This was an adorable place to stop and visit. So pretty especial during the fall time. We had fun…read moregoing here and enjoying the scenery.

First off their parking situation is a joke. There's basically NO parking lot. You park along the…read moreside of the road. The lighthouse is very nice it just kinda demands attention sitting on top of a small hill. I didn't go inside for the $5 tour due to it was too busy for my taste. The gift center / museum display was another building. The display was very nice with lots of information. The beach portion was spectacular. A nice long beach. To the right in front of lighthouse there's a heavy duty metal seawall. The lake crashing into it creates a very enjoyable sight and occasionally a weird noise. Plus the lighthouse towering over you is great. Overall a 4 1/2 star review, losing the half due to the crazy parking situation. I'll round up though to the full 5. Would I return? Absolutely! There is no reason the parking is so stupid. The area behind it is Government land. Put in a frickin parking lot for crying out loud.

The Mercato is a collection of shops in the now repurposed Traverse City State Hospital. I wouldn't…read morereally call it a mall, but I guess by definition it fits? Anyway, the shops are teeny tiny but pack a wallop by being beautifully curated and uniquely configured. I think I purchased more here than I have at any other shopping excursion I've had all year. They've got a shop dedicated to alpaca wool goods, a more gentleman focused shop called the Haberdashery, a pet boutique, a used bookstore, a toy store, and many others including my favorite of them all, Moonstruck Gardens, which is packed full of delightful art, stickers, home decor, and more. They also have dining options and a coffee shop if you're thirsty or a little peckish. The layout can be a little confusing but there's plenty of signage to help you along the way. But the beauty of it is just exploring and finding the fun around every corner.

What a fascinating place. The building and grounds are lovely. First of all the building is a…read morerefurbishment asylum. Some say haunted. They did a lovely job restoring this property. There are lovely specialty shops and a few restaurants. One of the restaurants is one of the most highly rated in town. The shops have some interesting handy craft work .. wood, pottery. Jewelry. Decorative glass. .

The views are great here. The wooded area is nice to walk through. We didnt get a chance to tour…read morethe lighthouse but the whole scenery is so worth it.

This is the cutest lighthouse! Many historical elements and artifacts inside. There is a nice video…read morethat explains the history of the lighthouse as well as plaques with more information. There is also a small Snow Owl exhibit which was a nice added touch! The gift shop has various trinkets for sale. All the staff were friendly and helpful! A nice stop in Traverse City!

Freshwater sea monsters are among the rarest of beasts. The one known simply as "Leelanau" was…read morespotted just above this dam in 1910 by young William "Billy" Gauthier, whilst the latter fished for perch. (I suppose the former may also been fishing for perch, as well as hoping to snag Master Billy in its maw.) I believe I am the latest to encounter this "Lake Monster Leelanau," but she wasn't in the water, although my encounter with her was very near the dam. She was, in all her grisly glory, rather in line for the Leland Wine and Food Festival, sitting on a star-spangled folding camp chair. I looked on in horror at her enormous girth, the flesh cascading over the sides of the camp chair; yet, others of my own species seemed not to notice, let alone flee in terror. (I haven't slept a wink since the sighting.) Oh, the dam is very nice. Built in the late 1800's to supply water power for Leland Mills, the dam created the vast double Lake Leelanau. Water spills out the lake, over the dam, and into the harbor. Basic dam. What appears to be a fish ladder, right next to the main dam. After four inches of rain, she was a gushing torrent. The footbridge connecting to a boarding house is but a minor visual detraction. You can just photoshop that part right out of the picture.

Hard to add more than what Kevin said in 2010. This is a very nice area to visit and the dam is…read morespecial. A must see if you travel to Fishtown.

Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.

A beautiful historic lighthouse with a hidden stunning beach off the beaten path! Learned a lot…read moreabout the lighthouse history and the importance of the area in guiding ships to land.

At the very tip of Leelanau Peninsula sits the Grand Traverse park/lighthouse/museum area! It's…read morequite small and a bit of a let down given the entire drive up and especially because I've been to the Old Mission lighthouse as well, but still has some nice surroundings. There were definitely a surprising amount of people here while we were here as well, which was interesting because we had seen no other cars on our drive all the way up the peninsula and hardly any people at Leelanau State Park either, so this must be the #1 tourist destination on this peninsula. Not much to do here, but there's a whole gift shop, you can walk around the lighthouse, the museum tours were closed because of COVID, which is understandable, and probably the best part was going to the shore, which is actually a small walk from the lighthouse building. It's a rocky shore, so you can walk around on top of the rocks and just enjoy this uninterrupted view of Lake Michigan. :)

Ok, so, on 31 between Traverse City and Charlevoix there is Elk Rapids which is very cute and worth…read morea visit. In Elk Rapids you can take a side road called the Cairn Highway that travels through Elk Rapids and up alongside of Torch Lake, it's a scenic drive and won't take a bunch of time off of your route as it will pop you right back on to 31 again. While on there you will pass the 45th parallel (exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator) and at that spot there is a special marker where a rock from each of the counties in Michigan have been stacked into a small monument aka a cairn (which is what the highway is named after). By no means is this a destination location, the Eiffel Tower it is not, but if you are in the area and want a more scenic drive for 20 minutes and like obscure America then this is for you!

Huge property about 3 miles from downtown travers. A lot of shops and dining to explore while…read morewaiting for your tour. I came for a twilight asylum tour and heard great things about Trattoria Stella so came early for dinner at their bar. Love the dark vibe. Opens between 4-5 depending on day. The property is rather spread out so may be a bit hard to go back and forth of any difficulties walking. The hallways do seem wheelchair accessible.

Wow, this place is a must visit while visiting TC! From the shops to the amazing architecture and…read moregrounds, one could spend an entire day at the village. While we just had time for a quick visit, we look forward to our next visit, possibly endulging in some food and beverages from one of the on site establishments!