Traverse City, Michigan: State Park, Bicycle Trail, Dining, Breweries, Wineries

 September 2021, Weekdays-weekend, 4-nights

Sunset from campsite 100 at Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park

I have many other posts for the Traverse City area in this blog, and you can find more info by using the search feature at the top of this page, or by clicking on one of the labels at the end of this post. This is a brief post to share new info and photos from this visit.

Campsite 100 at Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park
Bottom photo taken from walkway to overpass

Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park, campsite 100

We chose this campsite because we had noticed how large it is during one of our previous stays at the campground. It is a large site; however, it is also very noisy. Actually, all of the campsites in this park are noisy, although this one seemed even more so. We previously stayed on campsite 467, which is also on the road, and the noise did not seem as loud there as it did from site 100. Possibly, this is because site 100 is next to the road overpass and is a bit more open than the other sites along the road. If you have never stayed in this state park, be aware that it is a town-type park, and not a quiet woodsy-type park. We only stay in this park when we want to visit Traverse City, rather than engage in other activities like hiking.

Campsite 100 at Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park

Before this stay, I had not noticed how skewed the campsite lines are in this park. If the people on site 99 next to us had sat on the west side of their fire pit, they would have been sitting on our site according to the lines. This did not matter, as we were not using the area behind our trailer anyway; it was all trees. Additionally, our line on the west side was straight out from our fire pit. It did not seem like the site lines were actually adhered to. We parked one of our vehicles in the area just outside our line closer to the walkway, and no one asked us to move. We noticed similar parking and lines through fire pits in other areas of the park, as well.

West bathroom in Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park

The bathrooms in the west end of the park had been recently rebuilt. I loved the way they had been built with a maze type entrance, rather than doors. It was sad to see that the new restrooms were not being taken care of. The floors were covered with stains and sticky dirt residue that was never cleaned during our stay. In fact, it looked like the floors had not been washed since the restrooms had been built less than a year ago.

Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park
Campsite 56 above, campsite 458 below

Several concrete pads had been added to sites during the park remodel, and we are planning to choose one of those sites next time we visit. Some of these sites are 30 amp, and some are 50 amp. I have uploaded a couple of photos above.

Duncan L Clinch Park and marina downtown Traverse City

Bicycle trail, downtown, dining, breweries, wineries

The bicycle trail is located right behind the park, and is accessible between campsites 46 and 47. There have been several new additions to the trail, and construction was still happening in some areas at the time of our visit.

TART trail along 8th Street above
Boardman Lake Trail from Right Brain Brewery below

Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan: Suttons Bay, Traverse City, Marion/Power/Bassett Island, Northport

August 2020, 8 nights 

I have previously written several posts about all of these areas with information, so this post will not have as much detail. You can click on the labels at the end of this post for areas you are interested in for more details.

Sunset from our slip at Suttons Bay facing west and east (below)

Marinas: Suttons Bay, Duncan L. Clinch (Traverse City), G. Marsten Dame (Northport)

We stayed at Suttons Bay marina for four of our eight nights, as this is our favorite marina. Great staff, great rates, well maintained, and nice beach/park next door. The rate was $2 higher per night than previous years, which is still reasonable. COVID-19 protocols were in place, and we did not encounter any issues. 

Sunset in Traverse City from our boat slip on the walkway
at Duncan L. Clinch Marina

Northern Michigan recreation and breweries: Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau County

June 2020, weekdays and weekend

Following are some of the places we visited during our 6-night stay at Indigo Bluffs RV Park and Resort in Empire, Michigan.

Recreation: biking, hiking

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is one of the closest trail heads to Indigo Bluffs RV Resort, so we loaded our bikes in the truck, and drove there to park in the national park parking lot. This is just over five miles from camp. The national park entrance fee was being waived due to COVID-19, and I am not sure if there is a place we could have parked for no charge, if this had not been the case. 

View from Glen Haven Historic Village along Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

We then bicycled Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail to S. Forest Haven Drive in Glen Arbor and back, which was about a 13-mile ride. The trail runs along the dunes, lakeshore, and through DH Day Campground. The route is beautiful, and extremely hilly. There are several nice stopping points along the way. Before we left, I had thought we would be able to bike to Alligator Hill Trail; however, there is no shoulder along Stocking Road where the bike trail crosses at M-109, so we chose not to bike down the road. Back at the national park, there are several hiking trails from the parking lot at Pierce Stocking Drive that travel through the woods, and out to lake Michigan. It is a bit of a hike with a fabulous view. 

