Things to do at Grand Traverse Bay on a Girlfriend Getaway

Our Girlfriend Getaway to the Grand Traverse Bay Area in northwest Michigan, reunited 4 friends from college, from 4 different states! It seemed like something that you could only make happen once in a blue moon between all of our work and family schedules. Well, it just so happened that a blue moon was visible that weekend, so it must have been fate!

Where we stayed

Our first stop during our girls weekend was to check out our accommodations at Lake n’ Pines Lodge located at 10354 Mud Lake Rd, Interlochen . You can read more about our stay at Lake n’ Pines Lodge Bed and Breakfast here.

Where to eat

Next, we headed to downtown Traverse City for dinner at Georgina’s fusian cruisine located at 236 E Front St. I would highly recommend a reservation. We didn’t have one and we BARELY got in. We might have done a little begging.

You will understand the popularity once you taste the food. AMAZING!!! This authentic asian and latin taqueria is a must for any foodie! I ordered the “Around the World” tacos because it was too hard to choose. It was the perfect choice! One of my foodie friends ordered the Puerto Rican Lasagna (Lasagna made with plantains in place of noodles, a bolognaise with mozzarella, and feta. Topped with Swiss cheese and finished with sour cream. Served with rice, beans, and plantain) and she LOVED it!! I seriously don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. (Delicious drinks too)

There are lots of great shops in downtown Traverse City to browse. You are also only a few blocks from access to the water that has a beach, water sports, boat access, and bike trails.

Sweet Treat

After dinner we decided to visit MOOmers ice cream shop, voted “America’s Best Scoop” on ABC’s Good Morning America in May ’08,  located at 7263 N Long Lake Rd, Traverse City. You know it’s good when there is a LONG line outside the building to get in. There are over 160 different flavors and over 20 to choose from daily at MOOmers so everyone will find a flavor they like.

That evening we did see the super moon. We also fit in two more little adventures. We caught the last few verses of Harry Connick Jr. playing at Interlochen and I almost convinced the girls to go for a moonlight paddle back at our B&B …..but they chickened out.

We did end up doing an early morning paddle instead.

For breakfast we enjoyed an amazing made to order breakfast that was delivered to our room at Lake ‘n Pines followed by a relaxing float trip on the Platte River with Riverside Canoe located at 5042 N Scenic Hwy, Honor.

Float trip on the Platte River

After our float trip, we met another college classmate in Elberta, Michigan.

The Elberta lifesaving station and sunset views were absolutely gorgeous that night at Frankfort Beach.

Explore Suttons Bay

The following day we made our way up the peninsula to try a few wineries and to take a winery tour by bike with Suttons Bay bikes. 

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate during our visit with a major storm on the way. We had to settle for driving to a few locations instead of biking. We also visited several little shops at Suttons Bay.

Local Food and Spirits

We ate a locally sourced lunch at  9 Bean Rows Restaurant located at 303 N St Joseph St, Suttons Bay. The lamb burger was a big hit!

While we were eating lunch, we found out that 9 Beans also has its own bakery that makes almond croissants… so it became the quest to get the last remaining  almond croissants from 9 Bean Rows Bakery and Farm Market located at 9000 E Duck Lake Rd, Suttons Bay.

Next, we enjoyed a wine tasting at 45 North Vineyard and Winery  located at 8580 E Horn Rd, Lake Leelanau. Their tasting room is large and the grounds are absolutely beautiful. There was plenty of room for guests visiting with kids too.

After that, we sampled artisan hard ciders at Tandem Ciders located at 2055 N Setterbo Rd, Suttons Bay. (Don’t worry, we didn’t drink excessively at either location because of driving) The tasting room is cozy but I really enjoyed the ciders and the relaxed country vibe. Cider is a great compromise for exclusive beer and wine lovers too.

We never got to see Sleeping Bear Dunes on that trip due to the fallen trees at the entrance of the park, but we did have a drive that we would never forget!

(More about that here)

At least we got to witness a double rainbow in Cadillac, Michigan that evening on our way back home.

The only thing I would have changed about our girlfriend getaway would have been the weather on the last day, but it still made for a great adventure and story. The Grand Traverse Bay Area offers endless options for a girlfriend getaway where you can mix and match experiences to choose your own adventure with outdoors, water, shopping, great restaurants, music and more.

 

Thanks to Traverse City Tourism for hosting our stay at Lakes n’ Pines.