If you’ve never been to Northern Michigan in the fall, it needs to go on your bucket list! Fall is often overlooked as the ideal road trip season. Gas prices are typically lower, the weather is comfortable, and the changing leaves are the perfect scenery for long drives.
A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I were able to combine his work trip with a long weekend of sand dune climbing, eating out, and WINE TASTING in beautiful Traverse City.
In case you’re not familiar, just north of downtown Traverse City lie two peninsulas- Leelanau and Old Mission. Each is lined with scenic lake views and feature winery after winery. If you’re an outdoor adventurer and/or food and wine lover, Traverse City is the perfect weekend mini-vacation.
Friday afternoon once my boyfriend’s work obligations were done, we drove West to Sleeping Bear Dunes, where we parked the car, took off our shoes, and trekked through the sand.
Once it started to get too chilly, we made our way back into town and found the perfect little spot for dinner and some hard cider, Northern Natural Cider House. They are right in downtown Traverse City, and had amazing, simple food and made their own hard cider!
Saturday is when the real fun began! After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we headed straight North to the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. There, we spent some time at the state park, walking through the beach areas and a lighthouse museum.
When we were done exploring the state park, it was wine time!
We spent the rest of the afternoon going from winery to winery and sampling a few sips at each stop. Some wineries charged a small fee for a few tastings, and some were completely free to try. There are wineries of all different styles and sizes, and it was really fun to talk to some of the owners!
Throughout the day, we ended up buying a few bottles of wine to bring home, which I will talk about in future posts!
Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at The Omelet Shoppe, and headed home… with a stop at a road side stand for some cider on the way!
Perfect fall weekend! We are already looking forward to our next trip!
