Planning a Trip to Traverse City

This place is about 30 minutes away from Traverse City in Glenn Arbor, its called the Homestead Resort. Its Cheap and Expensive, depending on what type of room you are looking for. They have houses you can rent out also. Its right on lake michigan and really close to the sand dunes. Google the place and it should come up so you can take a look at what it has to offer.

My family has stayed west of Traverse every year since I was in middle school. We stay in Leelanau County, which is the pinkie. If you have the chance, visit Sutton's Bay and Leland if you like to shop. Leland has the marina with all the boats docked, and the Fishtown section which are the original wooden buildings with shops. If you like hiking and outdoors, visit Good Harbor Bay on CR 669--Petosky stones and beach. Also, Grand Traverse lighthouse is pretty interesting. Glen Haven is a ghost town with a museum/lighthouse, boat museum, general store with books about the area and old-fashioned candy, and the blacksmith's shop gives demos. There is a lot of national lakeshore and protected farmhouses that are in the process of restoration. Some have walking trails. Sleeping Bear dunes has a dune climb on Glen Lake. Have fun!

I used to live there and have family that still does. Lots to do out of doors! Love the Grand Traverse Resort. Golf all around, hiking, swimming, etc. Be sure to take a drive out on the peninsula to Old Mission. You can picnic and swim and have a wonderful time. There is awesome shopping to be done downtown. Great restaurants all around. Be prepared for traffic!

I grew up at Glen Lake. Highly recommend the area. Lots to do, and very family friendly. Empire has a great beach, and Glen Arbor, Suttons Bay and Leland have great shopping. The Dune Climb on M-109 across from Glen Lake is wonderful, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive cannot be missed. Check out: http://visitglenarbor.com/
I worked at the Homestead Resort during high school, and would recommend that, but there are also a bunch of rentals around. Traverse City is nice, but is definitely more "city" than the local villages. I'm partial to Glen Arbor with Cherry Republic and the Cottage Book Shop (story time a couple times a week). You'll need to buy a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore pass ($20), but you can get that at the Dune Climb, or the Visitor's Center in Empire.

I have been to Traverse City a couple times. The first time we just did a one day trip there while we were staying in St. Ignace. The second time we were there about 4 years ago, we stayed overnight. Both times we went to the Sleeping Bear Dunes (http://www.sleepingbeardunes.com/). One thing that I highly recommend is the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. There is one stop on the drive that has the most spectacular view. It is the overlook of Lake Michigan.

We also went to Glen Arbor to Cherry Republic (http://www.cherryrepublic.com/). We stopped some other places in that area too but without looking at my pictures, I can't remember what else we did while in that area.

There are a ton of websites out there!
One to look at for things to do is www.michigan.org
They have alot of things to do according to what city you're going to, also where to stay.
I have used www.cyberrentals.com to rent a cottage a couple of times. It's basically a classified ads for rentals online. They have listings for pretty much everywhere! (I've rented in Thompsonville, MI for a long weekend and in Cape Cod for a week).
Also, check out www.tripadvisor.com They have tons of information about everywhere, with travelor reviews on everything from hotels to activities.
Have fun!
D.