Alligator Hill Trail

We drove to Alligator Hill Trail, and hiked that a different day. The location is just over six miles from Indigo Buffs RV Resort. This was another hilly climb with a beautiful view! 

Islands Lookout at Alligator Hill

Scarlet Tanager at the start of Alligator Hill Trail

Traverse City, Michigan: Visiting on a Budget!

January 2020, Weekday-weekend

Traverse City is not always an expensive place to visit, if you pick an off-peak date and watch for deals. We made most of our choices this trip based on discounts we found from places such as, the Visitors Center, WHATSUP, and the Michigan Brewvine Passport that we had purchased before our trip. The passport cost is $31 with tax and shipping, and there is often a passport BOGO purchase special around the holidays. The AAA rate at Hotel Indigo where we stayed, was less than $150 before taxes.

Pulled pork sandwich from Dickey's BBQ Pit in Traverse City

Dining

We had lunch one day at Dickey's Barbecue Pit because we had a coupon for BOGO pulled pork sandwich. We got the no-cost coupon from the local deals section on the AARP rewards site, and you do not need to be a member to join this site. This was probably not one of our better dining choices in Traverse City, although it was acceptable and inexpensive.

Breakfast at Green House Cafe in Traverse City

We were very pleased with our accidental breakfast choice at Green House Cafe. We had planned to have breakfast at Blue Heron with a coupon from the Visitor Center; however, this restaurant has closed. None of the restaurants we passed in town as we walked by looking for another breakfast place had menus posted, and we chose Green House Cafe totally by chance. We had been hoping to find a place that would not cost $10+ per person, and as luck would have it, Green House Cafe fit the bill! The food was delicious, and the cost for both meals was less than $10 total before tip.

Wolverine Flatbread at The Filling Station

We enjoyed a beer and a half-priced flatbread at The Filling Station--the discount came from the Michigan Brewvine Passport. The beer, service, and food were all excellent!

Beverages: breweries, wineries, distilleries, Happy Hour...

On Mission Peninsula, we visited Peninsula Cellars, Chateau Grand Traverse Winery, Bowers Harbor, and Jolly Pumpkin. The Brewvine Passport contains coupons for all of these locations. There was no charge for the tastings at any of the wineries we visited, and the Jolly Pumpkin coupons we used were for half off.

Jolly Pumpkin in Traverse City; Brewvine Passports on counter

Traverse City, Michigan: Hotel Indigo

January 2020, weekend, 1-night, king guestroom warehouse district #407

We stayed in this hotel shortly after it first opened in June 2016, and this is the first time we have been back since then.

View from Hotel Indigo guestroom 407

Platinum perks and check-in

I did not receive a room upgrade or status recognition, other than the front desk associate asking if I wanted points or drink coupons for my on-property benefit. I chose points, and they posted to my account that evening. The valet parking charge has increased to $15 since our last stay. Information I found online for Traverse City parking said that there is no overnight parking in town, so we valet parked our car. The next morning, we noticed cars that had been parked in a lot overnight kiddy corner from the hotel (across the street on the right in the photo above). We checked out that parking lot before we left town, and there were no signs that said no overnight parking, nor were there any fees posted to park there. If we had seen this when we first arrived, we would have parked in that lot. If anyone has done this, please share your experience!

Another view from guestroom 407

Guestroom 407

This hotel has five floors; our guestroom was on the second floor from the top. It is near the end of the hall and overlooks the hotel entrance. This guestroom is considerably smaller than guestroom 432, which we had in June 2016. If you follow the link above to that post, you can see photos of that guestroom and the guestroom diagram.

Shower in guestroom 407

Northern Michigan Road Trip ~ Breweries, Wineries, Dining, Casino

January - February 2019, Weekday and weekend visits

Winter in Michigan!
Location: Charlevoix county.

We had a Michigan Brewvine Passport with several unused discounts, which had some bearing on the places we chose to visit this trip.

Four Leaf Brewing Sampler

Clare, Michigan: Four Leaf Brewing

This was our first visit to Four Leaf Brewing, and we only learned about the brewery because of their participation in Michigan Brewvine Passport. We liked all their discounts, and chose to use the coupon for 50% off a flight with our order. My personal favorite was Tiramisu Stout. The service was excellent, and we hope to visit again soon. Pere Marquette Rail Trail runs very close behind this brewery, on the west side of Pine Street.

View behind bar at Dead Bear; photo taken during 2016 visit

Grayling, Michigan: Dead Bear Brewing Co.   

