Traverse City is probably the most talked-about town in the state of Michigan, at least on a national level. It has received acclaim for its wineries, its food, its film festival, its endless miles of coast, its wonderful people. Jill Ryan, Manager to the
Inn at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay (about 20 minutes north of Traverse City on the Leelanau Peninsula), grew up in the Traverse City area. She attended Northwestern Michigan College through the
University Center then earned her Master’s in Marketing and Management at
Davenport University. She oversees all of the operations at the Inn at Black Star Farms, everything from marketing and events coordination to client relations and daily operations.
Living in the heavily tourist-populated area of Traverse City (the natives call tourists “fudgies,” because of their association with “going Up North” and buying/eating fudge; transplants to the area are known as “perma-fudgies”), Jill has seen a lot of development over the last decade as Traverse City has metamorphosed from sleepy northern Michigan town to world-class vacation destination spot. More and more young people are also moving into the area, doing cool things like opening farm-to-table restaurants and making wine. (This is the kind of place an entrepreneurial artist or foodie can go to retire at 30.)
But despite the growing cosmopolitan culture (that still retains the friendliness of farm country), Jill says the biggest draw to the area for young professionals is the unspoiled natural state. “There’s hiking, beaches, cross-country skiing, water sports…” she names off. “There are also a ton of great attractions in downtown Traverse City.”
One of her favorites is
Right Brain Brewery, located in the Warehouse District of downtown Traverse City right by
InsideOut Gallery, a funky arts/performance/film space. “It’s a great place to hang out with friends,” she says. All of their beers are made from ingredients sourced locally and inspired by the seasons and agriculture of northern Michigan, which has in the past included sweet potatoes, bacon (as in locally-raised pigs, yes), and Traverse City’s signature cherries. It
is still the cherry capital of the world, after all.
Another one of Jill’s favorite places to visit is the
Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Formerly the Northern Michigan Asylum, this 63-acre site with dozens of century-old Victorian-Italiante buildings is one of the largest historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects in the country. It is now home to some of Traverse City’s most celebrated businesses – excellent restaurants and wineries and eclectic boutiques featuring the works of local artists. Have a glass of wine or sample some of their distilled spirits at
TASTES of Black Star Farms (their Matterhorn Grill dinner featuring the award-winning raclette from
Leelanau Cheese Company, whose creamery is located on the Black Star Farms property, is very popular).
For dinner, head to
Trattoria Stella and sample what James Beard-nominated Chef Myles Anton has described as “northern Michigan Italian” cuisine. Everything is made from scratch in-house, right down to the butchering, and their wine list, which has probably the most extensive collection of Michigan wines of any restaurant in the state of Michigan, has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since they opened.
And no trip to the Commons would be complete without paying Bryan Ulbrich and his team at
Left Foot Charley a visit. Their wines are widely regarded as some of the best in the state, and have even caught the attention of international wine tastemaker Robert Parker when he named LFC “one of the top producers east of the Rockies” in 2008. But the LFC tasting room is not
that kind of tasting room … sure, sample the wines, but once you’re done with that you can pull up a chair, relax and enjoy a pint of one of their varieties of crisp, clean hard ciders, made (of course) from Michigan apples. In the kind of town where everyone knows everyone, LFC is the place where
everyone congregates.
In the winter, the Commons is also a great place to snowshoe, with 480 acres of preserved park land. You can also go kite boarding on Lake Michigan, and the
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is a short drive from TC (named "
Most Beautiful Place in America" in 2011 by Good Morning America). Both the
Old Mission and
Leelanau Peninsulas – two halves of the crown at the head of Traverse City – are beautiful scenic drives along winding coastal roads, and winery tours of both regions are an absolute must.
For more day-to-day nightlife, the recently-opened
7 Monks Taproom is a beer nerd’s paradise, with 46 beers on tap, dozens more by the bottle, and a huge emphasis on Michigan craft and Belgian import brews. They also have a great menu of locally-source pub food. Across the street from 7 Monks are the well-established
Union Street Station and
Dillinger’s Pub & Bootleggers, known for their great music scene. You and I is another traditional bar “that’s been there forever.” Another recently-opened business is
Brew, located right next door to the
Opera House and acts as a coffee shop by day and a bar by night (a great place to grab a drink before or after a show).
Downtown Traverse City has a wide assortment of independently-owned boutique stores, galleries and cherry-themed food shops to browse through.
Ella’s Vintage Clothing is a new store that Jill recommends, offering glamorous vintage clothing and accessories.
Haystacks is another clothing store that’s popular, featuring all handmade clothing for women.
Toy Harbor is a fun toy store for kids’ gifts, and
Backcountry Outfitters supplies all your northern Michigan outdoor needs. Downtown Traverse City is also home to the historic
State Theatre, home to the
Traverse City Film Festival which draws in over 100,000 people annually.
Downtown Traverse City strives to for constant community engagement. “The downtown has a lot of community involvement,” Jill says. “[They host events like] ladies’ night at all the stores, then [men’s] nights where they’ll have beer [and whiskey] at all the stores … the merchants there are really unique and do cool things.” The Jingle Bell 5k Run/Walk is also held in the streets of downtown Traverse City every Christmas. In July and August, every Friday night is “Friday Night Live,” a community block party held in the streets of downtown TC with live entertainment and coordinating events.
To get to know some of the area’s other young professionals, natives and perma-fudgies alike, Jill says the
Traverse City Young Professionals organization, in affiliation with the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce, is great for networking. “I’ve made a lot of connections there,” she states. Plus, there’s always Left Foot Charley.