Traverse City Winter Guide: 25 Amazing Winter Activities For You and Your Family
Michigan winters can be long. There’s no sugar-coating it. They are cold, cloudy, and can make you want to stay inside with a blanket all season long. But that’s not for us, and since you’re reading this, I’m guessing that’s not for you either!
There is plenty to do in Michigan during the winter and there are great winter vacation spots for families, especially heading north along the shoreline of Lake Michigan! Today, we’re focusing on Traverse City and have written the ultimate guide to enjoying winter in this great town.
We actually prefer to explore in the off-season (winter, spring, and fall) instead of during the summer months! We do this because there are less crowds, lodging is more affordable, and there is still a ton to do and see in the off-seasons!
We are also super excited to be partnering with Built Story to show give you a tour of a perfect winter afternoon in Traverse City. This “up north” town has so much to offer in the winter, from wine to biking and great meals to refuel when you need a break. We have found tons of kid-friendly activities in Traverse City this winter and are excited to share them with you!
What is Built Story?
Built Story is a multimedia way to explore new places. Users upload “tours” with audio, video, and photo files that other users can view. Most of the tours have 5-7 stops and take about 2-3 hours to complete, so it’s a great way to find inspiration for things to do when you’re visiting a new place. We chose three spots near and dear to our hearts for our first Built Stories, but we had so much fun making these, that I’m sure we will be adding more as we explore!
Our Traverse City tour is designed to be weather-proof. There are tons of resources and blogs (including our own!) about great things to do here in the summer, but we have found that there’s a serious lack of info on things to do in winter in Michigan. And that’s not because there’s a lack of things to do... people just never focus on it. So, we decided to step up to the plate and build three fun weather-proof tours of our favorite beach towns in Michigan!
Photo courtesy of Traverse City Tourism
About Traverse City
This northern Michigan town is seriously fun and we feel so lucky that we’re able to live here. With two bays leading to Lake Michigan, some of the biggest skiing hills in the state, and an up-and-coming food/drink scene, you are really never bored here! Our guide covers 25 of our favorite activities in the winter. This winter guide was built with families in mind, and most of the activities are kid-friendly!
Traverse City is a great family-friendly destination for skiing, snowshoeing and other winter activities. The shoulder seasons are also great here, with fall color tours and great hiking options that suit the whole family. Check out our list below and save it as you plan your next trip to Traverse City with your family!
Photo courtesy of Traverse City Tourism
Top 25 things to do around Traverse City in the winter:
Drive up to Sutton’s Bay to visit Hop Lot brewing and dine in an igloo. Hop Lot is one of our favorite favorite year-round destinations. In the winter, they have igloos on-site that can be reserved. Even if you miss out on the igloos, they have a fire pit going year-round with marshmallow roasting and a great indoor taproom, too. It’s a great place to relax on a winter day in Michigan!
Head over to Left Foot Charley for a glass of their famous Cinnamon Girl Cider and grab takeout from Spanglish if you need a bite to eat. Left Foot Charley’s is located in the Grand Traverse Commons. In the winter, the tasting room’s big windows are perfect for staying cozy and watching the snow fall!
Bundle up and go skiing at local ski hill, Hickory Hills. We love Hickory Hills because the bunny hill is FREE! They also have a great lodge when you need a break from skiing, complete with all the snacks you can imagine and some stellar hot chocolate!
Grab a coffee and snack at Brew on Front Street. Winter in Traverse City can be cold, so before you do any walking outside, you’ll want to arm yourself with a warm coffee from Brew. If you aren’t in the mood for walking, grab a stool by the window and watch all the activity on Front Street or head to the back of the cafe and relax on their cozy couches!
Take a window-shopping stroll down Front Street. Once you have your coffee, you’ll want to check out all the cute shops on Front Street. There are dozens of options to choose from and the majority of them stay open in the winter, so you will have plenty of options!
Be sure to check out Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea has been one of the biggest (and best) surprises for us in TC. We love the selection of high-quality kids clothes and accessories. Liesel loves the small kids play area in the back of the store! Whenever we are downtown, we always pop in to see what’s new!
Get a cozy meal at Amical. Amical is a great little cafe on Front Street offering lunch and dinner every day and a delicious brunch menu on Sundays. The entire place can only be described as “cozy” so its a great spot to visit if you’re in Traverse City in the winter! Be sure to sit in back near the windows for a view of the bay!
Grab a sushi roll at Red Ginger. We love the Asian fusion menu at Red Ginger. This is often our go-to for a nice date night or an adult happy hour. It gives us a little bit of that “big city” feel in our happy little small town. Plus, their sushi menu is huge!
Stop at Georgina’s for authentic Puerto Rican tostones. Georgina’s is a unique mix of Asian and Latin fusion. The menu has so many great options, but our favorite deal is stopping by on Thursdays for 1/2 off appetizers and $5 sangria!
Enjoy fresh, farm-to-table salads at Taproot . Taproot has been open in downtown Traverse City for 4 years, and we hope it stays around for 40 more! If you are craving delicious, fresh cuisine (think vegan, roasted veggies, delicious salads), this is your stop. To top it all off, they have a full menu of ciders and hot drinks to warm you up on a cold winter day in Traverse City!
Stop in to State Street Marketplace for a crepe, BBQ or craft beer. State Street Marketplace is located in a historic building that was used as horse stables for the TCPD about 100 years ago. Now, it is home to 4 vendors to meet your needs at any time of the day. It’s a fun, open space that’s perfect for kids and large groups! If you stop in, be sure to grab a bowl of award-winning chili at TCBBQ and dine in the camper located inside (just trust us on this one)!
