4:00 PM
Check in
Stay at Bayshore Resort.
A West Bay hotel with a sandy beach, indoor pool, and a location near downtown. Guests can pair waterfront time with Front Street and Clinch Park without staying on the East Bay…
Weekend itinerary
Traverse City weekend: West Bay and Old Mission
Walk Clinch Park and Front Street Friday, follow M-37 through Old Mission Saturday, then use Sunday for Boardman Lake and the Grand Traverse Commons.
By Cal Mercer — a Second Star Guide itinerary
Friday stays beside West Bay, Saturday follows Old Mission, and Sunday returns to Boardman Lake and the Grand Traverse Commons.
Best length
2 nights
Arrive Friday for West Bay and Front Street, spend Saturday on Old Mission, and give Sunday to Boardman Lake and the Commons before the drive home.
Stay
Bayshore Resort
A West Bay hotel with a sandy beach, indoor pool, and a location near downtown. Guests can pair waterfront time…
Main activity
wine country and water
Follow Old Mission on Saturday; use a different day for Leelanau villages or Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Weekend shape
West Bay, Old Mission, and the Commons
The two-night route keeps Friday in the city, follows Old Mission Saturday, and returns to the Boardman River and Commons Sunday.
Friday
Clinch Park, Boardman River, and East Front Street.
After check-in, walk the Clinch Park shoreline and follow the Boardman River into Front Street. Dinner at amical keeps the first evening in the compact downtown core.
6:30 PM
First dinner
Start with amical.
A longtime downtown restaurant on East Front Street, combining French roots, global influences, Great Lakes ingredients, and a broad wine list. Its central dining room is close to…
Saturday
M-37 vineyards, Mission Point, and the Commons.
Leave downtown after breakfast, follow M-37 north through Old Mission's vineyard and orchard ridges, and select two tasting rooms from the official trail map. Continue to Mission Point Lighthouse when the northern shoreline matters more than another pour.
8:30 AM
Breakfast
The Dandy or Archie's before M-37.
Eat in town before the drive; tasting-room food service is too variable to serve as the day's only lunch plan.
10:00 AM
Main activity
Follow Old Mission from the city edge to Mission Point.
M-37 and the peninsula's side roads pass orchard stands, vineyard ridges, East Bay views, and West Bay overlooks. Two tasting rooms plus the Mission Point shoreline make a complete route before the return to Traverse City.
4:30 PM
Afternoon
West Bay, then the Grand Traverse Commons.
Return through town for a short Clinch Park walk, then drive west to the preserved brick campus of the Grand Traverse Commons.
7:00 PM
Dinner
Reserve dinner at Trattoria Stella.
An Italian restaurant in the brick-and-stone lower level of the historic Grand Traverse Commons. Seasonal cooking, house-made pasta, and the cellar-like rooms make it a distinct…
Sunday
Boardman Lake and the Commons before departure.
For a city morning, walk the Boardman River, Boardman Lake, or the Commons grounds. The active Traverse Area Recreation Trail sewer project affects the Hastings Street–3 Mile Road corridor, so use the signed non-motorized detour there.
9:00 AM
Sunday morning
Boardman River, Boardman Lake, or the Commons.
These city stops fit before checkout without repeating Friday's full Front Street and Clinch Park walk.
11:00 AM
One last stop
Finish at the Grand Traverse Commons.
Walk the preserved brick campus and Mercato corridors before leaving town. Pierce Stocking, Glen Haven, or Empire Bluff belongs to a separate Sleeping Bear day that starts earlier.