RV Rentals Traverse City, Michigan

Explore Traverse City, Michigan, in an RVshare RV Rental

Located in the heart of northern Michigan, Traverse City was first home to Native American tribes like the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. The original name for the city’s area was Kitchiwikwedongsing, sometimes known as just Wequetong, and it was given by the local natives to mean "the land at the head of the bay." This bay is known today as the Grand Traverse Bay, and the name for both the bay and city, Traverse, comes from the French word "traverse," meaning "crossing." The first European settlers in the area were French, and they believed the journey around the mouth of the Grand Traverse Bay was a long crossing, hence the origin of this name. 

Traverse City first became an unofficial town in 1847 when Captain Horace Boardman purchased the city’s land and built a sawmill on the edge of the bay. Over the next few years, the mill was resold to new owners who invested in the mill’s production and built a community for employees of the mill to live. Around 1853, a post office was approved to be built in Traverse City, and the residents began to plant cherry trees on the city’s Old Mission Peninsula. These trees would later turn Traverse City into the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States, and it still is today. 

Currently, visitors to Traverse City can learn about northern Michigan’s rich history through the city’s 11 historical markers and sites, including the Bingham District No. 5 Schoolhouse, City Opera House, Congregation Beth El, and morel. Everyone can also enjoy the annual National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, which is estimated to draw over 500,000 guests every year. 

Plenty of tourists to Traverse City enjoy tasting and purchasing Midwestern-made wine too. There are well over 30 wineries in and around Traverse City, and there are grape vineyards scattered all along the 45th parallel in the area, which is a latitude of that offers optimal conditions for grape growing. 

Events Near Traverse City, Michigan

• The National Cherry Festival - Every year in July, Traverse City hosts the famous National Cherry Festival with cherry-centered activities, such as cherry pie-eating contests and cherry pit-spitting events.

• Annual Winter Trails Day - Yearly in January, Traverse City's Timber Ridge RV and Recreation Resort has a day dedicated to wintertime hiking.

• Traverse City Beer Week - In November, Traverse City restaurants and breweries offer prizes to residents and visitors who can get a special passport to mark off as they check out local beers.