The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa offers a list of leisure-time activities.
We sought your help to schedule a group activity for the free time on Wednesday afternoon. We created an opinion survey (two questions) that collected about 100 responses. Most people spent less than two minutes to complete.
Thanks. We’ll focus our attention on making those activities available.
The most popular selections (in no particular order) were:
- sailing (we’ll check on this but it might be late season)
- guided hike
- wine tasting/tour
- kayaking + brew pubs (again, we’ll check if still available in October)
- bicycling
- football, soccer, badminton, volleyball (by the lake shore would be a plus)
Horseback Riding – Two hour guided tour in the heart of the Pere Marquette State Forest along the Boardman River. Feel as though you have been taken back in time with the park’s “Out West” culture as you drive through the main entrance. The terrain is varied and the scenery beautiful atop hills and river valleys. There is an abundance of wildlife and nearly un-ending trails to explore with your friendly Wrangler and competent horses on a trail ride you won’t soon forget. This is a walk/trot ride, no prior riding experience required.
Suggested Attire: long pants with boots or hard soled shoes required. Must be at least 8 years old and under 250 lbs.
Tall Ship Sailing – Join us aboard the schooner Manitou, one of the largest sailing vessels on the Great Lakes. Enjoy a unique adventure back in time as you discover the beauty of Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan from the deck of this majestic sailing vessel. Just relax and enjoy the view: the low-lying Traverse Skyline, the homes and trees along the peninsulas, and water meeting sky at the bay’s mouth. Restrooms are available on board.
Suggested Attire: casual and light jacket or sweatshirt – (cameras are a must for this activity).
Catamaran Sail – Enjoy a comfortable ride on the largest catamaran on the Great Lakes. Whether you are an avid sailor or a land-lover, you can kick back and relax while enjoying the beautiful scenery of West Grand Traverse Bay. The 47’ catamaran boasts a 29’ beam with innovative design to ensure a smooth, stable ride. Two spacious restrooms are also available aboard the vessel.
Suggested Attire: casual and light jacket or sweatshirt – (cameras are a must for this activity).
Wine Tour/Tasting Old Mission Peninsula – Taste the wines and discover the pristine beauty of the Old Mission Peninsula and its world-class wineries. Old Mission Peninsula is an internationally recognized wine grow region. Like many of the world’s great appellations, they are located on the 45th parallel. Experience the following award-winning wines: Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gewürztraminer, sparkling varieties and the prestigious ice wines..
Suggested Attire: weather permitting a casual and light jacket (cameras are highly recommended).
Shopping in Downtown Traverse City – Front Street, the main shopping thoroughfare, is a bustling place with more than 150 boutiques, galleries, restaurants and coffee shops, but it has the kind of small-town flavor that makes you want to stay around just to enjoy the feeling. Just around the corner, on Union Street, is captivating Old Town district, and a few blocks to the west is the Grand Traverse Commons, where the rambling Victorian-Italianate buildings of a 19th century asylum have been redeveloped into an elegant new retail district. Front Street stretches for several blocks along the southern shoreline of Grand Traverse Bay, and beautiful swimming beaches are just a block away
Suggested Attire: casual and light jacket sweatshirt and walking shoes.
Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore – Why climb the dunes when you can enjoy the Pierce Stocking driving tour? It provides visitors with insight to the history of the area, a sampling of the vegetative communities found within the park, and best of all, spectacular overlooks of the Glen Lakes, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and most magnificently: Lake Michigan. A picture cannot describe what you’ll see, so I guess you’ll just have to visit the park and see for yourself.
Suggested Attire: casual and light jacket sweatshirt and walking shoes – (cameras are a must for this activity).
Charter Fishing on Grand Traverse Bay – Fish with one of the best on the Great Lakes! Enjoy a day with northern Michigan’s #1 fishing team on a premier fishing yacht in Traverse City, Michigan. Fish for king salmon, lake trout, browns, white fish, perch and small mouth bass in season. Half and full day charters available.
Suggested Attire: casual and light jacket or sweatshirt (driver’s license necessary to obtain one day fishing license).
Biking – Ride your bike (or rented bike) along a paved pathway or single track trails to river banks and shoreline of the Great Lakes. The challenges can be customized to your abilities and desires. One of Grand Traverse Resort’s favorite multi-adventures is a casually guided bike tour on many trails of Traverse City including back county, road, and TART trails.
Suggested Attire: Casual, light and comfortable clothes. Comfortable shoes and light jacket.
Grand Traverse Distillery Tour – Take a tour of the Grand Traverse Distillery where they specialize in True North Vodka and Grand Traverse Whiskey. Grand Traverse Distillery is proud to be Michigan’s largest microdistillery. Their True North Vodka celebrates the natural gifts abundant to Michigan’s 45th parallel, home to the United States finest cherry industry and award winning wine producers. The finest rye in the world is grown north of the 45th parallel; and here in Northern Michigan that prime longitude, and our crystal clear glacial waters, make our location an ideal one to distill our spirits. Finish your tour with a tasting of True North Vodka and their signature Grand Traverse Whiskey.
Suggested Attire: Casual, light and comfortable clothes. Comfortable shoes and light jacket.
Escape Room – Test your problem solving skills and attempt to escape in 60 minutes. You and up to nine of your closest friends will be “locked” into a room and must solve a variety of puzzles and clues to free yourself from the escape room. Only about 30% of teams are able to escape the room in time. A room must have at least two teammates booked for it to run. See how fast you can escape!
Guided Hikes – Experience the beauty of Traverse City and surrounding towns on foot on one of the many hiking trails Northern Michigan has to offer. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers hiking trails up through Pyramid Point and Empire Bluffs. Here, you can take in the wonder and the views of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan.
Aerial Tour Flights of Traverse City – Enjoy a breathtaking view over beautiful Traverse City. Take a flight above the many wonders of Traverse City in a Cessna 172. Flights can be taken from a half hour to a full hour or longer upon request. Places to discover by air include Sleeping Bear Dunes, The Leelanau Peninsula, The Old Mission Peninsula, Cedar Lake, West Bay, and the downtown Traverse City area. Custom tours are offered to clients; however, the custom tour destinations must be within a 25 NM radius of the Traverse City airport.
Kabrewing – Kayaking + Brew = KaBrew. Take a kayak trip along the Boardman River in Traverse City and stop along the way at some of the best craft breweries in Northern Michigan and you have what is called a KaBrew! Oddly enough, your KaBrew adventure will start on a bike. Pedal to the Right Brain Brewery to enjoy your first pint. Head to the Filling Station for your next round. After the Filling Station you will continue on your bike to Hull Park where your kayak awaits. Launch the kayak and float down the Boardman River to either The Rare Bird or The Parlor. Jump back in the kayak to paddle downstream for your last brew at The Workshop!
Skeet/Clay bird Shooting– Sportsmen can enjoy an 11 station, 50 bird sporting clays course with one regulation trap field and one regulation skeet/five-stand field. Rifle rental with ammo is available.