Hey TC

We’re opening up paid sponsorships for local businesses and/or product highlights! Email us at [email protected] if you’re interested.

Hey TC friends,

In true crazy summer fashion, we have been busy enjoying the wonderful chaos. We missed last week with a blur of beach hopping, patio lunches and maybe one to many trips to Farm Club (we love their fresh country loaf bread).

This week is full of Cherryfest and local events. Hope to see you there!

This week in TC (June 30 – July 6)

The 100th National Cherry Festival | July 4–11 | Downtown TC

This is it. One hundred years. Half a million people. Eight days. The biggest Cherry Festival in the history of the festival, and it all starts this Saturday.

Here's what you need to know:

The Concerts (Pepsi Bayside Music Stage)

Tickets at cherryfestival.org/events/concertsf.

🍭 The Parades

✈️ The Air Show

🥧 The Free Stuff (85%+ of the festival is free)

🐷 MSU Orchard Tour July 6–10, 10am–1pm. Tour the 137-acre research farm in the heart of cherry country. Educational exhibits, cherry product samples, 4-H petting zoo. Shuttle departs from Bata Hall St. Transfer Station at 9:30am and 10:30am.

🏃 The Race

🍒 Centennial History Exhibit Daily 10am–6pm at Horizon Books, 234 E Front St. A walk through 100 years of Cherry Festival history.

From a Local: Go for the Gold Pin Program. Buy a $5 pin at Open Space Park. You need it to get into the beer tent, and you might win the grand prize on the final day. Also: find Gibby's Fries. The line will tell you where they are.

🧸 TADL Teddy Bear Picnic | Tuesday, June 30 | Traverse Area District Library An afternoon tea party for little ones and their teddy bears. Stories, crafts, snacks, and tea. Free. If you have small kids, don't skip this.

🍎 Sara Hardy Farmers Market | Saturday, July 4, 7:30am–12pm The market runs through Cherry Fest. Show up early, especially this week. It'll be packed.

⚾ Pit Spitters | All week at Turtle Creek Stadium The Spitters are home. Check pitspitters.com for this week's game schedule and promotions.

🚶 Lakes and Grapes Walking Club | Wednesday 6:30pm Walk, connect, shop. @lakesandgrapes

🐐 Black Star Farms | Goat Yoga
Thursday 7/2 from 10AM - 11AM | $45
Friday 7/3 from 10AM - 11AM | $45
Suitable for all experience levels and ages. Each session lasts about 1 hour with 45 minutes focused on the actual yoga. Tickets include a goat token for one glass of wine, cocktail, mocktail or NA beverage that can be enjoyed at the tasting room.
Sign up here: https://blackstarfarms.com/goat-yoga/

🍕 Celebrate the 4th of July at Dunebird | July 3
Catered food by Fredericks Wood-Fired Catering & Song Bird Provisions
Live music at 5P-8PM from BayTrippers.

Leland Gal Pop Ups!
Monday 7/6 | 4PM - 7PM | Loft 333, 103 North Main Street Leland
Morgan Hutchinson is chief deisgner of LA based clothing brand inspired by motherhood. Designed for all women with distinctive style and practical details, her clothing style is so elevated, effortless and timeless. @shopburu
For more information: https://lelandgal.com/pages/popups

The wineries, breweries, and venues don't stop just because the festival is in town.

Grand Traverse Resort

Bonobo Winery | Old Mission Live music Friday 7/3 with Perfect Party on the patio with East Bay views. Check bonobowinery.com/events

Left Foot Charley | The Village Live music Friday 7/3 from 5PM-7PM with local band PPM.
Monday 7/6 Open Mic with Rob Coonrod | 6PM - 9PM

Mari Vineyards | Old Mission Live music Friday and Saturday. Check marivineyards.com for this week's artists. The patio with East Bay views is unbeatable.

Rove Winery | Leelanau Friday evening music from 5–7pm at the highest point on the Leelanau Peninsula. Wine, views, sunset.

Suttons Bay Ciders | Suttons Bay Saturday 7/4 | Music & Fireworks 8PM - 11PM
Sunday live music with Jonathan North and Rock Hat | 5:30PM – 8PM. Wood-fired pizza all weekend.

