I guess more details about the family trip to Traverse City is being expected. We had a total of 13 people total come on the trip. This included Ramakka and her 3 kids, Sunitha and her 2 kids, Shoba and Rekha, Anu and Niki and finally my wife and myself.
We had been thinking about this trip for awhile but there was no firm dates fixed till the day before. We actually wanted to stay at Sleep Bear Sand Dunes as a base and then travel to different areas of North Michigan. Thank goodness all the hotels were booked and we stayed in Traverse City instead.
Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes was fun for a day, but beyond that I would have been bored to tears. How many times can you climb a sand dune, really? I did make the calls and all the hotels were full or could not accommodate such a large group.
So then I Google Traverse City since I had heard so much about it and then booked the most expensive hotel I could find. For some reason my mind equates price with quality, so I booked the most expensive hotel I could find. Later only did I realize that there was an indoor water park and that is why the first day the price of the hotel room was $500 a night, since it included the price of the indoor water park.
Either way, Srekar had a great time, since he was in the right age bracket to enjoy the water park and all the slides. I enjoyed it somewhat also, but the teenage girls I had with me, were bored in 2 hours of the place.
The drive took us 4.5 hours and we got to the hotel, Great Wolf Lodge, around 3PM. Checked in and then told all the kids that I did not want to see them till 6PM, since I wanted them out of the rooms and enjoying the water park. Otherwise my teenage girls would have been happy watching TV. I got to the water park around 6PM and by this time the girls were bored completely. I hung out for another hour and then came back to the room and slept.
Next day we went and got 4 Jet Skis and a larger boat that could accommodate 7 people and pull a water raft behind. Together it was fun. I really enjoyed the Jet Skis on the lake it was simply terrific. The larger boat was tedious and I think everyone wished we had spend more time on the jet skis. Went to dinner at Red Mesa Grill and I really enjoyed the place.
Third day we went to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, and that was nice. I like Silver Lake Sand Dunes much better since you can take jeeps on to the sand dunes. On Sleeping Bear, you can climb the sand dunes and that is about it. It was fun in its own way.
Came back to Traverse City, and the gang was split for dinner at a Thai restaurant and Jimmy John's. The Thai food was very good.
Drove back home to Novi MI, while the kids mostly slept the whole way back.
There is a great fast food place in Traverse City called Culver's and you should really try their Mini Ice Cream Mixers. They are the absolute perfect size to enjoy soft custard mixed with different toppings. I had their Vanilla mixed with Peanut Butter and Fudge and it was heavenly. The kids mostly got theirs mixed with Cookie Dough and Marshmallow and they loved their also.
The 3 days flew by, and for the next trip I am planning a 7 day adventure and likely a smaller group so that it is easier to manage. It should be awesome.
To any of my friends that read my blog, come to MI and I will take you to Traverse City, and I can guarantee you that you will love the place. All expenses are on me, so come for a free vacation it would be my pleasure to host a vacation for any of my friends.
