We arrived just as volunteer Chuck was opening the doors. Groups of kiddos quickly gravitated…read moretowards the activities they had with markers and pencils and crayons and little people tables. We enjoyed reading the exhibits and learning about the beach mobiles and the variety of different vehicles they had and were used prior to it being a national park. You don't need a ton of time to visit this building, but the exhibits were all interesting to people like us.

A historic blacksmith shop, a coast guard history display, and a beach pus one or two other old…read morebuildings. The blacksmith shop is a neat display of how it was done a hundred years ago or more. There is a coast guard history display in the old canary building. This is neat, but kinda small and limited! The beach is the real stunner! It seems to go on forever in both directions. The view is truly great. You can see Leelanau in the distance and the view if Lake Michigan can take your breath away. The sand is pristine even with the crowds. They need more benches, more parking and a much bigger restroom. Overall though 5 stars. I highly recommend visiting if in the area. So obviously I would return!

My wife and I visited this historic lighthouse for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed our…read moreexperience. It is conveniently located, adequate parking on the side of the beach road, we were welcomed by lighthouse staff, paid just $5 each for this visit!, safely walked up the winding stairs up to the lighthouse top area (watch your head tall friends!), a friendly staff member gave us some very interesting historic information related to the lighthouse and took several pics of us!, the self-guided tour was very interesting (you can take your time reading any and all of the nicely framed historic documents, lighthouse stories, etc.), there was nice, clean men's and women's restrooms in the main bldg, and the grounds and buildings were all nicely maintained. You gotta check this 2nd most important lighthouse in the USA!

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.

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. .

Cool lighthouse out on the Peninsula here in Traverse City. Great views of the lake and if you go…read moreinside on the first floor, they have a gift shop as well as a little museum that has a video that tells you about the history of the Traverse City area, he lighthouse and the Peninsula. Beautiful views, you can walk down to the beach and actually walk down into the lake if you want to. You can go up to the top of the lighthouse, there is a small fee of eight dollars for adults. We chose not to do that. Still a cute little house. It also sits on the 45th parallel, which is the halfway point between the North Pole and the equator, there's a sign out front that demonstrates that as well. It is certainly worth a 20 minute drive up the Peninsula, especially if you stop at a winery or two as you are coming or going.

Cute, popular place. Not too expensive if you want to see the museum and go up the lighthouse (the…read moresign says if it's open that day), no cost if all you're doing is walking the lakefront and taking some exterior photos of the lighthouse and its "authentic" log cabin. (Moved and refurbished.) Certainly quite a drive down the peninsula, though you get a couple of good views on the way if you take the main highway up. On the way back, I suggest routing yourself on the west shore of the peninsula - you get a long drive on a separate path with some more good views.

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.

It is worth the drive to the end of Leelanau Peninsula to see this historic lighthouse. It seemed a…read morebit much to pay to access the area and to enter the lighthouse. It is a tight squeeze to make it to the top of the lighthouse. The view of Lake Michigan is 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.

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!

This place was absolutely amazing--an old asylum from 1885-1989 turned into housing, shopping,…read morerestaurants, and offices while maintaining the original structure. I love what they were able to do instead of letting it sit abandoned and decay. The history of mental asylums is so interesting, and they offer 2 hour tours for $30 for those ages 12+. I definitely recommend the tour if you are into history, psychology or healthcare. The tour guide was great, and obviously a true expert in all things regarding the Traverse City State Hospital. The background and experience he had with it made him very trustworthy. He was also just a very funny and friendly guy. The tour takes you outside plus certain areas inside to showcase the restoration process. It also takes you inside of an abandoned and decayed men's cottage. You can only enter this building through the tour. Inside, the guide will show you around and you'll be able to see all the empty rooms and dining area and learn about the history of how they lived. You'll also go up into the attic to see all the pipes. Before the tour ends, the guide takes you into the old brick steam tunnels (which can also only be accessed during this tour). The tunnels are spooky and our guide even turned off the lights for us to experience it in the dark, plus try to catch some photos of orbs with the flash on our phones lol. Overall, it was a super interesting tour and I would definitely come back to do the one at night.

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.

Loved this place! Got to spend an hour with my grandsons that felt like 10 minutes - so much to do…read morein a safe, clean and welcoming space. The exhibits were very well done, and there were so many! Highly recommend this for kids of all ages.

Wonderful place for kiddos. So many cool animals and a ton of hands-on activities. The employees…read morewere very helpful and knowledgeable. Both my kids had a blast. Shout out to Ruby, the youngest "employee"!