Best Things to Do in Northern Michigan Supporting Local Businesses

Northern Michigan is one of the most naturally gifted regions in the entire country, a place where pristine lakes, rolling hills, world-class wineries, cherry orchards, and charming small towns create a backdrop for experiences that stay with you long after you have returned home. The very best way to experience everything Northern Michigan has to offer is to do it in a way that supports the locally owned businesses, farms, outfitters, and restaurants that make the region what it is. Here is a guide to the finest things you can do in Northern Michigan while keeping your dollars in the hands of the people who have built their lives and livelihoods here.

Wine Tasting on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas

Northern Michigan’s wine country is a genuine world-class destination, producing wines that compete with the very best from California and the Pacific Northwest. The Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas are home to approximately 50 independently owned wineries where visitors can taste estate-grown wines, meet the families behind the labels, and experience the unique combination of soil, climate, and passion that makes this region so remarkable. Black Star Farms on Leelanau Peninsula is a family-owned winery, inn, and creamery that has earned national recognition for its wines and its hospitality, offering tastings, tours, and an extraordinary on-site experience. Bowers Harbor Vineyards on the Old Mission Peninsula offers sweeping views of both arms of Grand Traverse Bay alongside exceptional Rieslings and Pinot Noirs made from estate-grown fruit. Spending a day moving between family-owned tasting rooms means your spending goes directly to agricultural families who have committed everything to producing something extraordinary from this land.

Shop the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market in Traverse City

The Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market runs every Saturday morning from May through November in downtown Traverse City, and it is one of the finest farmers markets in the state of Michigan. Dozens of local vendors bring cherries, lavender, artisan cheese, local honey, fresh-caught fish, baked goods, flowers, and handcrafted products every single week, creating an experience that is as much a celebration of Northern Michigan’s abundance as it is a place to shop. Traverse City is known as the Cherry Capital of the World, and this market is where that title comes to life in the most delicious and colorful possible way. Bring a reusable bag, arrive early for the best selection, and plan to stay for the entire morning because this market earns it every time.

Explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with Local Outfitters

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of Michigan’s most iconic natural landmarks, and the communities surrounding it are home to outstanding locally owned outfitters and guide services that can help you experience it by kayak, bike, foot, or paddleboard. The towns of Glen Arbor, Empire, and Frankfort have locally owned rental and guide operations for kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes that put the expertise of people who know this lakeshore deeply at your service. Paddling the Crystal River into the dunes area, hiking the Dune Climb, or biking the surrounding trails with gear from a local outfitter creates an experience that feels genuinely connected to the place rather than packaged and generic. Choosing local outfitters over big-box rental counters keeps this remarkable landscape in the hands of the people who love it most.

U-Pick at Local Cherry and Apple Orchards

Third Coast Fruit Company is a seventh-generation family orchard on the Old Mission Peninsula offering U-pick cherries, apples, and other fruits in season, and it is one of the most authentic and memorable agricultural experiences Northern Michigan has to offer. Picking cherries in a family orchard on a July morning with Grand Traverse Bay visible through the trees is the kind of experience that people return to Northern Michigan specifically to repeat year after year. Many farms throughout the region offer U-pick options during harvest season, and spending a few hours at one of them is a perfect family activity that puts your spending directly in the hands of farming families who have tended these orchards for generations. This is Northern Michigan at its most honest and beautiful.

Walk the Small Town Main Streets

Some of the best experiences in Northern Michigan come from simply walking the main streets of its small towns and exploring the locally owned shops, restaurants, galleries, and cafes that line them. Traverse City, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Elk Rapids, Suttons Bay, Leland, and Beulah all have their own distinct character expressed beautifully through the businesses that call them home. Leland’s historic Fishtown, a collection of original fishing shanties along the Leland River, is home to locally owned shops, a working fishery, and one of the most photographed and beloved spots in the entire state. Charlevoix’s waterfront shopping district combines some of Northern Michigan’s finest independent retailers with one of the most stunning settings you will find anywhere in the Midwest. Every town is worth a slow afternoon, and every business you stop into deserves your support.

Attend the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City

The National Cherry Festival is a weeklong celebration held in late June in Traverse City, one of the most beloved summer events in Michigan and a genuine community gathering that has been running for nearly a century. The festival features live music, parades, fireworks, cherry-themed foods, pit-spitting contests, and a community atmosphere that is genuinely warm and welcoming to everyone who attends. Local businesses throughout Traverse City and the surrounding area participate in the festival week, making it one of the best possible times to explore the downtown’s independently owned restaurants, shops, and bakeries all at once. There is no better time to be in Northern Michigan, and no better way to experience the community spirit that makes this region so worth coming back to year after year.

Northern Michigan is one of the most beloved destinations in Michigan, and its locally owned businesses are what make it worth coming back to every single season. Michigan Small Business Spotlight is proud to feature the businesses and entrepreneurs of this extraordinary region every week. If you own a business in Northern Michigan and want your story told to thousands of engaged Michigan readers, visit topchoicediscover.com to apply.