One-Day Itineraries

Four ready-made loops built from the same verified data the planner uses. Each stop lists its suggested tasting time; drives add to that, and the planner times the full day against each room’s real hours when you load your own picks.

Old Mission classic

Five wineries in tasting order up Center Road, south to north, ending near Mission Point Lighthouse.

  1. Hawthorne Vineyards (Traverse City): about 45 minutes. Unpretentious room with the rare trick of views over both the East and West arms of the bay, plus a big deck.
  2. Peninsula Cellars (Traverse City): about 45 minutes. Tasting room in a converted schoolhouse with playful school-themed labels (one wine is called Detention).
  3. Chateau Grand Traverse (Traverse City): about 45 minutes. Old Mission's founding estate and Michigan's Riesling pioneer.
  4. Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery (Traverse City): about 45 minutes. Polished estate paired with the Secret Garden lavender farm.
  5. Tabone Vineyards (Traverse City): about 45 minutes. Family-run favorite with a generous patio.

About 3.8 hours of tasting time before drives.

Leelanau harbor towns

Village to village along the bay side: two rooms in Suttons Bay, then one each in Lake Leelanau, Leland, and Northport.

  1. Three Trees Vineyard (Suttons Bay): about 45 minutes. Small estate-only producer with a quiet, pine-scented room.
  2. Suttons Bay Ciders (Suttons Bay): about 40 minutes. Hilltop cidery with one of the best West Bay views around, a wide cider range, wood-fired pizza, and a bonfire area.
  3. Northern Latitudes Distillery (Lake Leelanau): about 45 minutes. Lake Leelanau's distillery, with four complimentary tastes, inventive cocktails (the horseradish-vodka dirty martini), and a kitchen.
  4. Verterra Winery (Leland) (Leland): about 45 minutes. Year-round tasting room in downtown Leland near Fishtown.
  5. Dune Bird Winery (Northport): about 45 minutes. Relaxed Northport spot with wood-fired pizza and pond-side pergola seating.

About 3.7 hours of tasting time before drives.

Traverse City on foot

The in-town day: breweries and distilleries close enough that the car can stay parked.

  1. Nocturnal Bloom Brewing (Traverse City): about 50 minutes. Small, well-reviewed lager-leaning brewery on the south side with indoor and patio space; a strong newer contender..
  2. Tank Space on 8th (Traverse City): about 50 minutes. Earthen Ales' Eighth Street satellite taproom, with a smash-burger spot next door and Tandem cider on tap..
  3. Grand Traverse Distillery (Traverse City): about 45 minutes. One of Michigan's oldest craft distilleries, with production tours and tastings.
  4. Earthen Ales (Traverse City): about 50 minutes. Hidden brewery under the water tower at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, around the corner from Left Foot Charley.

About 3.3 hours of tasting time before drives.

Bay views

Rooms whose own notes earn the view: bay water or an overlook from the tasting room.

  1. Nocturnal Bloom Brewing (Traverse City): about 50 minutes. Small, well-reviewed lager-leaning brewery on the south side with indoor and patio space; a strong newer contender..
  2. Suttons Bay Ciders (Suttons Bay): about 40 minutes. Hilltop cidery with one of the best West Bay views around, a wide cider range, wood-fired pizza, and a bonfire area.
  3. Tandem Ciders (Suttons Bay): about 40 minutes. Beloved small cidery in a quiet rural setting north of Suttons Bay.
  4. Leelanau Wine Cellars (Omena): about 45 minutes. One of the region's largest and most widely distributed labels.

About 2.9 hours of tasting time before drives.

Chasing peak leaves? The fall color wine tour pairs these loops with the three drives at their best.