Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Traverse City
A bayfront city at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, with a walkable Front Street downtown, bay beaches, cherry orchards and two wine peninsulas close by.
Holiday · Parade · Family · Traverse City
Light Up Downtown
Traverse City's two-night start to the holidays, with a tree lighting at Cass and Front streets on Friday and an evening light parade down Front Street on Saturday.
Light Up Downtown opens the holiday season in Traverse City over the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Downtown Traverse City Association hosts both nights, and the Saturday parade is produced with the Festival Foundation.
Friday’s tree lighting happens at the corner of Cass and Front, with holiday activities in the late afternoon and Santa lighting the tree in the evening. Santa’s House at Cass and State opens for the season the same weekend. On Saturday evening, people line Front Street to watch the light parade, which takes a little over an hour to pass.
What to expect
On Friday, the tree lighting at Cass and Front includes music, games, treat giveaways and the arrival of Santa, who lights the tree. On Saturday, the light parade of illuminated floats, marchers and vehicles travels Front Street from Franklin to Union. Front Street is closed to traffic between Park and Union on both evenings.
Location
Where Light Up Downtown happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Traverse City
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Trail
TART Trails
Traverse City's trail network, built around the 10.5-mile paved TART along the bay and linked to the Leelanau Trail, Boardman Lake Loop and VASA Pathway.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach
Clinch Park
Traverse City's downtown beach on West Grand Traverse Bay, with a splash pad, playground, city marina and the TART trail running through.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Museum
Dennos Museum Center
Traverse City's art museum on the Northwestern Michigan College campus, known for its Inuit art collection, with a hands-on Discovery Gallery.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Hotel · Budget
Cherry Tree Inn & Suites
On US-31 North along East Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City
A beachfront hotel on East Grand Traverse Bay with studios and suites, many with kitchenettes or full kitchens, plus indoor and outdoor pools.
Resort · Upscale
Delamar Traverse City
On East Front Street, on Grand Traverse Bay near downtown Traverse City
A waterfront resort hotel on Grand Traverse Bay at the edge of downtown Traverse City, with heated pools it lists as open year-round and a bayside restaurant.
Resort
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
In Acme, northeast of Traverse City
A year-round resort in Acme owned by the Grand Traverse Band, with three golf courses, a spa, a tower overlooking the bay and a private beach.
Inn
Old Mission Inn
On Mission Road in Old Mission, on the Old Mission Peninsula
An inn on the Old Mission Peninsula that dates to 1869 and is described as Michigan's oldest historic hotel, with rooms facing East Grand Traverse Bay.
Listed as open seasonally, May 1 through October 31.
Hotel · Mid-range
Park Place Hotel
On East State Street in downtown Traverse City
A downtown Traverse City hotel whose history goes back to 1873, whose 10-story tower became the tallest building in the city when it was finished in 1930.
Bed and breakfast
Antiquities' Wellington Inn
On Wellington Street in downtown Traverse City
A bed and breakfast in a restored 1905 neoclassical mansion built for one of Traverse City's lumber barons, a short walk from downtown.
More events in and around Traverse City
- Bayshore MarathonA Memorial Day weekend marathon, half marathon and 10K in Traverse City on a flat out-and-back course along East Grand Traverse Bay, run by the Traverse City Track Club since 1983.
- Iceman Cometh ChallengeA point-to-point mountain bike race of about 30 miles from Kalkaska to Traverse City on the first Saturday in November, plus shorter beginner and kids races.
- National Cherry FestivalA week-long July celebration of the region's cherry crop, with concerts, parades, an air show and free family events spread across Traverse City.
- North American Vasa Festival of RacesA two-day February festival of cross-country ski and fat bike races on the Vasa Pathway outside Traverse City, held since 1977.
- Traverse City Restaurant WeekA late-winter week when participating Traverse City restaurants offer multi-course, fixed-price menus.