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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Jolly Pumpkin in Traverse City; Brewvine Passports on counter |
