Things To Do
Traverse City
Traverse City is where the wedding ceremony is located and where we recommend guests stay in or near. There is plenty of shopping and restaurants and even a beach if you want to hang by the water and rent paddle boards or canoes.
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive Entrance
The Sleeping Bear Dunes is easily our favorite spot in Northern Michigan. After parking at the entrance to the trailhead (stop 8/9), take the short path to the massive 500 ft. Dune overlook. Sit in the sand and take in the view, or brave the Dune hike - it takes us about 45 min. to climb back up!
Empire Bluff Trail
Take the trail about .75 miles in to reach the Dunes Overlook.
Sleeping Bear Point Trailhead
A short sandy trail from the parking lot takes you to Lake Michigan where we got engaged!
Leland
Leland is a cute little coastal town along Lake Michigan, with beaches, restaurants, coffee shops, and touristy small town shopping. We love grabbing fish and chips at The Cove or getting coffees at Madcap and enjoying a nice walk through the small town.
Torch Lake
One of our favorite places. If you want rent jet skis or a boat during your trip, we highly recommend checking out Torch Lake. It has beautiful clear water with a massive sand bar you can anchor your boat to. For rentals we recommend Butch's Tackle & Marine at Torch Lake and grabbing a bite to eat at Dockside Torch Lake.
Glen Arbor
Glen Arbor is another one of those cute small coastal towns right near Empire Bluffs. In fact, this is where Ryan and Christina went right before he proposed on the beach right down the road. If you want to stop by, we highly recommend visiting Cherry Republic - https://cherryrepublic.com/. This is the first Cherry Republic location which basically looks like a massive campsite with any and all things cherry flavored - cherry ice cream, chocolate covered cherries, cherry salsa, cherry pies, cherry sausage, sour candy, BBQ sauces, wine, and more, all made from Michigan Cherries!
Petoskey
Petoskey is the cutest small coastal town - definitely one of our favorites. Filled with shopping, cool restaurants, and outdoor dining, we HIGHLY recommend stopping here during your trip if you can. Our favorite taco shop is Happy's Taco Shop nestled in their outdoor dining area on the south part of town. We usually like to park here, eat at Happy's, and then walk through town to make our way to the beach at Bayfront Park - it's fun to look for Petoskey stones on the shore here!
Charlevoix
Charlevoix is another really cute summer town! There are lots of restaurants and shops, including a Michigan staple, Kilwin's Chocolates. We love coming here to watch the sunset at the lighthouse and watch all the boats come in from Lake Michigan.
Bay Harbor Golf Club
Located between Charlevoix and Petoskey - this is a great golf spot with great views!