At F & M Park in Traverse City, participants of the National Cherry Festival’s Kids Club play Cherry Jenga, draw with colored chalk, go bowling, and engage with a variety of other activities for children ages 2-12.

Everyone has a happy place where they go to escape the bludgeoning of life from work, illnesses, the news, family responsibilities (via relatives by marriage?), etc. Sometimes, it’s a physical, special spot where life makes the most sense, which in turn leads to mental happiness when we close our eyes and remember.

Summers in Northport wouldn’t be complete without Music in the Park on Friday nights. Taking place at the Marina Park, attendees set up their fold-up chairs and blankets on the lawn and enjoy a variety of free live music from regional bands.

"Timeless: Inside Mackinac Island’s Historic Cottages," By Moira Croghan, Photography by Mark Bearss

M-22 travels about 116 miles. The southern point of the state highway begins in Manistee and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline north to Northport. Drivers can also take M-22 along West Grand Traverse Bay from Traverse City to Northport.

His storied legacy is rooted in the woods and the water of northern Michigan.

Something happens to a certain type of person when they traverse the beaches of northern Michigan.

Recently, a young man with aspirations to open a brewery in northern Michigan was visiting with us. He shared his plans and we sat around brainstorming names, having way more fun than I would have imagined. The task was not without its challenges: a name needed to be easily found on Google (no weird spelling), unique (not already taken) and evoke the idea of the business it represents.

Harvest time comes with a taste of the past at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where antique apple varieties planted in the early 1900s dot the land.

Belinda Belanger is always on the move, and looks for clothing that will work to support her active and busy lifestyle.

Fall is a beautiful time of year to explore nature trails. Autumn and hiking go together like October and pumpkins. Temperatures are normally comfortable for hiking, and the kaleidoscope of fall’s color throughout the woodlands can be breathtaking.

No, I won’t say it. I can’t. It’s too cliché.

Look, kids, the sand dunes!” “Dude, that’s dope.” “Don’t call your father dude. And is dope bad?”

Challenge Island Northwest Michigan offers the STEAM Across the Universe Camp from Aug. 23-27 at Grand Traverse Area Children’s Garden.

The Trails of M22: 48 of the Most Beautiful Paths Along Michigan’s Most Beautiful Highway, 2nd Edition, by Jim DuFresne

Events are back on the calendar this summer, returning to the schedule in Charlevoix after many were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Despite the pandemic, area golf courses ended the season last year in good shape. Many with one of their better years, and the feeling around the Grand Traverse Regional golf scene is that 2021 may be one the best years ever.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have been investing into their outdoor living areas like never before, according to the owner of a local landscaping company.

Name: Becky Tranchell. Restaurant: Rose and Fern. Hometown: Owosso, Mich.

Have you ever wondered how ginger and turmeric started to show up at the farmers’ markets? How do farmers choose to grow the produce or sell the products they do? I asked a few farmers who sell at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market in Traverse City this question.

Annie Lang is surrounded by color wherever she goes — whether at home, at work or on a forest trail.

Heidi Yates, executive director of the Cherryland Humane Society, would only have to take a walk through the shelter to find countless reminders of the ways in which animals contribute to the good health of humans and vice versa.

They are the eagles of shipping on the Great Lakes, majestic vessels with conflicting silhouettes that will cause a person to pause and take notice.

Our lives are made up of many moments — approximately 2,209,032,000 on average.

More than 99 miles of state-recognized water trail opened in Antrim County during a late May ceremony.

The crackle of campfires, the crooning of song birds and the whistle of the wind are once again orchestrating their tuneful seasonal greeting in the Grand Traverse area.

Families gather for fun at the Frankfort Fall Festival in downtown Frankfort. The annual event features giant pumpkin-carving and the Crazy Pumpkin Drop, a parade and Mutt March, a craft fair, home brew and pie-eating contests, helicopter and wagon rides, and music, food and games like the Hillbilly Olimpiks obstacle course.

RUFFAGE by Abra Berens

Holiday shopping is always charming in the Grand Traverse Region’s charming cities, towns and villages decked out for the season with twinkling lights and a cloak of snow. But it’s especially fun when area for these special events designed to encourage visitors to come, shop and stay a while.

Nov. 15-Dec. 14, “Elf, the Musical”, TRAVERSE CITY

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve: the holiday trifecta that goes hand-and-hand with binge eating and drinking.

Bridgett Beckwith’s friends and family can expect some amazing holiday gifts each year.

Ludington has many charms but one of the best is its New Year’s Eve panache.

A favorite book, “Crap at My Parent’s House,” has recycled among family and friends so often that it could be in Guam, for all I know. Its popularity resonates because it pokes fun at bizarre gifts and traditions, many associated with the holidays.

Carol Worsley has been teaching cooking classes for more than 50 years, so it’s hardly a surprise that she loves to put on a holiday spread that would impress even Julia Child.

Name: Bryant Betts. Position: Crystal Mountain Resort Executive Chef.

Island dreams come alive during northern Michigan’s summer but an iconic party spirit has life beyond beaches and warm breezes.