To the northwest is the broader Leelanau Peninsula, home to a half-dozen lakeshore towns and inland villages.
Just north of Traverse City, for instance, lies the narrow Old Mission Peninsula, home to the hilltop community of Mapleton with its cluster of restaurants, the Peninsula Market and the peninsula’s only gas pump, and the historic village of Old Mission - the first permanent settlement in the region - with its picturesque church, general store and historic Old Mission Inn. And no trip to the Traverse City area can be complete until you’ve made a visit to one or two of them, to wander their streets, explore their shops and meet the people who call these places home. Many visitors use the words “Traverse City” as a kind of shorthand for the entire region of peninsulas, islands and forested highlands surrounding Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay.īut that tends to gloss over the many vibrant communities strung across the region in a glittering constellation, each with its own history, personality and charm.
