Our second day in Traverse City started very comfortably and we didn't start our tour until around 10:00 am. We went to the Old Mission Peninsula, a promontory which juts out into Grand Travers Bay.
Old Mission Peninsula
Since it was cherry blossom season, Traverse City is, as already mentioned, the cherry capital of the country, so all cherry trees should actually be in full bloom. Unfortunately, spring came later than usual, just like at home. Only a few fields were blooming in the white-pink colors, but it was still beautiful to drive through the hilly landscape.
Old Mission - Mission Point Lighthouse
At the northernmost end of Old Mission is Mission Point Lighthouse (more information about the lighthouse). Built in 1870, the lighthouse offers a fantastic view of the bay and the surrounding area. For $4 per person, you can climb the lighthouse. A small investment that is worth it. The owners are a very nice couple and were totally enthusiastic about our little explorer. We signed a guest book with our name and country of origin, and we found out that last year German tourists were second only to Canadians with the most visitors from abroad. On the way up they set up a small maritime museum. The view was amazing! The view of the beach and bay was unique.
Right next to the lighthouse was a replica of one of America's first settlers' homes. Unfortunately it wasn't open and we could only look in through the small windows. Even more historical knowledge could have been refreshed, but unfortunately we were denied that.
Many nature trails lead from this northern point of the Old Mission Peninsula. When our little darling is bigger, we need to do more short hikes with him again, just like on our US tours in the past. In any case, there are enough birds and squirrels to watch. In addition, Lake Michigan has great sand beaches, which our son only wanted to leave with a lot of begging and begging.
Back to Traverse City
On the way back to Traverse City we stopped at a few small beaches and harbors to enjoy the beautiful and tranquil views over Lake Michigan. Since we were invited to visit friends in the afternoon, we already had a bottle of wine from our home region in our luggage as a small souvenir. We picked a few more heralds of spring on a self-picking meadow with a cash register of trust.
We then drove off the Old Mission Peninsula and continued north. Our friends have a house right on Lake Michigan. We spent a wonderful afternoon and evening on the beach with lots of nature, delicious burgers, cherry pie and ice cream. The most beautiful end of the day that you can imagine!
Roadtrip USA (Midwest) - route details
| Tag | In total | |
| Kilometer: | 94.6 mi (152.24 km) | 606.7 mi (976.39 km) |
| driving time: | 02:50:58 | 16:25:17 |
| Consumption: | 31,1 mpg | 29,7 mpg |
| Ride costs: | – | 42,03 USD |
| Overnight stay: | Hampton Inn Traverse City - $211 for two nights (bookable at Hilton) |
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Rating of the road trip through Traverse City
- Old Mission Peninsula
- Mission Point Lighthouse
- Traverse City
