www.TraverseCity.com

Livability.com said Traverse City has “all the ingredients for a great winter vacation – a quaint downtown with beautiful views of Lake Michigan, microbreweries, restaurants, shops, performance venues and lots of snow.”  The article cited the community’s popularity with skiers, snowmobilers and snowshoers—particularly the ski facilities at Shanty Creek Resorts — as well as its bustling craft brewing scene, and the indoor pampering available at the Great Wolf Lodge and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.

2013 Winter/Spring “TC Escape Packages” 
The Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering a  Winter/Spring “Traverse City Escape” package – good until May 16 – that combines special rates at more than 17 participating hotels and resorts with a wide range of discounts on winter recreation, shopping, dining and entertainment.

For winter sports enthusiasts, the packages include deep discounts on lift tickets, ski lessons and equipment, trail passes and snowmobile rentals. There are also great deals at some of the area’s best restaurants and special discounts on shopping, spa services, movies, wine tastings and other entertainment.

Traverse City named “Best Buddies-Trip Destination” by Golf Digest 
Traverse City was named one of Golf Digest’s Top Ten “Best Buddies-Trip Destinations” for 2013. The magazine is running a list of 36 such destinations in its January issue — a list created by surveying the roughly 1,100 panelists who produce the magazine’s biennial rankings of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

Traverse City’s spot in the Top Ten was revealed by Senior Travel Editor Matt Ginella, in his blog, where he talked about some of his favorite northern Michigan courses and particularly recommended the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, which has been ranked as high as #48 on Golf Digest’s own list of the Top 75 Gold Resorts in North America. “There are three courses, a nice restaurant, and its marketing staff gets creative with golf packages, but if I had time for only one round on the property, I’d play The Bear,” he wrote.

Openings, improvements, expansions, etc.
Incredible Mo’s, a new family-oriented fun center, hopes to open its doors around the New Year on US 31 between Traverse City and Interlochen. Owners Chris and Sandra Mohrhardt, are revamping a 34,000 square-foot building on 3.5 acres that has been vacant for the past  two years. The new center will include indoor bocce and cornhole courts, 10 bowling lanes, a laser tag area, and a Kid Zone designed for toddlers. Its restaurant will seat 100 guests and specialize in artisan pizzas, burgers, salads and “lots of appetizers.” Sporting events will be broadcast on several big-screen TVs.

Yet another winery tasting room has opened on the Leelanau Peninsula. Blustone Vineyard, whose first vintage of unoaked 2010 Chardonnay won a gold medal at the Pacific Rim Wine Competition and Double Gold at the Taster’s Guild International Wine Competition, can be found on North Sylt Road in the village of Lake Leelanau. It is open Thursday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. throughout the winter.

The former Giovanni’s Roadhouse in Interlochen is now Maddy’s Tavern. Jeff and Trish Wiltse, who operated the long-standing Italian restaurant for nearly five years, say the name better reflects the many non-Italian items now on their menu. (The name refers to Dr. Joseph Maddy, who founded of Interlochen’s National Music Camp in 1928.)

New Faces
Scott Newmann, owner and operator of Scott’s Harbor Grill for more than 20 years, has been named Assistant General Manager and Food & Beverage Director at the Traverse City Cambria Suites. Newman has already revamped the menu at the hotel’s in-house restaurant, Reflect.

Awards and Honors
For the second year in a row, Horse Shows by the Bay, Traverse City’s month-long summer equestrian festival, was named “Best AA Show” for its geographical zone by the United States Hunter Jumper Association. A total of 25 “AA” shows were held this past year in Zone V which encompasses Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana

The Left Foot Charley Winery was awarded a prestigious Jefferson Cup for its 2011 Seventh Hill Farm Riesling. It was the only Michigan wine to make the list this year.
From the original 700 invited wines, 79 were selected as nominees and only 29 made the final list.

Grand Traverse Resort and The Bear have been named Golf Course of the Year for 2012 by the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association. “With a long list of accomplishments, along with community contributions and exceptional management, (this) was an easy selection,” said the MGCWA. “The combined 70 years of experience in key golf management of Director of Golf Tom McGee, Head Golf Professional Scott Hebert, and Director of Golf & Grounds Paul Galligan has proved to be a winning formula.”  The Bear has been the host course for the Michigan Open for 24 years.

Traverse City’s Best Western Four Seasons has just received their eighth consecutive Chairman’s Award for Quality from Best Western International. This award is presented to the top three percent of Best Westerns in the system.

