Hi Friends!
Been a minute since i’ve posted on here…not much has changed. Covid is still rampant in the USA and we are struggling to contain it unlike many other countries. It’s the middle of the summer and the heat is thick now. I’ve been working from home since March and will do so probably for foreseeable future.
So because of the virus, any summer proper travel plans are no more. We’re getting antsy and restless so we finally took a weekend road trip getaway and it was so worth it! My husband’s schedule is all over the place so when he had a full weekend off, we made the drive up ‘north’ (as we call it here in MI) to Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes. It’s a 4 hour drive from the Detroit-metro area, so ideal for a weekend trip.
I’ll do a quick recap of our trip and some of the highlights. Overall, 10/10 highly recommend seeing Lake MI and sleeping bear dunes if you can, if you’re in MI or even neighboring states, seeing the great lakes is a treat!
Friday night
- We checked into our hotel, probably by 7pm or so (which btw was doing all they can to adhere by social distancing and masks required etc.) and went to downtown traverse city. The sun is setting so late here these days, we caught the beautiful sunset. The best thing about traverse city is that it is a city right on the water, as you drive around you are right next to the water. So beautiful!
- Had dinner at Mama Lu’s and it was fantastic mexican food! Highly recommend especially their street corn on the cob, drools! They also did the best with paper products, wiping tables, masks required etc.
- We grabbed ice cream at Milk & Honey and took it to go and sat by the water to watch the sunset.
Saturday
- My husband and I love checking out coffee shops anywhere we travel, it’s just our thing. So we grabbed quick bite and coffee at Mundos Roasting Company and the vibes of the coffee shop were 10/10.
- From there we went to Sutton Bay Beach, which is again about 30 minutes just down the coast. Literally you drive on 1 highway the whole way down and it’s right next to the water. Views 10/10. We relaxed there for about an hour or two and then headed back into the city for lunch at Apache Trout Grill having seafood here is a must because it’s freshly caught seafood! Delicious food. This was my husbands favorite restaurant of the trip.
- After that, we took a tip to the Village at grand traverse and did a bit of a hike on Garfield trail and saw the hippie tree! It’s a cute tree area that’s painted over by people.
- We went back to the hotel to relax a bit before our sunset boat tour! It was a splendid ride and so nice to be on the water. This lake water is so different than ocean water that we’re all used to and I just loved how blue and clear it was! The Company we used to book this was doing an excellent job of only booking the ride with less capacity, spacing everyone out (assigning your seat on the boat ride) and masks required.
Sunday
- This was our last day here, we started the day off with breakfast at the Omelette Shop and this was probably our least favorite meal of the day. I’d skip it and find another breakfast spot if you can.
- From there we went back to downtown traverse city for the last time to walk around and get a souvenir for ourselves.
- From there we drove the 40 minutes to Sleeping Bear Dunes! This is literally unlike anything i’ve seen or experienced. It’s a giant dunes really with sand, you hike it and you get the best views. It spans miles and miles, so we obviously only did a part of it. But the views are SO worth the intense soreness you will feel after.
This took a few hours of a hike and views and admiring it all. It’s a well-known site in MI and a tourist attraction. We did the hike in the middle of the day and even though we don’t have humid summers here, 90 degrees on hot sand feels insane. It’s so worth it though! I got a wild flip flop tan from this hike climb and of course overall my face and arms are fully summer bronzed hehe.
From there, we drove back home and that was our trip! If you’re an MI local, i’d love to hear if you’ve ever been and your experience. If you’re in the area and are looking for a getaway, this would be it. I’m so glad we did it, our time in MI is limited now and it’s so nice to finally be able to see one of the great lakes and experience some of the beauty #puremichigan has to offer!
Until next time, XOX