We have previously enjoyed good food and brews at Dead Bear Brewing Co., although our experience was a tad disappointing this time. We split the Rueben appetizer, which we had had before, and really liked. The appetizer had been more like an egg roll last time, and this time it was greasier. You can see a photo of this appetizer in my 2015 Grayling post. Initially, we had planned to just split a pint at Dead Bear with their $2 off coupon, and then dine at Paddle Hard Brewing; however, the morning of our departure, we learned Paddle Hard Brewing would be closed.

Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery

Petoskey, Michigan: Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery, Odawa Casino 

Mackinaw Trail is one of our favorite places to visit in Petoskey! We enjoy visiting their locations in Mackinaw City and Manistique, as well. We love their brews and wines, along with the service and atmosphere. We used their discounted tasting coupon from the Michigan Brewvine Passport, and could not leave without making at least one purchase. My husband and I both liked Hop-toskey IPA and the Imperial Stout best--both delicious! 

Traverse City, Michigan / Hampton Inn

February 2019, 1-night, Weekend, king study guestroom #433

We previously stayed in this same guestroom March 2015, and you can find more details for the room and hotel in that blog post. This is a brief post with a bit of new information, and a reiteration of the fact that the hotel room diagram does not match the guestrooms. This is more clearly shown in my previous blog post.

Diamond perks and check-in

I did not intentionally try to stay in the same guestroom; that is just how it worked out. I had reserved a queen bed guestroom, and when I checked in online, I was able to choose any room type, so I chose a king study. Unfortunately, I had not read my previous blog post thoroughly before checking in, and I initially assigned myself guestroom 435, as that guestroom is closer to the end of the hall, and away from the traffic end of the building. After doing so, I recalled that the four end rooms are smaller guestrooms. I rechecked this information in my previous blog post, and then I called the hotel. The agent confirmed that the end guestrooms are smaller: numbers 434 - 437. She reassigned us to guestroom 433.

Diamond member bag received at check-in

This property has a designated parking spot for Diamond members, which was open when we arrived. Check-in was a breeze, as the front desk agent had everything ready for us, including a goody bag with some snacks.

Suttons Bay and Traverse City, Michigan / Recreation, Marinas, Camping...

August 2018

This post goes along with the previous one about dining and area info. We stayed in Suttons Bay and Traverse City two different times in August (7 nights total). 

Sunset in Suttons Bay from boat slip 58

Boating, marinas, campground

We enjoyed fabulous boating weather in Grand Traverse Bay! We stayed at Suttons Bay Municipal Marina for two nights. This is one of our favorite marinas: the water is beautiful, it is a peaceful town, there is a beach next door, and the rates are reasonable. We were in slip 58 one night, and 59 the second night, which is our preferred area in this marina. We were supposed to be in slip 58 both nights; however, a vagrant boater tied up his boat in that slip the night we were gone, and he did not return to cover his boat and then sneak out the next morning, until the office had closed. Fortunately, slip 59 was open, and the dock hand reassigned us.

Arriving at Power Island. About 15 boats already anchored.

Power Island (previously known as Marion Island) is located in the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay between Suttons Bay and Traverse City. We anchored there for the night on a Saturday evening. The water was perfectly calm, and we observed the most boats we have ever seen anchored at the island--over 25! We ended up having to re-anchor after dusk because a boat with a very loud generator came later in the day, and then rafted up with a nearby boat for the evening. Our previous stays in this anchorage have been more peaceful with less boaters.

Sunrise from Power/Marion Island.
We heated up egg bagels on our grill, visible at the bottom of photo.

Northern Michigan Dining, Breweries, Wineries, Happy Hour, and more!

August 2018

We visited Suttons Bay and Traverse City two different times in August (7 nights total). This post covers some new beverage and dining venues we discovered. I will have separate posts about recreation and other topics. We learned about some of these places from the Visitors Centers, and some from What's Up Michigan's website. I am not sure how well the What's Up Michigan site is maintained, as I also found several expired or invalid links within their site. Make sure to check dates when looking for information.

Blue Tractor Slider for $3 ~ delicious!

Dining and specials

We visited Blue Tractor Barbecue in Traverse City because we had a coupon for a free slider. We were surprised when we arrived and saw this is a restaurant/bar. For some reason, we had expected a food truck. We also ordered a Bloody Mary, and learned when we received the bill, that Bloody Marys are on special for only $1.50 on Sundays!

