Your Traverse City CME conference.

Traverse City after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near downtown: Clinch Park and West End Beach, which the tourism board places a block from downtown with views of the sun sinking into the bay, a ride or walk on the non-motorized TART Trail system, or a stroll along Front Street past independent bookstores and boutiques. Leave time for distance if you head up Old Mission Peninsula, because Old Mission Lighthouse Park is about 22 miles from Front Street at the end of M-37.

Travel, lodging and any tasting, tour or admission fees are arranged separately. Your conference follows your own schedule on your phone or laptop; northern Michigan is the setting you choose for it.

Wine country without a car?

The tourism board describes more than 50 wineries across the Traverse Wine Coast, which covers the Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas. Old Mission has 10 wineries along a 19-mile stretch just minutes from downtown, and it sits between East Bay and West Bay, so driving between vineyards brings views of both. It works as a single pass with little backtracking and can end at Old Mission State Park and its lighthouse.

Leelanau is the larger peninsula and feels more spread out, with wine routes through Suttons Bay, Northport and Leland and no set route to follow. Choose Old Mission if you have a short afternoon, and Leelanau if you can plan a longer day. If you would rather not drive after tasting, the tourism board suggests guided tours, and it says to book ahead in peak seasons.

The tip of Old Mission Peninsula

Old Mission Lighthouse Park sits at the end of M-37 on the tip of the peninsula. The tourism board describes a wide beach with very shallow water that suits wading, a picnic area, a reconstructed early settler’s cabin and a lighthouse that is open to the public from May through November. The tourism board’s day-trip page adds that the lighthouse area has wooded trails with views. Check the lighthouse season before planning around it.

Downtown and the Commons

Downtown Traverse City is walkable, with Front Street shops and a mix of dinner options. The Village at Grand Traverse Commons has hiking trails behind it, shops, and a guided tour of the former asylum. The TART Trail system is non-motorized and takes you all over town and beyond on foot or bike. The Boardman River runs through the city and is a popular fly-fishing spot. The tourism board lists waterfront dining, boat tours, and kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboard options on the water as well. It also lists art galleries, museums, historic movie theatres and Interlochen Center for the Arts among the area’s attractions.

Sleeping Bear Dunes and Leelanau

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore sits on the Lake Michigan shore, with miles of sandy beach, forests, inland lakes and bluffs that rise roughly 450 feet above the water. The park suggests a drive on the 7-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive if you have less than three hours, a climb up the Dune Climb, and a visit to Glen Haven and its Maritime Museum. Port Oneida is among its options for visitors with more time, and the Heritage Trail can be walked or biked. The park also preserves historic life-saving stations, coastal villages and farms, and the lighthouse on South Manitou Island is one of its landmarks. The park is open all the time, but the availability of services changes by season.

The tourism board’s Leelanau day trip adds Fishtown in Leland, where the old fishing shanties are a snack stop, a stop in Northport on the way back, and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula, which offers tower climbs and a look at how lightkeepers lived. Its one-day itinerary mentions the Lake Michigan Overlook on the Pierce Stocking drive and Glen Arbor, a small town on the way north. Empire Beach is suggested as the last stop of the day, and M-22 is the scenic route around the peninsula. A full circuit takes more than the hours between 2:00 PM and dark, so treat it as a day out rather than an afternoon.

When to visit Traverse City

Monthly average highs run from 67 degrees in May to 77 in June and 81 in July, then 70 in September and 58 in October. Winter highs fall to 32 in December and 27 in January. The tourism board adds that trees near Lake Michigan, especially on the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas, change color later than those inland, so autumn lingers. For winter, it highlights skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.

Getting to Traverse City and your study setting

Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) is the arrival point shown in this guide. Traverse City Tourism describes it as about 10 to 15 minutes from the heart of downtown. Five airlines serve it, with nonstop flights to Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis year round and many other routes seasonal. Without a car, the tourism board lists ride-hailing, local taxis and the public BATA bus.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.