The International Fireworks Championships goes down with a bang in this Michigan City surrounded by wineries.
If pyrotechnics were a sport , then the Olympics of Fireworks is set to light up the skies overTraverse City , Michigan on September 6th and 7th . The Great Lakes city , locate by the proverbial pinky of the state ’s northerly mitten , hosted the inauguralInternational Fireworks Championshipin 2023 , with this year ’s spectacle slate to admit more competing countries , more teams , and more fulgurant explosions .
The action goes down at Turtle Creek Stadium , a locale selected for its comparatively remote emplacement and minimum impact on occupier and panic-struck pets , with pyrotechnical talents convening from around the world , let in the Philippines , Finland , India , Australia , and the U.K. Along with Team USA , and a peculiar performance from last yr ’s winning team , Germany ’s ToF Feuerwerk , the two - day event boasts a stacked schedule of entertainment and sky - high theatrics set to euphony , design to straighten out the artistry , foundation , and accomplishment involved in blowing off firework — all capped off by a panel of Book of Judges awarding prize and a grand finale of custom - made blasts .
Drive Time
4 time of day from Detroit5 hours from Chicago
What to Do Beyond the Fireworks Championship
Traverse City has a well - earn repute as one of the foremostbeach townsin the country . Despite its diminutive size of it ( pa . 14,000 , includingPete Buttigieg ) , the town stream with both indoor and outdoor activities . From its arenaceous rod on Grand Traverse Bay , the hamlet is lined withnumerous beaches — let in severaldog - friendly name and address . In the summertime month , it ’s safe to expect a shoreline buzzing with sailors , swimmer , and sun - natator , but autumn and winter bring their own uniquely tranquil ravisher too .
The best station to imbibe it all in , in the off - season or otherwise , is atSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , an nonnatural realm of soaring dunes , shifting sands , forested trails , and lakes both Great and small . If you ’d like to get a bit further out on the water , companies likeWind Dancer Sailing Toursprovide take charter and outing , from something as dewy-eyed as a sunset cruise to tripsthemedfor Sunday brunch , air shows , and even the Goo Goo Dolls .
Back on dry land , The Village at Grand Traverse Commonsis an Brobdingnagian new ontogenesis that holds the distinction of being among the largest historic conservation undertaking in the country . With the heroic looking and find of something like Asheville ’s Biltmore Estate , the development encompasses a smattering of historic buildings on 480 acres of pastoral land — admit a former asylum , the Traverse City State Hospital . shutter in 1989 , the psychiatric hospital lay spookily dormant after a 100 of manipulation , until The Commons start reshaping the ornate belongings into boutique housing , residential and retail , and outdoor spaces design to capitalise on the raw beauty that drew doctors to the area to implement fresh air and trees into their healing therapies in the first place .
Courtesy Traverse City Tourism
For more Northern Michigan traditional knowledge , hit up theDennos Museum Center . Located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College , the informal art museum showcases exhibits and initiation by artists far and wide , admit a pop ( and permanent ) multimedia system show by Inuit artist . TheMusic House Museum , in nearby Williamsburg , is a deep dive into modern medicine with a captivating collection of instruments that hightail it the gamut from the 1700s to the fifties , while theLeelanau Historical Society Museum & Research Centerexplores the region ’s nautical roots , with exhibit that admit shipwreck , lighthouses , and the fur swap .
And there ’s always theGreat Lakes Children ’s Museum , an edutainment offering that focuses its interactional displays ( for instance , theWaves of Gravity , Up Periscope , andFluids 101 ) on piddle .
Where to Eat and Drink
Morning : For a different kind of brew , boot - pop your day atGood Harbor Coffee & Bakery , a longstanding nook known for its prick - made pastry ( like cafe au lait cookies and in - season cherry scones ) , and disingenuous latte fueled by Metropolis Redline Espresso . Hexenbelle , meanwhile , is a Palestinian - inspired coffeehouse , where the dynamic card includes everything from Elettaria cardamomum - kiss lattes and sweetheart - infuse matcha , to shakshuka and coconut curry deep-fried Sir Tim Rice .
Dinner : In terms of proper meals , Traverse City specialise in topically sourced provisions . Maybe the best example isFarm Club , where farm - to - table ascends to unexampled tallness with a restaurant , bakery , market , and brewery turn up on a literal farm . The nutrient , by nature , rotates promptly and seasonally , but dishes might include polenta with cashew milk sand , kohlrabi salad with fish sauce vinaigrette , black zucchini sandwich with sweet basil mayo , and roast whitefish with olive gremolata . Similarly , The Cooks ’ Houseis a comparatively bantam destination where the menu change almost forever to emphasize the instinctive abundance of the lakeside part . Guests can enjoin a la menu , or embark on a multi - course spree of dynamic dishes like chilled heirloom tomato soup , Arctic char with buttermilk sauce and dill weed oil , and blueberries with granola and shiso ice emollient .
winery : Vineyards and sample rooms are a thriving business in and around Traverse City . dub theOld Mission Peninsula , the region sport several wine maker along a designate “ wine trail , ” including the aforesaid Black Star Farms , Chateau Grand Traverse , Tabone Vineyards , andPeninsula Cellars . Beyond the wineries and estates themselves , top - tier local wine is free - flowing throughout Traverse City , in wine-colored bars and nursing bottle shop likeThe Tasting RoomandBlue Goat Wine & Provisions .
Breweries : Wine does n’t have all the bibulous fun here , though . Craft beeris just as booming . With more than a dozen breweries , making Traverse City among the most brewery - thick city per capita , pick span an raiment of beer mode and options , fromSilver Spruce Brewing(helmed by a couple of Asheville brewery ammonia alum ) , toThe Filling Station , place in a vintage train depot from the 1880s .
Where to Stay
A newer boutique hotel to emerge in Traverse City , theAlexandra Innis an cozy abode with 32 spacious rooms overlook its private beach on the East Bay . There ’s also a rooftop patio , a coffeehouse , periodic live euphony , seasonal beach yoga , and every night cocoa scrap cookies .
For sheer decadency , theInn at Black Star Farmsis like something out of an enophile ’s fagot tarradiddle . nestle on a 160 - acre estate , the historic manor house is an princely gem in Leelanau County wine country ( just a few statute mile northerly of Traverse City ) , with vineyard view , an on - site try room , miles of wooded trail , and a library . Rooms , with names like the Diadem Suite and Atlas , follow dressed to the nines with open fireplace , reading nooks , and vista of nearby forests and pastures .
Back on the beach , Tamarack Lodgeis another beauty that blend in old - earth charms with advanced amenities . The enormous , tone - clad property possesses big Northwoods energy , from its tremendous endocarp open fireplace in the pressure group to its solicitation of old-fashioned logging sledge and cozy on - website tap house . Also , thewaterfront roomsare all named after Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Courtesy Traverse City Tourism
Courtesy Traverse City Tourism
