Where To Stay In Traverse City

We had two days to explore Traverse City, Mich., this summer. The itinerary included dune climbing, drinking craft beer, and gazing dreamily at lakes (that last two things were just on my schedule – the kids had other plans). Given what we wanted to do, we wanted to find a hotel in Traverse City that got us close to the water but still had a convenient location.

Since we loved the idea of a place with a view, we ended up at at Cherry Tree Inn & Suites in Traverse City. What a view!

Disclosure: Our stay was hosted by Visit Traverse City. All thoughts, opinions and typos are my own.

About Cherry Tree Inn & Suites

Cherry Tree Inn & Suites has a lot going for it: Private beach, themed play set, and an outdoor pool. Plus, their complimentary shuttle takes you all over the city (though, really, it’s pretty easy to navigate on your own).

The hotel has several different room options. Whatever you pick, request water view. I spent more mornings on the balcony writing and watching the sunrise. 

And the sunset view was lovely too, though, it’s better to be down on the beach for them, in my opinion.

Cherry Tree is located in a touristy strip of hotels on one side of the street, while on the other side, you’ve got chain restaurants, putt putt, and gas stations. We did find a bike rental shop within walking distance of our hotel, making for an easy bike ride excursion with the kids.

The hotel has a complimentary hot breakfast, as well as a little sweet shop where you can buy candy and pints of Moomers. Moomers, if you haven’t read about it, is a very well-known ice cream shop in Traverse City. I recommend going there since it is on a picturesque dairy farm, but if you can’t, might as well buy the ice cream at your hotel, right?

What the kids love at Cherry Tree Inn & Suites

They rope kids in with cookies on the counter and then from that point on, they have made fans of your kids. 

The biggest hits for my kids were obviously the pools – one indoors and one outdoors. The outdoor hot tub is nice, too, especially at sunset.

The the second popular spot to find kids is on the pirate ship swing set. 

The kids attempted to play in the lake, but it was not the best experience. The water was cold and full of weeds that creeped the kids out. 

If we had more time, we would’ve considered renting some watercraft, which is available on the property (for a bit of a hefty price, though).

If you have older kids, try staying up late for the bonfire each night.

What’s near Cherry Tree Inn & Suites

Read up on our two days in Traverse City for a list of things my family did while visiting Traverse City. The closest thing on that list (besides the private hotel beach), was ride bikes on the nearby trail. 

From the hotel, you’re also within walking distance of Pirate Cove Adventure Park, which has putt putt, bumper boats and that sort of thing.

For food, I’d recommend heading downtown for great dining and breweries. I talk about restaurants, breweries and the best place to get ice cream this post.

If you go

Cherry Tree Inn & Suites

Where: 2345 U.S. 31 North, Traverse City, Mich.

Website

Plan a Traverse City vacation

I started planning this vacation in the form of a bucket list. Check out the Traverse City Bucket List to begin your plans. This stop was part of a larger road trip through Michigan.

Read more about some of the things we did in Traverse City:

48 Hours In Traverse City With Kids

Taking Kids to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (TBD)

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