Farm tours and cherry picking in the Cherry Capital of the World, with the National Cherry Festival in early July drawing visitors from across the Midwest.
$15-$30
Book direct via the vendor website
Traverse City holds the title of Cherry Capital of the World, and the claim is grounded in agriculture rather than marketing: the region produces the majority of tart cherries grown in the United States.
Farm tours and U-pick run late June through August, $15 to $30 per person depending on the operation and how many cherries you take home. One to two hours, fits naturally on either side of a round. Farm stores stay open year-round, selling dried cherries, cherry wine, cherry salsa, and enough other cherry products to solve the souvenir question in one stop. The orchards lining the hillsides and peninsulas around Grand Traverse Bay are as much a part of the landscape as the water and the dunes, and a bag of fresh cherries from a roadside stand, eaten on the drive between courses, is the small detail that fixes the trip in memory. The National Cherry Festival in early July transforms downtown Traverse City with parades, concerts, and air shows over Grand Traverse Bay, adding energy and crowds in equal measure.
Cherry season is short: late June through August, peaking in July. Call ahead to confirm picking conditions, which depend on the crop year. The National Cherry Festival runs a week in early July and fills hotels; book accommodations well in advance if visiting during it.