Northern Michigan: Traverse City, Lake Ann, Frankfort

September 2017, Weekday-weekend

We had an unusually warm weekend at the end of September in Michigan this year. I am sharing some info about new places we visited, as well as a couple of re-visits. You can find additional information about all of the following areas in previous blog posts. Rather than list all the links here, I suggest clicking on the labels at the bottom of this post to find the posts with information you are interested in.

Bryant Park Beach
One end was empty when we first arrived

Traverse City: Bryant Park Beach, Brewery Terra Firma, Monkey Fist Brewing Company, Food Court (The Little Fleet), Boardman Lake Trail

We visited Bryant Park Beach for the first time, as we wanted to try a new beach. I had read that there are not many parking spots at this park, which is true. Additionally, the spaces are quite tight. We were able to get a spot when we arrived on a weekday shortly before noon. Our parking space was not one of the better ones, and when we returned to our vehicle to leave, we wondered how the driver of the different car next to us had gotten out without hitting our vehicle. I had to wait for my husband to back out of the parking spot before I could get into our car. Vehicles were also parked on the street when we departed. There is no charge for parking, nor is there an entrance fee.

Clear water at Bryant Park Beach on west arm Grand Traverse Bay

Bryant Park has a beach, playground, and restrooms with flush toilets and running water. The bay water is clear, and the beach is sandy for the most part. There is a row of small stones that you need to walk across when you enter the water, and then there are no stones on the sandy bottom.

We enjoyed our visits to Monkey Fist Brewing Company and Brewery Terra Firma. Monkey Fist is located in State Street Market, and they have Happy Hour pricing during the week. Brewery Terra Firma has excellent beers, prices, and service. They have a long bar, which reminds me of a winery tasting bar, along with inside seating and patio seating. Both locations are listed in the Traverse City Ale Trail Atlas. I am glad we like Brewery Terra Firma so much, because we forgot to get our atlases stamped while there!

Food truck court

We also visited The Little Fleet, which is a bonus location in the atlas.  They have weekday Happy Hour specials. The Little Fleet is located in the Food Truck Court on Wellington Street.




We walked/hiked Boardman Lake Trail from Medalie Park toward downtown. The trail is crushed stone until you cross Center Pl, where it then turns to pavement. There are benches along the trail, and restrooms in Medalie Park.

Lake Ann from swimming area in Almira Township Park

Lake Ann: Almira Township Lakefront Park, Lake Ann Brewing Company

Elmira Township Park is located on Lake Ann and Maple Street downtown. The park has restrooms, covered picnic tables, and a small swimming beach. It was a great place to have our picnic lunch, as there is a nice view of the lake from the picnic area.

Lake Ann Brewing menu

This visit to Lake Ann Brewing Company was similar to our previous visit, although last time, we had not noticed that the Growler prices do not include tax. Still a decent price; I am merely sharing this information, as most places list the price with tax included.

Two TC Ale Trail Atlases showing the tri-fold outside and
the inside with Stormcloud coupon. Click photo to enlarge it.

Frankfort: Stormcloud Brewing Company

Stormcloud Brewing is listed in the Traverse City Ale Trail Atlas as one of the bonus stops. There is also a $1 off coupon in the atlas. The atlases we used this time were newer than the ones we used before to get our silipint. I am not sure if all of the businesses have switched over to the new ones; a customer in Stormcloud asked to see our atlases after we got the stamp, because she had one of the old ones.

Half of the sandwich special filled with ham, pork, and bacon

We shared the sandwich special at Stormclound Brewing, Little Piggy Sandwich, which was excellent!

Let me know if you have any questions. Please share this or any posts in this blog to assist future travelers.