Things To Do In Traverse City

Black Bear Golf Club accommodates golfers of all levels with a lush, 19-hole spread. Golf outings equip green-wanderers with a golf cart to whisk them across the tree-lined course. Black Bear’s extra hole means a free par 3 warm-up shot that’s perfect for attempting Arnold Palmer’s famous victory prance. A choice of cold beer or a soft drink ensures carbonated comfort across the remaining 18 holes, which are set on a diverse terrain of rolling foliage and Scottish links–style holes. Linksters can choose an item from the Black Bear Grill's menu, and a large bucket of range balls warm up frosty games.

The River Traverse City sits in the heart of Travers City’s Clinch Park. Just behind Con Foster Museum we handle bike rentals, kayak rentals, serve snack food and provide beach gear! We look forward to showing you another side of Traverse City from the trails, to the currents of the Boardman River. Fun for all ages.

The Dirty Dog Dash challenges participants to take on 5 kilometers of rigorous outdoor obstacles, mountainous Michigan terrain, and friendly competition as a tribute to America’s servicemen and women. Gather a gaggle of Groupon-holding speedsters or fly solo to tackle the race’s endurance-testing hurdles, including fire pits, balance beams, barbed wire, sand hills, and muddy slopes. Mad dashers that cross the coveted finish line will be adorned with a Dirty Dog Dash commemorative T-shirt, a beer ticket (for those 21 and older), and refueling refreshments. Spectators and contestants alike can then enjoy a post-race party, which includes live music, beverages, and an awards ceremony that recognizes those with the fastest time in their category, as well as racers with the craziest costumes, which are enthusiastically encouraged but not required.

T.C. Paintball gives wannabe warriors the opportunity to practice trigger pulling and ambushing with day-long paintballing passes. Armed with 500 colorful capsules and paint-spewing machinery, soldiers battle friends and enemies in the great indoors or traverse the natural elements in the flourishing outdoor battleground, which teems with sandbag walls, empty oil barrels, and motivational Patton lookalikes at every turn. Corporal casings can successfully shield themselves from incoming pellets with protective goggles and face masks that are included in the Groupon and should be worn throughout the day. Particularly trigger-happy gunners can visit the on-site store to restock ammunition, peruse guns, or hide from paint-splattered carpool moms.

When he first saw the rolling hills and forests at Mistwood, course architect Jerry Matthews was enchanted by its suitability for a golf course. Matthews carved 27 championship holes into this variegated topography, divided among three nine-hole courses that combine for challenging 18-hole rounds or play singly for golfers who need to save time for savoring the taste of victory. Whether playing the red course, blue course, or white course, golfers send their balls soaring over bent-grass fairways and spinning over fast, well-bunkered greens, aiming carefully to avoid the smattering of lakes that await stray orbs.

Adjacent to the final fairway of the white course, an executive course named the Little Nine completes the fairway buffet at Mistwood Golf Course. Here, players hone their short-game skills and strive to take just three strokes at each hole, ideal for three-toed sloths with poor counting skills.

After swinging their way past open fields and dense thickets, players make their way to the clubhouse, where Bogey’s Snack Bar awaits downstairs, and upstairs, Sunset Bar & Grill serves whitefish and ribs as diners lounge on its deck and gaze out over the blue course and the verdant practice range.

Course Combinations at a Glance:

• White/blue: course rating of 72.9, slope rating of 142
• Blue/red: course rating of 72.9, slope rating of 143
• Red/white: course rating of 71.6, slope rating of 140

As the trees take on the fiery hues of autumn, the pilots at Grand Traverse Balloons help guests watch the transformation from the best seat in the house—a basket. For the last 25 years, the Fall Color tour soars above the tree line, awarding hot air balloon passengers a view of the forest at heights between 2,000 and about 3,000 feet. The tours aren't limited to the season, either, as the Federal Aviation Administration–certified staff flies its inflatable fleet year-round.

Group rides take up to 10 people for one-hour jaunts over Traverse City and the surrounding countryside of northern Michigan. The seven-story balloons float over scenic stretches of lakes, bays, vineyards, and woodland.

In addition to group flights, the pilots also host private charters and tethered rides, for which a balloon is tied to the ground and soars up to 150 feet and down again on a vertical path. But no matter what, every aerial errand ends the same way—with the captain celebrating a successful landing by sharing champagne and razzing the nearest flightless bird.