Blue Tractor menu

The slider was amazing, and the regular cost is only $3. We had planned to stop again during our second visit to the area; my husband wanted another BBQ, and I wanted to try the Tractor Salad. Unfortunately, things did not work out for us. The service was excellent, as well. We thought Blue Tractor Barbecue was an excellent find, definitely worth visiting again.

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.

Suttons Bay and Traverse City, Michigan / boating, Leelanau Trail, wineries, breweries, dining...

July 2017, Weekend-weekdays, 6-nights

Beautiful clear aqua colored water in Suttons Bay and Grand Traverse Bay!

Suttons Bay Marina, north slips 

We made a reservation at the marina for Friday and Saturday night in advance. You can do this online, and then pay online, or you can mail in a check. We opted to mail a check because there is a service charge to pay with a credit card at this marina. Our home port marina (Muskegon) also charges a service fee to pay with credit card, which is new this year. We did not make an advance reservation for our next stay, as this was during the week, and we were not sure exactly which day we would be returning. Harbormaster Edie was very easy to work with.

View from picnic table in front of slip 68

We stayed in slip #34 for two nights when we arrived. This slip is located in front of the harbormaster office near the boat ramp. It was surprisingly quiet, although there is no view from this slip. When we returned, we stayed two nights in slip #67, which is located farther down on the north side. There is a nice view from this location, although the hike to the restroom is a bit farther. The marina facilities are located in the same building with the public restrooms next to the marina entrance from Front Street. The facility was always well maintained and clean.

Old Mission Peninsula and Beulah, Michigan / Northern Michigan Wineries & Jolly Pumpkin Brewery

November 2016

This post is a brief update with some information we learned during our last visit to a couple of northern Michigan wineries and breweries.

You can find more information about Michigan wineries and breweries in the following blog posts: May and June 2016, May 2016 (Grayling), May 2016 (Cadillac), May 2016 (Petoskey), October 2015 (Grayling), October 2015 (Petoskey), May 2015 (Tahquamenon Falls), March 2015,  and October 2010. 

Black Star Farms wine taste glasses being discontinued

Black Star Farms

We have a couple of the old style Black Star Farms wine glasses, which we purchased several years ago. The glasses came with six tastes at the time of purchase, and then we could get five free tastes every time we visited with our glasses thereafter. Keeping the glasses wrapped in a small carrier in the trunk of our car has been a good thing for us, and Black Star Farms - we always bought at least two bottles of wine every time we stopped in one of their wineries for a taste! During our most recent stop at Old Mission Tasting Room, we learned they are discontinuing complimentary tastes with these glasses at the end of 2016. The person who provided us with our sample tastes did not tell us this; when we paid for our purchases, the cashier asked us if he had told us the glasses were being discontinued.

Traverse City, Michigan / Hotel Indigo

June 2016, Weekend, 1-night, King bay view guestroom #432

Sunrise from guestroom 432

I had to put forth quite a bit of effort to secure a room at the new Hotel Indigo, as the opening date had been delayed several times. I had previous reservations, which I ended up having to cancel and then re-book each time the hotel did not open. I was unsure the hotel was going to be open for this stay up until about a week before our stay.

Arrival, check-in, status perks

The address for this hotel is on W. Grandview Parkway; however, the [drive] entrance is on Hall Street. You can enter from the sidewalk on W. Grandview Parkway, if you are walking. If you are arriving by car via US-31 from the south, I suggest taking Front Street to Hall Street before you get to W. Grandview Parkway. I observed a few parking spots near the hotel entrance, when we arrived. I assume the spots are for staff members or guests visiting the restaurant, although there were no signs in the parking lot. We were told the only parking option was valet parking for $12 a night. 

I observed two agents working at the front desk when we entered the spacious lobby. One agent was assisting a guest, and the other agent was on the telephone. The check-in process was quick, after I was greeted a couple of minutes later. The agent recognized my status, and my key packet had already been prepared. She did not ask what I wanted for my Platinum perk, and I forgot about this until later. I inquired about this when I stopped at the front desk later that evening. The agent working at that time asked which perk I wanted, and I told him I wanted the points. I did not receive the points when my stay was credited to my IHG account, so I am planning to submit an inquiry, if I do not receive it in the next few days. This is not usually processed with the overnight stay; however, I usually receive the points around the same time or before I check out. This hotel did not appear to be full, and I did not receive a room upgrade.

