Smooth beaches and striking bay views help make lively TRAVERSE CITY , 242 miles northwest of Detroit, the favorite in-state resort for Michigan natives. A town of 15,000 year-round residents, it was saved from the stagnation that overtook many communities when their lumber mills closed down, because the stripped fields proved to be ideal for fruit-growing. Today, the area's claim to be " Cherry Capital of the World " is no idle boast. Thousands of acres of cherry orchards envelop the town, their wispy, pink blossoms bringing a delicate beauty each May. At the National Cherry Festival during the first full week in July, visitors can watch parades, fireworks and concerts and sample every imaginable cherry product. Coca-Cola chose the event to launch its cherry flavor in the 1980s.

Traverse City's neat downtown rests along the bottom of the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay , below the Old Mission Peninsula. This slender seventeen-mile strip of land, which divides the bay into two inlets, makes for a pleasant short driving tour. Narrow roads slice through miles of cherry orchards and vineyards, with tremendous simultaneous views of the bay on either side. Five sandy public beaches and a small harbor can be found around the town itself. Various companies offer boat, windsurfer, jet ski and mountain bike rental (the surrounding countryside is excellent for cycling). There are 36 golf courses - some of them among the most beautiful in the country - in the immediate area.

Traverse City

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