Traverse City: Grand Traverse Bay Sail with Local Food & Drinks

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Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 18

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Traverse City sailing day with local flavors and hands-on moments

You’ll board a classic schooner in Traverse City, sail across Grand Traverse Bay with local guides, sample regional food and drinks (wine, beer, spirits), help raise the sails if you want—and soak up Michigan’s colors and stories along the way. Expect laughter, fresh lake air, maybe even new friends by journey’s end.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Sail and enjoy food and drinks

Board 63-ft schooner
Sail around Grand Traverse Bay
Help raise the sails
Sit at the helm
Learn local history
Taste locally-sourced food and drinks
Relax and enjoy the scenery

The Experience

We stepped onto the schooner in Traverse City and right away I noticed the wood under my shoes felt different—warm from the sun, a little rough. Captain Dave greeted us with this easy smile, like he’d been waiting for us all week. The bay was that kind of blue you only see in Michigan, not quite turquoise but close. Someone handed me a glass of local white wine before I even found a seat. I didn’t expect it to taste so crisp—like apples and something else I couldn’t name. Maybe that’s just how things taste when you’re out on the water.

They let us help with the sails (I barely managed not to trip over the ropes), and then we just drifted for a while. There was this moment when the wind picked up and all you could hear was canvas snapping and gulls somewhere behind us. Our guide pointed out Old Mission Peninsula off to the left—he told stories about shipwrecks and cherry orchards, and I believed every word even if he might’ve been embellishing a bit. Lunch came out in these mismatched baskets: smoked fish, bread from some bakery downtown, cheese that actually squeaked when I bit into it. I still think about that view across Grand Traverse Bay while eating.

I tried one of their cocktails made with gin from a distillery nearby (Li laughed when I tried to pronounce it—probably butchered it). The breeze kept changing directions so sometimes you’d get this sudden cold burst on your face and everyone would pull their jackets tighter at once without saying anything. There were families onboard too; one kid got to sit at the helm for a minute and looked like he might explode from happiness. The whole thing was slower than I expected—in a good way—and by the end nobody seemed in any rush to go back to shore.

What’s included

Your day includes hands-on sailing aboard a 63-ft schooner from Traverse City around Grand Traverse Bay, tastings of local food from favorite area restaurants, regional beer, spirits and wine—all with stories and guidance from an experienced captain and crew before returning to shore relaxed and well-fed.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by The Wind Dancer Experience