Interlochen The summer concert series is in full swing. Check interlochen.org for this week's shows at Kresge and Corson Auditorium.

TART Trail Twelve paved miles from TC to Acme along the bay. This is going to be the busiest week of the year on the trail. Go early morning or late evening if you want space. Weekday mornings will be your best bet.

VASA Singletrack Fast, dry, and shaded under full canopy. The woods don't know it's Cherry Festival week. This is your escape from the crowds. Trailhead at 4450 Bartlett Rd in Williamsburg.

Palmer Woods (Glen Arbor) 27 miles of mountain biking, 15 miles of hiking. Download maps before you go. No cell service. The trails are in peak summer condition.

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Twenty paved miles from Empire to Glen Arbor through the National Lakeshore. This will be busy on the 4th of July weekend, so go early. The section from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor is the most popular and most beautiful.

Boardman River Paddle Rent a kayak or SUP from Paddle TC or The River Outfitters and float the Boardman right through town. Gentle current, tree-lined, zero experience needed. The best escape from Cherry Fest crowds without leaving the city.

The lake is warm. The sand is ready. Here's your beach guide for the week:

For families: Clinch Park (downtown, splash pad, lifeguards, kayak rentals, walking distance to everything). East Bay Beach (shallow water, gentle waves, lifeguards). Bryant Park (playground, shaded picnic area under tall pines, sunset views on West Bay).

For escaping the crowds: Good Harbor Bay Beach (mile-long crescent of sand with a sandbar you can walk to, quieter than Empire). Esch Road Beach (secluded, natural, peaceful). Haserot Beach (locals' favorite, north of TC on West Bay).

For the full experience: Empire Beach (soft sand, protected swimming, Empire Bluff rising behind you, fire rings for evening bonfires. National Geographic named it one of the top 21 beaches in the world). Frankfort Beach (wide sand, pier, charming downtown a block away).

For dogs: West End Beach and Haserot Beach are your best bets. Leashed. Go early morning before 9am.

Pro tip: Bay beaches (Clinch Park, Suttons Bay, East Bay) are warmer than open Lake Michigan beaches. If cold water isn't your thing, stick to the bay side. If you want that big Lake Michigan experience, head to Empire or Good Harbor and bring your bravery.

Parking note: Sleeping Bear Dunes beaches (Empire, Good Harbor, Esch Road) require a National Park pass ($25/vehicle for 7 days, $80 annual). Bay beaches are free but parking fills fast during Cherry Fest week. Bike to the beach if you can.

🍒 Find Gibby's Fries. Every year. Every festival. The line is always long and it's always worth it. Look for the longest line at the Cherry Farm Market. That's Gibby's.

🚗 Don't drive downtown during Cherry Fest. Seriously. Bike, walk, take BATA, or park at the Civic Center and shuttle in. The traffic on Grandview Parkway will test your patience and your relationship.

🍷 Escape to the peninsulas. If the festival crowds get to you, drive 15 minutes up Old Mission or head to Leelanau. The wineries are open, the patios are quiet, and nobody's fighting for parking. That's the local move.

🌅 The sunset from the Clinch Park waterfront during Cherry Fest week. The sky, the bay, the Ferris wheel lit up behind you, the sound of music drifting from the Bayside Stage. It hits different this week.

This one has us dreaming of campfire s’mores under a blanket of stars.

Tucked away in the woods near Lake Ann, Michigan, the Roost A-Frame is your basecamp for exploring Sleeping Bear Dunes and Leelanau wine country. This renovated cabin sits adjacent to a 200+ acre nature preserve with miles of hiking trails right out your back door.

About 25 minutes from the edge of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 15-25 minutes from Leelanau wineries, and half an hour from downtown Traverse City, with a private hot tub waiting when you get home.

Whether you're planning a summer getaway or looking to cozy up for the winter, the A-frame offers the perfect escape. Spend your days hiking, biking, or snowmobiling the nearby trails, then unwind in the hot tub or by the firepit under the stars.

If this place is giving you upnorth cabin vibes and decide to book the cabin for your next vacation or staycation; let us know how it went!

See you on the Bay

Please email our team at [email protected] if you are interested in learning about our partnerships. Have a great week friends!