Thank George Washington and Abe Lincoln for this month’s long weekend of romance, or family fun. Combine Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14, and Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 15, and make it a long weekend filled with fireworks, outdoor sports or a Bloody Mary pancake breakfast on Mackinac Island. Build a weekend around one of these three mini-vacations and let the snowy fun begin!
Traverse City
Winter Wonderfest
Ask not what your gas tank can do for you, and find your fun locally at Traverse City’s Winter WonderFest, which includes a kids biathlon with paintball guns, polar plunge, frozen fish toss, bonfi res, live music, dogsleds, horse-drawn sleighs, snowboarding rail jam, mountain bike/ski/snowboard race, cardboard bobsled and a snowball softball tournament. Eat like an executive at the Grand Winter Dessert Contest and the Grand Chili Cook-off Contest, and tell complete strangers for whom you really voted after spending a few hours in the Michigan Microbrew tent. FEBRUARY 12-15. WINTERWONDERFEST.ORG.
Mackinac Island
Presidential Party
Is Presidents’ Day Weekend the primo time to party on an auto-free island? That depends on what your definition of is, is. If you’re into a cross-country ski rally, hayrides, a Bloody Mary pancake breakfast and chili cook-off, you should stay the course to Mackinac Island. Get a package deal from the Pontiac Lodge Hotel and Village Inn Restaurant that includes
a toasty Friday welcome reception, Saturday buffet dinner, Sunday breakfast and two nights on the island for $190.37 perperson. 906-847-3364.
Boyne Mountain
VIP Playtime
If you’re looking for a New Deal in winter fun, head over to Boyne Mountain for a zipline adventure. Get some real air through the snow and trees at 25 mph, then melt the chill off in the heated pools at Michigan’s largest indoor waterpark, Avalanche Bay. Take the family to Stein Eriksen’s in the Clock Tower Lodge for a bowl of Bavarian beer cheese soup, then send the kids to the room while you hang in the Snowflake Lounge with Charlie’s Root Fusion, Dave Cisco, Sam Adam and Mac Daddy all weekend. Don’t forget to try Everett’s Ale on tap at most Mountain destinations. And be sure everyone watches the Valentines Day fireworks! BOYNE.COM.
Quick Links to More Fun in the Traverse City region
- The Complete Traverse City Restaurant Guide
- The Traverse City Vacation Directory: Listings to lodging, galleries, restaurants and more along with an interactive map.
- Traverse City music, festivals, arts and hundreds of events
- Traverse City Digital Vacation Guide: Browse the pages of the complete digital Guide and click to hundreds of websites.
- Video: Traverse City’s Guide to Fun!
- Video: City Opera House in Traverse City is Brimming with Events
- Video: Friday Night Live Has TC’s Front Street Hopping
- Get your copy of 101 Ways to Love Traverse City
- Flying in or out of Traverse City? Take a video tour of the Cherry Capital Airport to learn all you need to know.
- Plot your day in Traverse City using this Interactive Map: Choose an activity in "I’d like to find" and choose Traverse City for "in a town near." Then click away!
- Rent a Cottage in Traverse City