On your 50th anniversary, will you look back and smile at all your memories and travels as a couple?
Why should you take an Anniversary Trip?
Because science.
It’s proven that couples who travel together, stay together. I’m sure I read it in some scientific journal. I’m sure of it. Because travel makes people happy and happiness stems from dopamine in the brain and that’s just like the feeling of falling in love. Travel = Happy = Love. See? Science.
Just like you’re more likely to have a second date if you spend your first on a roller coaster vs. the movies, you’ll probably be more likely to have a next anniversary if you spend this one exploring somewhere new vs. folding laundry at home. The brain likes an adrenaline rush. The brain likes adventure. Okay, maybe it isn’t proven psychology for successful courtship (at least not what a quick Google search could divulge), but I have a good hunch about this one.
You should go on an anniversary trip because milestones are worth celebrating.
You should go on an anniversary trip because collecting memories together is sometimes worth more than collecting things.
Just like I can’t predict how many birthdays I’ll celebrate, I can’t predict how many anniversaries either. I feel fortunate to have another year of life and am honored to share it with someone I love.
I made a promise on our wedding day. I promised that we would see the world and have adventures together. I promised that I’d fill our lives with travel.
As our wedding anniversary quickly approached, I knew I had to make good on that promise. I needed to plan an anniversary trip close to Metro Detroit. Even if it was just a weekend getaway, ‘twas a chance to leave the laundry and the dishes and the chores behind and focus on what is worth celebrating: marriage.
An anniversary trip honors the promise of forever.
An anniversary trip honors the promise of incorporating travel into our lives.
So we celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to Traverse City.
Why You Should Celebrate Your Anniversary in Traverse City
I’m convinced that Traverse City is the perfect anniversary trip in Michigan.
When I think of Traverse City, I truly believe that it is a destination for everyone. It doesn’t boast any stereotypes as a destination exclusively for partiers or families or couples. The amount of things to do can satisfy many interests and hobbies. It can cater to many demographics for many purposes, which is why Traverse City is a lovely anniversary trip for any couple at any milestone.
Here’s why Traverse City is a wonderful Michigan destination to celebrate your anniversary.
1. Traverse City is worth visiting in any season.
Weddings happen in any month. Which means your anniversary trip could occur in any month. Traverse City is a place with plenty to experience in any season.
Autumn spoils visitors with stunning foliage with beautiful crimfson and gold country drives. Get cozy in a winter wonderland by bundling up to go snowshoeing or snowmobiling. Partake in the art scene and feel new life with the spring buds and blossoms. Don a wine tour and enjoy the cherry harvest in the summer.
Drinking hard cider among the vines at Bowers Harbor – our favorite!
2. You can set your own pace.
No anniversary trip is the same. Some couples seek adventure; others, relaxation. Treat yourself to a cherry massage at the Spa Grand Traverse, get escorted by limo for a wine tour, or laze at the beach. The active couples can take a biking wine tour or kayaking brewery crawl, parasail over the bay, or stand up paddle on Bowers Harbor. Nature lovers can venture off to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, watch the sun sink below the lake, and hike through Michigan’s beautiful northern forests.
The Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.
3. Traverse City is conscious of your budget.
Whether you’re an opulence seeker with an appetite for fancy or budget traveler trying to be thrifty, your finances can be accommodated in Traverse City.
For the couple that seeks luxury, there are fine resorts, like The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. For the extremely budget-conscious, there are plenty of nearby campgrounds. For the middle-of-the-road travelers, Traverse City offers varying hotels and Bed & Breakfasts.
With a prospering food scene, you can splurge with a four course meal at Aerie Restaurant or keep it simple at The Little Fleet, a food truck park.
4. The views are epic.
Michigan’s state motto is: If you are seeking a pleasant peninsula, look around you. And if you happen to be in Traverse City, you have access to two of the most photogenic peninsulas in Michigan: Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula – both home to rolling vineyards, surrounded by the purest water, and tucked in with vibrant sunsets.
Then there’s the massive sand dunes that meet Lake Michigan, not far from TC, that puzzles visitors to say how did THIS get here?
5. Toast to love in Traverse City.
Say “cheers” to a year with local wine, craft beer, or artisan cocktails at any of Traverse City’s wineries, breweries, or distilleries.
Drunk in love is the reality with an anniversary trip to Traverse City. You’ll end up with cirrhosis if you end up at all 9 microbreweries, 9 distilleries and approximately 50 wineries and tasting rooms. Your liver (and inhibitions) will thank you if you book a wine or beer tour.
The point of an anniversary trip is to fall in love all over again. And it doesn’t hurt when the destination is easy to fall in love with too.
Looking for suggestions about what to do in Traverse City? Learn about our trip details in A Romantic Weekend in Traverse City.
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Disclosure: I reached out to Traverse City tourism shortly after choosing to celebrate my anniversary in their city. They kindly sponsored my stay at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. All opinions are genuinely and authentically my own; no cherry-infused massages or delicious meals could have swayed me otherwise.
