and throw down a picnic blanket near, but not too near, the beach volleyball nets at Clinch Park.
9 p.m. Get your vinyl groove on
Music lovers and locals don’t let summer pass 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 prodigies from all over the globe. Travelers tight on time can find world-class music in Traverse City proper as well. Inside Commongrounds Cooperative, a new community-owned development, see a show at the Alluvion, an intimate 150-person performance space with stellar acoustics that hosts funk acts, jazz bands, piano trios, guitar ensembles and more, from Interlochen and well beyond. This summer, its Alluvial Nights series brings together D.J. sets and projections to guarantee dancing well after the late northern Michigan sunset.
