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Hearty Waterfront Hamlet on
Great Lakes Provides Four Season Retirement
Cost of Living: Meets the National Average
| This area has more than 180 miles of Lake Michigan
shoreline and boasts 149 deep, aqua-blue lakes.
There are dozens of beaches nearby, including one just west
of downtown Traverse City; even during the height of the
summer, it is possible to find a long, secluded, sandy
beach. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a
wonderful state park, and opportunities for scuba diving,
deep water and stream fishing, sailing, canoeing and
kayaking or just beach combing are everywhere. Fly Rod
& Reel Magazine has named Traverse City one of its
"Top 12 Fishing Towns" and dozens of fishing
charters are in operation. Traverse City also has more tall
ships than any other U.S. port; some of these (and their
captains) offer sailing lessons. Winters bring snow
shoeing, cross-country skiing, snow mobiling and ice
fishing. There are also thirteen local, private and
public, golf courses. |
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Thanks to its extensive network of bays and rivers,
the Traverse City area had its own water-based
highway system long before the advent of motorized transportation, and graceful lighthouses still stand as a reminder of
a maritime past. One of the most picturesque is the Old
Mission Point Lighthouse, built in 1870 to warn ships away from
the dangerous shoals extending into Grand Traverse Bay.
Today this lighthouse is
the centerpiece of a pretty park with popular beaches and abundant
hiking and skiing trails, and it is worth the
drive to see it. Traverse City also has its share of sunken
shipwrecks; unfortunately, these can only be reached by boat and
scuba gear. Nearly two dozen wineries dot the area and most
offer wine-tastings, a great way to spend a Saturday
afternoon.
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Traverse City is known as the Cherry Capital of
the World (there are acres and acres of cherry orchards here, the
first one being planted in 1852) and
The National Cherry Festival is the event. It runs
for eight days every July and features parades, contests, music, food,
games, a street sale and an annual air
show that features the U.S. Navy Blue Angels every other year. Throughout July and early August
roadside stands and markets sprout up across the countryside offering
cartons of sweet, dark cherries! The wonderful
Downtown Farmers' Market also operates between
Cass and Union Streets each Saturday from May through
October.
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