Guestroom descriptions from website

Guestroom 432

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the east end of the hall. It felt like we had walked into an icebox when we entered the guestroom, so I quickly located the thermostat to turn off the air. The temperature had been set on 66°F!

The information on the hotel website for this room type is inaccurate (see screen shots above), as our guestroom did not have a sofa, fireplace, or dining room table. Looking at the guestroom diagram, it looks like there are three types of bay view guestrooms on the 4th floor; two king bay view rooms, one smaller room (possibly a queen), and seven bay view connecting room suites. Any picture in this blog can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Guestroom diagram

The tile bathroom in guestroom 432 was spacious. It contained a decent size vanity, toilet, and large walk-in shower. The lighting in the bathroom was not very bright; hopefully, a small lighted makeup mirror will be added to this guestroom. 

Aveda bath amenities were provided on the vanity, along with several plush towels and washcloths. A hairdryer was not provided in this guestroom. It is possible some items were still being added to the guestrooms, as the hotel had just opened the weekend before our stay.

We loved the large shower, although the water pressure from the water-saving shower head was so light that it took me a while to get the shampoo rinsed out of my long hair. The sliding wood bathroom door was trendy and cool looking. The wood door is partially visible [in the mirror] in the photo of the coffee setup.

Traverse City and Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan / Breweries, Wineries, downtown, area information

May and June 2016

L. Mawby Winery

Following is information about some of the breweries and wineries around Traverse City and Leelanau Peninsula. We visited these locations during our stay at Traverse City State Park in May, and during our stay at the new Hotel Indigo in June.

How do you decide which wineries and breweries to visit?

There are so many choices in the Grand Traverse Bay area, that it is difficult to decide which wineries and breweries to visit. Especially, in only four or five days time. We made our decisions based on value, prior visit experience (if any), and proximity to where we were staying or traveling.

Michigan Brewvine Passports and TC Ale Trail Atlases

Factors that impacted our value perception were the Michigan Brewvine Passports, Traverse City Ale Trail Atlases, and I had won free tastings for four at L. Mawby Winery via Michigan by the Bottle.

Traverse City and Leelanau Breweries

We visited Rare Bird Brew Pub by bicycle from Traverse City State Park. It was pretty easy to get to the pub, other than the ride down Eighth Street with traffic. There was a bicycle rack on the sidewalk in front of the brewery. The atmosphere inside was pleasant and comfortable. They had many brews on tap, although only a few of them were their brews. This location is listed on the Traverse City Ale Trail, and they have discounts in the Brewvine Passport. After this stop, we had planned to stop at Big Toe Brewery next door, for the extra credit stamp on the Traverse City Ale Trail; however, that brewery has gone out of business.

Traverse City, Michigan / State Park, Bicycle Trail, Downtown, Breweries, Wineries

May 2016, Weekend-weekday, 3-nights, Site 19

Park beach located across US-31

This was our first time camping in Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park. We chose this park because of the area and paved bicycle trail behind the park.

Arrival and check-in

We observed employees working in the park, although the check-in station was not manned when we arrived. I was surprised, as it was a Friday, and the check-in booth had been staffed when we departed from Petoskey State Park earlier that day. The sign did not say we needed to check-in via the yellow telephone, if we had a reservation. We wanted to add an extra night to our stay, so I used the phone to check-in and add the extra night.

Site 19

Site 19 is located near the bicycle trail, and pretty close to one of the playgrounds. We do not usually choose a site by the playground, since we do not have young children. We chose this site because it is partially sunny, and it is one of the larger sites with privacy trees. We were not concerned about activity in the playground before Memorial weekend in May. After we arrived, we saw that there were no swings on the swing sets behind this site. I presume they had been removed over the winter and had not been hung back up yet. A few trees at the back of the site provide some privacy from the playground.

Site 19

Traverse City, Michigan / Hampton Inn

March 2015, Weekend, 1-night, King study guestroom with sofa bed #433

I was a bit uncertain about our choice to stay at this Hampton Inn because of the reviews I had read online. There were many comments about noise, small rooms, and that this hotel does not live up to the Hampton Inn standards. I needed one more night's stay to keep my Gold status, and I had found a great rate, so we made the reservation and hoped for the best. 

Gold perks and check-in

We had reserved a king guestroom and received a king study. The agent did not say this was an upgrade because of my status, although I tend to think it was. I had written in my reservation comments that we would like a study upgrade, if available. I have bonus points selected as my on-property perk, and I also received my choice of a beverage and snack. 

Guestroom 433

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the south end of the hall, and the window faces west.