Context: My GF is hiking the North Country Trail and I'm going to resupply her. That puts me in your area.

Rather than going home to Kalamazoo, I'm curious if I could do ok in TC? I can't find any discussions about this that aren't years old.

Beyond the tourists, I'm more interested in supporting locals who might need a ride if they knew it was an option this week. Does anyone have insights that might help?

EDIT to add:

Thank you for the answers so far. I'm going to give it a whirl starting Tuesday afternoon!

Genuinely curious, how do all of the tourists find out about cherry fest? i feel like traverse city is such a small town, i don’t understand how we pull people from all over the country for cherry fest

Is there any place other than the Laughing Buddah in T.C that sells poppers???

But please practice patience. Take a few deep breaths. Nothing good comes from frustrated, impatient driving.

Give yourself extra time to get to where you are going. If you work downtown, communicate with your bosses if you are going to be late. If you're headed into town for leisure, why stress yourself out before even arriving?

Our one ways and strange intersections can be confusing to tourists, but we can only hope that middle aged dad fumbling at State St is also leaving a very generous tip to our friend bartending at Fleet.

Also, as many of us know, there are far too many accidents this time of year. Please encourage others to get ride shares after too many drinks.

Here is a map of them. We need to do more to take them down. By whatever means possible. They are an extreme infringement on our privacy. You can email the Grand Traverse County Board of Directions (on the right, email section) as well as writing to your local township. There is still time to do this the proper way before we take them down ourselves.

They don't just read your plate; they know what bumps, scratches, etc. your car has, your habits of when you usually go to work and back home, how many people usually travel with you, your speed habits, if you usually eat while driving, etc.

Disclaimer: I, of course, would never take them down illegally.

Just asking.

Still a lot of speeding quiet cars. The road ragers I have experienced have all had normal volume vehicles.

Hi all,

I have an 11 pound puppy that I am looking to get spayed. I was originally going to go through Grand Traverse Veterinary Hospital, but they quoted around $1,000 for it which is more than I would like to spend if it can be done somewhere else for less. Does anyone know of somewhere that is reputable but potentially cheaper? Or I am also curious if anyone has gotten theirs done at Banfield and how much it was there. Thanks!

Hi- we will be staying closer to suttons bay off m22. Wondering how far towards traverse we actually need to go to be able to see the fireworks. Idea is to setup the trunk of my car for my boys to see it while cozy! Any rec where I can do that without having to come too far into traverse from Suttons?

It was like night turned into day, or at least some strobe filled club playing weird loud music. Between my wife and our chickens im sure lots of what the fucks were uttered.

Hi. I haven't been in the US very long; I came here on the J1 program, and I haven't really managed to socialize much yet. I’ve learned that July 4th is a significant date here due to the celebrations. I don't know anyone to go out with on July 4th; would it be a problem if I went out alone to watch the celebrations at the beach? Also, I have no idea how to socialize here. Thanks in advance to anyone who replies. 🫶

Hello!! Former TC dweller here, where should I go watch the world cup? I have no idea where to watch sports in this town anymore. US match is tonight so looking for some advice.

Hey everyone,

I know this is a massive long shot, but my wife and I are desperately looking for two tickets to the sold-out festival Chef's Lunch over at Bonobo Winery.

I’m a young chef myself, and the culinary lineup for this event is a massive inspiration for my career. I actually called the winery months ago to track the schedule for this and was told nothing would happen, I looked today out of curiosity and just my luck by the time I went to lock them in, it was completely booked up. I am absolutely gutted to be missing out on this.

If anyone has a change of plans, can no longer make it, or knows someone looking to get rid of their spots, please shoot me a DM! I am happy to pay face value (or a reasonable premium) and can meet up locally in TC or handle the transfer electronically immediately.

Thanks so much in advance!

By Craig Manning | June 30, 2026

The 100th annual National Cherry Festival kicks off this coming Saturday, July 4, and one of the premiere events on tap for the weekend is the Cherry Festival’s beloved air show. Here’s what to expect from this year’s show, from the aircraft involved to the scheduling details.

The planes: As previously reported, this year won’t see the return of the United States Navy Blue Angels, who are obligated elsewhere for the 250th anniversary of American independence. Instead, this year’s air show will be headlined by the U.S. Air Force Viper F16 Demo Team, a cadre of appropriately-festive red, white, and blue fighter jets (pictured).

Also winging their way to Traverse City for the air show are the West Coast Rhino Demo team, a U.S. Navy demonstration squad, as well as representation from the Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, the Michigan Army National Guard, and more. A full rundown of military aircraft can be found here, while details about civilian air show acts is here.

The schedule: While some people love the roaring sound of fighter jets blasting through the skies, others prefer to plan ahead for the noise, whether for the sake of their work schedules, for parenting reasons, or for sensitive pets or family members. To lend a hand, The Ticker asked Cherry Festival Communications Director Mandy DePuy what this week will bring in terms of pre-weekend practice sessions.

“Planes should start arriving on Thursday, but no formal practice is slated for that day,” DePuy shares. “They may do a circle and arrival upon landing, but that should be it for Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the practice and air show times are 1-4pm.”

The Thursday practice session is described on the Cherry Festival website as “a dress rehearsal for the main event” that gives “the participating aircrew a chance to familiarize themselves with the aerobatic box and fine-tune their performances for the Saturday and Sunday shows.”

Additionally, DePuy notes that Saturday evening’s Fourth of July “firework night extravaganza” will involve “two smaller planes flying with pyrotechnics during the firework and drone show.”

The meet-and-greet: As usual, the Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City will host a free “open ramp” event this year, to provide a chance for people to meet the pilots behind the air show and see the aircraft up close. This year’s open ramp is scheduled for Friday, July 3 from 5-8pm.