It's tough to imitate the down-home, pleasant feel of a community that has been steeped in tradition for decades. Traverse City, located in the northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula fits the bill when you want to have a nice boating getaway in a sleepy, traditional paradise. It's the largest city in Northern Michigan, with a year-round residence of 14,532. Set upon beautiful lake Michigan, there is plenty to do in this homey resort town.

Traverse City is known throughout the world for it's annual Cherry Festival, which is celebrated for an entire week in the beginning of July. Being a town known for its cherry production, one can visit during this exciting time to indulge in many cherry-based goods, including preserves, fresh cherries, and a host of other options. In fact, the Grand Traverse area in which Traverse City is located outputs an estimated 360 million pounds of cherries per year! In addition to this festival, there are many reasons that one would want to go to Traverse City. It is a popular tourist destination year-round, with numerous ski resorts situated nearby for wintertime fun and wonderful boating and sailing opportunities for those who visit in the summertime.

Traverse City features a beautiful downtown area, full of restaurants, antique shops, and good times. Golf resorts also dot the landscape of Traverse City, and wine-tasting is also a popular pastime, given the fact that the region is one of the centers of wine production for the entire Midwest. The city also boasts a film festival, with its inaugural season taking place between July 27th and 31st of 2005. Featuring first-run features and documentaries, the festival was openly sponsored by controversial filmmaker Michael Moore. Clean beaches overlook lake Michigan a mere block from the heart of downtown. The Traverse City Beach Bums are a minor league baseball team that calls the city home, and games can be attended at the city's Wuerfel Park. There are many hotels in the area, with simple lodgings available as well as renowned elegant resorts. With all of these attractions, it is no wonder that Traverse City is the second most visited tourist destination in all of Michigan, with Mackinaw City being the first. If you're looking for a place to go with a mellow atmosphere, good times, and a beautiful setting, take a trip to Traverse City; it's definitely a memorable place to book a vacation that you won't soon forget.