Restaurant, Winery, Spa Recommendations

My friend and I will be spending a weekend in the Traverse City area next month for a ';girls getaway';. We%26#39;ll be staying near the Brys Estate Winery and plan to do some wine tasting there the afternoon we arrive. Any suggestions for other wineries, funky/unique restaurants, etc that are semi-near to where we%26#39;re staying would be appreciated. Also, are there any day spa%26#39;s in the area other than Grand Traverse that are worth checking out? Thanks!

Restaurant, Winery, Spa Recommendations

There are numerous other wineries, both on Old Mission Peninsula and in nearby Leelanau county... nothing%26#39;s too far... you can get the brochures/maps from the TC Convention %26amp; Visitors Bureau. There%26#39;s a day spa on W. Front Street called %26#39;impres (impressalon.com) and as for unique restaurants ~ how about: Stella (nobody here says Trattoria Stella) in the Grand Traverse Commons area or make an advance reservation for the Chef%26#39;s House.. a very small place on Front St. near downtown... or Hanna, downtown. You should definitely get the mailing from the CVB so you can browse the TC visitors magazine... enjoy

Restaurant, Winery, Spa Recommendations

I take a girls weekend to this area every year and we love it.

We prefer the wineries on Old Mission because you can visit all of them in a day since they are basically all off the same road- very easy to navigate.

There are 2 new ones this year – Black Star Farms opened a second location here. They have a large winery and Creamery on Leelanau Peninsula. I’ve been to the larger one but have yet to see the new one on Old Mission. If they sell their cheese at this location I would highly recommend purchasing some. The name of the other new one escapes me at the moment.

Here are those others - Peninsula Cellars. It’s an old school house so the history is pretty interesting. It’s the smallest of the wineries but worth seeing. Nice people with very reasonable priced wine - Brys has a wonderful Pinot Noir and the tasting room is beautiful. This is my favorite wine in the area. Their prices are a bit higher then the other wineries but the staff is very helpful here. Chateau Grand Traverse is very large and has an inn on the property and offers tours of the vineyard. Beautiful place as well as good wine at reasonable prices - Chateau Chantal is absolutely one of the prettiest places I have ever seen. It sits up high on a hill with beautiful views of the bay. If you only see one winery on Mission Peninsula this is the one I would recommend. Go to www.chateauchantal.com to check it out. Not my favorite wine but it’s a must see whenever we are in the area. Then there is Bowers Harbor. I love this place as well. It’s like going to visit a friend. They had 2 big friendly dogs (mascots) roaming the area. Copper and Otis both of whom have wines made for them. Otis has passed away and a new dog has been adopted and a new wine is in the making in honor of him. Cooper is a Burmese Mountain Dog that walks around the grounds as if he knows he is pretty. Or you are lucky if I let you pet me. LOL I find it funny we drink “dog wine” but it is very good. They also sell really good Cherry Salsa. Sounds odd but it’s really good!

We enjoy Amical for lunch but if you search this forum you will fine many recommendations for good restaurants in the area. We also enjoy going to the top of Park Place Hotel for Cosmos. Have fun! I go in 9 days and can’t wait!

The Brys Estate Winery is on Old Mission Peninsula and there are plenty of wineries within a 10 minute drive. Chateau Chantal is to the north and has one of the most beautiful settings, you can easily see the Grand Traverse Bay on both sides. They also have a bed %26amp; breakfast there so they might offer some spa services. Blackstar Farms has a winery now on Old Mission which I haven%26#39;t been to but their location on Leelanau Peninsula was gorgeous so I can imagine it%26#39;s probably beautiful on Old Mission as well. They are one of the few wineries that charge for tastings though. Chateau Grand Traverse is nice and has some nice wines too. Peninsula Cellars is an old schoolhouse without a view but they have some great wines (I bought 2 bottles there on 10/04/08)and you get 6 free tastings. 2 Lads is a new winery that is sold out of everything but Chardonnay so that%26#39;s all they have for tasting. There will be signs for all the wineries as you travel on M37 so just watch for them. Here is a link to the wineries of Old Mission: http://www.wineriesofoldmission.com/ and if you feel like driving here is the link for Leelanau Peninsula http://www.lpwines.com. Have fun!