Have a craft beer and share a pizza at the Filling Station. The Filling Station has been one of our go-to spots since we moved to Traverse City. With sandboxes fon their heated patio and delicious beer, it was a win-win for our family. If you have an appetite, this is also our hands-down favorite restaurant for pizza. Everything is baked in a wood-fire oven and the crust is thin, crispy perfection. Our favorite combo is the Stoker pizza with house-made fresh sausage and a pint of Walla Walla IPA. Bonus tip: if you’ve got small kids, the Traverse Area District Library is right next door with a great indoor play area. Stop at the library first to get some wiggles out, and then head to The Filling Station for dinner!
Try a pint of local brew at Workshop while the kids play old-school arcade games. Located in the Warehouse District of Traverse City, Workshop Brewing is passionate about great food, great beer and supporting a great community. Their open space has plenty of couches to relax on, a few video games to keep the kids occupied, and live music 6 days / week!
Split a bahn mi and pho lunch special at The Good Bowl. In addition to being the best and most authentic Vietnamese food in all of Northern Michigan, The Good Bowl has a conscience. With each purchase, they donate a portion to one of three charities of your choice (there’s a local, national, and international option). You get to eat delicious food and feel good about helping people! And before you leave, be sure to finish off your stop with a Vietnamese coffee!
Hike the Empire Bluff trail to Sleeping Bear Dunes. This trail is a great all-season trail but it’s truly spectacular in the winter. The trail is just over a mile long, and at the end you get rewarded with an incredibly unique view: snowy dunes emptying down into a very cold, often partially frozen, Lake Michigan!
Visit Shanty Creek for a ski-resort getaway. We got to visit Shanty Creek earlier this winter for Liesels’ first ski experience (check out our visit here!) and it was such a blast. It’s got the resort feel of bigger places around the country, but it’s located in Michigan, so it’s an easy drive up for a weekend getaway instead of a huge time commitment of lugging your ski gear onto a plane and across the country!
Visit the indoor farmers market at the Grand Traverse Commons. Open on Saturdays, the indoor farmers market is a great way to feel the sense of community that makes Traverse City so special. Local vendors are set up selling baked goods, cheese, honey, and all kinds of other great edible creations!
Tour the underground tunnels at the Grand Traverse Commons. The underground tunnels are located in the Traverse City State Hospital (also known as the Northern Michigan Asylum) that was built in 1885 and operated as a home to mentally ill for 100 years. These tunnels connect all the wings of the former hospital and walking through them is like walking back in time!
Try fat tire biking on some of the snowy trails at Vasa Pathway. Fat tire biking is something we had never heard of before moving to Traverse City, but it is so fun! It’s basically mountain biking but at a much slower speed with way more layers of warmth added. There are tons of great snowy trails that are padded down in the winter for bikes to access, but the local favorite is the Vasa Pathway with a variety of loops and distances.
Take a wine tour up the Old Mission Peninsula. Wine and winter… whats could be better? Old Mission Peninsula is one of Michigan’s favorite wine-loving destinations. Coming from California, we are both snobs when it comes to wine, but I can genuinely say that some of the Cab Franc grown on the peninsula is incredible! While you’re tasting, don’t forget to enjoy the view. Most of the wineries are built at the top of hills, so you get to see vineyards sloping down toward the west bay of Traverse City. It’s a wine-tasting view you definitely don’t get in Napa!
Take in a movie at the historic State Theater downtown. The State Theater was originally built in 1916 and originally named the Lyric Theater. After it closed in 1996, it was revitalized and donated to Traverse City as the cornerstone location for the annual Traverse City Film Festival. In the winter, they offer 25 cent classic movies and kids matinees. Don’t forget to grab your popcorn!
Try snow tubing at TimberLee Hills. Timberlee Hills is one of the largest snow tubing hills in the state of Michigan and is located just a few minutes from downtown Traverse City. An hour-long ticket is just $14 and when you get cold, they have an incredible lodge to relax. Timberlee Hills even offers a tow-rope to get up the hill, so the only work you have to do is have a blast zooming down the hill!
Visit Firefly every day in the winter for half off cocktails and small plates. Firefly is another great local spot in both the summer and winter. In the summer, there’s a patio on the Boardman River for al fresco dining, but in the winter, the restaurant closes up and is more cozy. Their appetizer menu is great (we love the calamari) and if you’re in the mood for a cocktail, try a Traverse City mule!
Bundle up and take a walk through Clinch Park. We love visiting Clinch Park all year long. In the summer, there is a great little beach for Liesel, in the fall and spring, you can launch your canoe, kayak or paddle board and take in the sites. During the winter, it’s a snowy destination, perfect for a great walk to admire the ice that forms along the pier and catch a glimpse of the sun on Grand Traverse Bay. There is even a walking tunnel from downtown to the park, so that you don’t have to worry about car traffic as you are walking over!
Visit Great Wolf Lodge for the day. We love getting daypasses to Great Wolf Lodge for the awesome water park and other kid-friendly amenities! Be sure to check out our Great Wolf video here for the whole experience!
Be sure to visit Built Story to see our favorite spots on this list. The tour is designed to give you a perfect off-season afternoon in Traverse City. But if you need more inspiration, add a few more items from the list above to round out your perfect Michigan winter weekend getaway!
Other great ideas for winter in Michigan
There are a ton of other towns dotting the coastline of Lake Michigan. Stay tuned as we explore more gems along the coast this winter, spring and beyond! Be sure to check out our post for great things to do in Charlevoix during the winter too! We also have detailed tours for a perfect afternoon in Traverse City, Charlevoix, and Grand Haven available on Built Story. And if you’re looking for other great posts about Michigan, check out our Michigan destination guide!
Ready to get packing? Check out our post on winter travel essentials for kids here!
Note: This post was sponsored by Built Story, but opinions are always my own!
Photo courtesy of Traverse City Tourism