Lots of  New Winter Events on Offer for 2013!
Traverse City will see several exciting new events (both indoors and outdoors) in the winter of 2013 — as well as a few that are making a welcome comeback.

On Feb. 3, for instance, the event that helped thousands of American women stop worrying about how they look in ski pants – the Women’s Winter Tour — is returning to Traverse City. A good-humored “celebration of women, winter and chocolate,” the tour will be held on the scenic Leelanau Trail, between Traverse City and Suttons Bay.

Unlike other athletic events, the Women’s Tour features no stopwatches or numbered bibs. Participants ski or snowshoe at their own pace along a sort of “linear progressive party,” stopping along the trail for locally crafted wines, gourmet cuisine, desserts and chocolates at trailside refueling stops — and the only men in sight will be there to help.

On Feb. 8-9 the Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel hosts the U.S. 27 Motorsports Snocross National, which is expected to bring 5,000 snowmobile riders and spectators to the area. The event is part of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, which will be aired on the CBS Sports Network and is considered the world’s premier snocross tour.

Snocross is a sport in which riders compete at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour on tracks featuring tight turns, banked corners, steep jumps (some as high as 30 feet) and obstacles. In an extra thrill for fans of high-performance snowmobiles, Traverse City will also be one of only two stops on the eight-city series to feature a first-ever “freestyle jam session” in which the machines and their drivers are pushed to their limits in a series of jumps, flips and other stunts.

Another long-awaited comeback is the Traverse City Winter Comedy Festival, which will be held Feb. 14-17. A joint effort by the Traverse City Film Festival and the National Cherry Festival, the newly-revived comedy fest will feature top nationally-known comedians in concert each night. (Mike Birbiglia will be returning to Traverse City with his film, “Sleepwalk With Me.”)

Other entertainment will include up-and-coming comics, an improve group or two, comedy films, family comedy and comedy filmmakers. Front Street, in downtown Traverse City, will be transformed into a free skating rink. Also look for a Ferris wheel, sledding hill, ice sculptures and outdoor laser light shows after dark.

Finally, on Feb. 16, the village of Suttons Bay is starting up its own brand-new winter festival, the YetiFest. The “monster” in this case a 1.2-mile bicycle hill climb that will take cyclists through the village streets and ascend a steep snowy hill above town — no matter how icy, sloppy or snowy the weather. There’ll also be a chili cook-off, microbrew tent, live music, an Abominable Snowman building contest, a snowmobile Concours d’Elegance, and a Yeti look-alike (best beard) contest.

Winter Microbrew & Music Festival to Include Entire “Craft Beer Week”
The Fourth Annual Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival only lasts for a single day – Saturday, Feb. 9 – but organizers have decided to make it the culmination of an entire week devoted to craft brewing. Craft Beer Week, will start Feb. 2 with a local “Craft Beer Crawl” and will feature special food/ beer pairings in local restaurants as well as a Feb. 8 “State of Beer” discussion about the art and craft of brew.

The festival is also moving to a new site: the Farmers Market lot in Downtown Traverse City. It will feature multiple heated tents featuring over 50 craft breweries from around the state, over 200 styles of brews, wines, ciders and meads, acclaimed live musical acts, silent disco and polka tents, snow forts, winter decorations and local food vendors.

OTHER COMING EVENTS:
Jan 12– Winter Trails Day
A celebration of Traverse City’s huge winter trail system at Timber Ridge Resort. Free ski lessons, ski & snowshoe rentals and snow bike demos, available on a first-come first-served basis to pre-registered participants. 231-947-2770www.traversetrails.org

Jan. 12 — Downtown Chili Cook-Off
Warm up your winter at the 17th Annual Downtown Chili Cook-Off.  This popular event takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Park Place Dome, and attracts over 1000 attendees each year who sample the many chilies and vote for their favorites.  (231) 922-2050 www.downtowntc.com

Jan 19 — Kalkaska Winterfest
One of the world’s biggest dogsled events is held each January in the village of Kalkaska, with dogsled races through the Pere Marquette State Forest and a full slate of weight-pull contests for dogs of all breeds and sizes. The festival also has lots of other events and games. (231) 258-9103 www.kalkaskawinterfest.org

Jan 19 –Winter Warm Up
The Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula have teamed up with peninsula area restaurants and businesses for this event. A $10 souvenir mug serves as your “ticket” into each participating winery and business on the Peninsula for warm comfort food and drinks. It’s the best treatment for those winter blues! (231) 223-9303
www.wineriesofoldmission.com

