The taxidermy museum here was small but well put together. There's a wide variety of animals and…read moreother objects to see. There's fur to touch things to read. I especially enjoyed the small task at each exhibit, such as the find the arrowhead or find the chipmunk. Very neat.

I've been coming to the Spirit of the Woods museum since I was a little kid, around 15 years, and…read moreit is one of the highlights when I come to Elk Rapids! The opportunity to learn and see taxidermy and how the animals would look in their natural habitat is unmatched. The owners are both knowledgeable and will take time to answer any questions you may have. I love the sounds that play as you walk throughout and the different readings you can look at. The gift shop, although not to my taste, has some great and interesting finds you won't see at any old gift shop in ER. I wish there were more Guntzviller's specific items, because I come for the museum and can't afford any of the taxidermy myself (yet).

That a gem of a place! We are so happy we stopped. The animals are all healthy and well taken care…read moreof. The staff is enthusiastic and super knowledgeable. It is refreshing to see employees so engaged and informative.

If you like butter flies, this is your place. Check out the unique items in the gift shop. Food…read moretrucks in the parking lot.

Many small cities don't have much to do in the cultural realm but traverse city is different and…read morethis museum is amazing. The Inuit art section is just so unique and good. Modern art section compelling with unique and diverse representation. Also excellent gift store.

The auditorium has great sound quality. Seating is functional. Come to a show and visit the museum.read more

This place is amazing! Its located in the mall. We accidentally parked near Dunham's but we found…read moreout that its closer to the other doors further down. They have doors that are hard to escape. They charge $10 per person but the membership is a lot cheaper. They also participate in the museums for all and charge $20 for a membership for the year for it. There is an area behind the counter area with a room for strollers and bags. You can also eat food there as well I believe. The kids had so much to do. They had a lot of educational areas and designs. They loved placing the balls in the tubes. They had a little vet area. They also had a kitchen area in the back. They had a car track and water table. They have a giant playscape with two slides. By the checkin they have a small store area as well. The kids had so much fun!

Our kids had a ton of fun here, especially at the water table!…read more We thought that it was an actual, standalone museum, so we were confused when we were walking through the mall, and we accidentally walked right past it because we thought it was a gift shop. Lo and behold, it's actually very roomy and has multiple interactive stations! Besides the water table, they also loved the vet clinic, play structure, food truck, and collecting eggs. This would be a great place for grandparents to take their kids while parents go shopping at the mall.

While we were in the area on vacation, we went specifically for the Lego Carnival. Having lived in…read moreTraverse City for a few years [about 15 years ago] I was glad to see the old library being used for something interesting, but it wasn't QUITE as exciting as the word "carnival" might make it seem. There were about three rooms of pre-constructed Lego buildings/objects (one case had things like a bra, telephone, cell phone, and safety pin) which of course the kids aren't allowed to touch and then a play area that contained the Lego tunnel (which was basically a single L-shaped section built from big wooden Lego-looking pieces) that took five seconds to crawl through, the big Lego block building area, the building area with a bunch of plastic bins of random Lego pieces on tables to build cars (or whatever else), and the ramp to test your cars. It really wasn't very exciting to look at...as an adult...but our son (and all the kids there) LOVED IT. So for that reason alone it gets four stars. I can't quite give it five stars because it's definitely not "as good as it gets" but for a smallish town it's pretty cool. And a great way to get out of the heat for a few hours. :) My husband and mother-in-law looked around the rest of the museum and I briefly looked at the rock display (to see what kind of rocks are found around the state) and it doesn't take long since it's not that big. We were there for just under two hours.

Spent $5 to get in, kids were entertained for 3 hours. We went in the summer when they had a huge,…read moreinteractive Lego exhibit. They had models designed and built by experts to look at, but they also had tons of Legos for the kids to play with. They also have a huge vat of cherry pits (large enough for 5 kids to play in at once) which is there year round. It's also just a cute little museum about Traverse City history in a beautiful location. Definitely recommend if you're in T.C. and you have a couple of hours to kill and some kids that need entertaining.

Sweet spot on the end of Front Street. There was an asian fusion-style food truck that had a solid…read morespam musubi which was housed before it could be pictured. Other than that, there's a stage for live music, plenty of cold beer on draft, and lots of fun games that are priced fairly unlike a Dave & Buster's. Favorite game was PBR Perfect Pour. All-time game and easily killed like 3 hours hogging it from others.

They have added some machines since I was last here. There's a snobowling/skeeball which is cool…read more 1.00 instead of 50c, like at RBB, though it doesn't make an annoying noise so that's a win. There's pac man, halo, a motor cycle game etc. Besides skeeball, I did a round of ninja turtles, guitar hero (2$, fyi), and John Wick pinball. The LoTR and the Transformers pinball machines were also of interest, but I was out of quarters. You can buy a tap card to load $ on if you lack quarters. On the guitar hero, it's been a decade, or two since I have played even beginner level was tricky. I loved playing pat benatar, fun song! Might have to return to play "Yellow," by Coldplay!!

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.

The Alden Depot Museum is open Memorial Day through October, Friday (1-4) and Saturday/Sunday…read more(11-4). It houses changing exhibits showcasing local history and artifacts, enlarged photos of the area taken in the 19th and early 20th centuries, antique photographs and vintage postcard collections. Additionally, a third of the building is devoted to an extensive collection of working model train layouts of various gauges. The Dorothy Walter Family History Center opened in 2025, providing designated space to research the available documentation and photos of early local families. Note: The museum is a non profit entity operated by the Helena Township Historical Society; the building and lakeside park are owned by Helena Township. For more information please see our website (www.aldendepot.com) and FB page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064749244649

Alden has public docks and then you can walk to park. Nice sand volleyball court for some family…read morefun. Also a train to look at and good photo op. We did not see any play structure and the museum wasn't open when we were there. There was a water fountain which my kids enjoyed since they were thirsty

Interesting, well-presented exhibits. Hands-on opportunities. Classes offered annually. Community…read moreevents, too. I have been to a few of the events: one was the Central Neighborhood front porch concerts and treats- it was fun. The other event was as a volunteer (full disclosure) for their plein air paint out as part of Paint Grand Traverse. Oh, I think everyone should volunteer for this, but that's my love of the arts speaking. As more of a dreamer than a do-er, I'm pretty much in awe of those who *do.* Lastly, this evening I was here for the TC Ticker's 'Recess' event. I'd consider going to another of their events, the venues rotate. There were beverage tickets (imbibe if you don't have to work later, as I did) and yummy treats from Maxbauer's and Raduno. I guess I networked, but I consider it more a polishing/fine-tuning of extremely rusty social skills. I am a busy and introverted human, therefore I don't get out much, lol. But, when I do get out, it's because I have high expectations. And, this venue and event both proved themselves to be enjoyable.

From the owner: Crooked Tree offers rotating, year-round art exhibits featuring local, regional, and national…read moreartists. We also offer art classes for all ages, lectures series, Paint Grand Traverse plein air festival, and more.