Jan 19 — BigFoot Snowshoe Race
Running Fit hosts the BigFoot 5k and 10k snowshoe race at Timber Ridge.  With around 300 participants, it’s always loads of fun.  And as a Midwest qualifier for the National Championship Snowshoe race in March, there are always some pretty serious athletes taking part. http://www.timberridgeresort.net/

Jan 19 — Beer and Boards Festival
Come to Schuss Mountain to sample a wide variety of microbrews while bonding with fellow enthusiasts and the brewers at the Fourth Annual SCR Beer and Boards Festival.  Featuring Bellaire’s own, Short’s Brewing Company, and other Michigan brewers. (800) 678-4111 www.shantycreek.com

Feb. 2 — 36th Annual White Pine Stampede
This Michigan Cup cross-country ski race (in 10k, 20k and 50k loops) starts in the village of Mancelona and travels a hilly course through the wooded forests around the Shanty Creek Resorts. (231) 587-8812 www.whitepinestampede.org

Feb 2-3 –Taste the Passion
This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love in anticipation of Valentine’s Day!  Special pours and tasty chocolate treats are offered at the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula from 11am-5pm Saturday, and noon-5pm Sunday. And since one cannot survive on chocolate alone, savory dishes will be served at a number of tasting rooms.
www.lpwines.com

Feb. 9-10 – North American VASA Festival of Races
A host of races and touring events on a beautifully-crafted trail through the Pere Marquette State Forest. The main Saturday race is one of 14 U.S. events listed in the prestigious American Ski Marathon Series.  Sunday’s 16K traditional-style race, the Gran Travers Classic, is an equally prestigious event for old-school Nordic skiers, and one of the events in the Michigan Cup classic series. (231) 938-4400 www.vasa.org

Feb 16 — Romancing the Riesling on Old Mission Peninsula
The Traverse City area is known for producing top notch Rieslings, and this winter event features some of the best. Participating Old Mission wineries will showcase a Riesling, served in your very own souvenir wine glass and perfectly paired with a food offering. As an extra bonus, guests will enjoy at least 10% off all Riesling purchases at participating wineries throughout the event. 231-223-7355 wineriesofoldmission.com

Feb. 17 — Grand Traverse Resort & Spa Winter Fireworks Show
Grand Traverse Resort & Spa holds this midwinter fireworks display at 7 p.m. on the Sunday of the Traverse City Winter Comedy Festival. www.gtresort.com

Feb. 24-Mar. 2 — 2nd Annual TC Restaurant Week
The most delicious week of the winter! This popular event gives food-lovers a chance to discover new restaurants (or enjoy their favorites) at an affordable price. Traverse City’s finest restaurants offer multi-course meals especially prepared for this gourmet week. Check the website for details. 231-922-2050 www.downtowntc.com

Mar 2 – 41st Annual Slush Cup 
Enthusiastic skiers and snowboarders attempt to cross an icy 40′ pond at Shanty Creek Resorts.  Contestants are encouraged to don their silliest costumes as they compete for the last one standing and costume awards. (800) 678-4111www.shantycreek.com

Mar 2 — 7th Annual Suds & Snow
Beer tasting and snowshoeing go hand in hand during Suds & Snow at Timber Ridge Resort.   Along with samples of a wide variety of Michigan breweries, the event will feature food and live music. (231) 947-2770www.TimberRidgeResort.net

Mar 9 – 11 –Cardboard Classic
Using only cardboard, glue and tape for their sleds, contestants will race down the ski slopes of Schuss Mountain at Shanty Creek Resorts. 800-678-4111 ww.shantycreek.com

Mar. 16 — Leapin’ Leprechaun 5K
The National Cherry Festival’s new 5k foot race. Participants will receive a commemorative shirt, official timing, and a post-event party, with live music and entertainment and a complimentary beer for those 21 and older. Runners are encouraged to dress “Irish” for the occasion! 231-947-4230 www.cherryfestival.org

Mar. 23-24- Schuss Mountain Snow Challenge Truck Races
Instead of racing down Schuss Mountain, race to the top in your truck! 800-678-4111
www.shantycreek.com/snowchallenge

Please feel free to use this material it in any way you like. You may run it in part or in its entirety (with or without byline), or use it as a source for stories of your own. And if I can be of any additional help, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Mike Norton, Media Relations 
Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau
E: mike@traversecity.com
P: (231) 995-3909
F: (231) 947-2621