The National Cherry Festival is northern Michigan's most popular event. It turns Traverse City, a beach town of thirty thousand, into a thriving city of nearly one million. Begun almost a century ago, the festival started out as a small, neighborhood affair and grew into an international phenomenon that draws in visitors from all over the globe. Twist and pop a pit of Cherry Festival history with author and Traverse City native Brooks Vanderbush as he recounts the festival's growth and its queens and courts, governing bodies, past personalities and other memorable stories that have made it such an essential part of this vacation paradise.

If one of life’s major quests is for balance, it’s no surprise that Traverse City keeps topping national “best” lists. Here, visitors and locals come for the life balance—the serenity offered by the lapping of waves along hundreds of miles of sandy beach, a dark sky just made for wishing upon stars, the simplicity of picking up dinner at a roadside farm stand or from a chef who got her start at one. There’s a balance, too, of the simple and the elevated, as local chefs get noticed on the national stage, wineries scoop up international competition awards, and galleries attract acclaimed artists. There’s an old legend claiming that a dip in the waters of the 45th parallel, which passes through the region, will cure all that ails you. Others think simply a visit with the right mindset and at least one beach bonfire before you go might do the same. Discover for yourself in 100 Things to Do in Traverse City Before You Die.

Cradled in the East and West Arms of the Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City is nationally known as the Cherry Capital of the World, and locally known as a four-season playground with a rich agricultural heritage and a thriving, urban vitality. Since settlers first populated the area in the late 19th century, the Traverse City community has cherished and cultivated its natural resources, from the abundant fruit orchards and sparkling waters to the lumber and fuel industries that have provided economic growth. The city's pioneering spirit and strong sense of civic pride have only flourished with the passage of time. This book serves as a visual tour of Traverse City's history, exploring the community's agricultural, industrial, and social origins. Through a rare collection of vintage postcards, author C.S. Wright takes readers on an illustrated journey through the eras of development and influence that have contributed to Traverse City's distinctive culture and character.

Building on the success of National Geographic's Journeys of a Lifetime series, a sumptuously photographed, detailed tour of hundreds of the world's most alluring locations and activities is seasonally organized to profile everything from the cherry-blossom temples of Kyoto to Rockefeller Center's ice-skating rink.

For pure pleasure, few experiences are as satisfying as a chance to explore the world’s great culinary traditions and landmarks—and here, in the latest title of our popular series of illustrated travel gift books, you’ll find a fabulous itinerary of foods, dishes, markets, and restaurants worth traveling far and wide to savor. On the menu is the best of the best from all over the globe: Tokyo’s freshest sushi; the spiciest Creole favorites in New Orleans; the finest vintages of the great French wineries; the juiciest cuts of beef in Argentina; and much, much more. You’ll sample the sophisticated dishes of fabled chefs and five-star restaurants, of course, but you’ll also discover the simpler pleasures of the side-street cafés that cater to local people and the classic specialties that give each region a distinctive flavor. Every cuisine tells a unique story about its countryside, climate, and culture, and in these pages you’ll meet the men and women who transform nature’s bounty into a thousand gustatory delights. Hundreds of appetizing full-color illustrations evoke an extraordinary range of tastes and cooking techniques; a wide selection of recipes invites you to create as well as consume; sidebars give a wealth of entertaining information about additional sites to visit as well as the cultural importance of the featured food; while lively top ten lists cover topics from chocolate factories to champagne bars, from historic food markets to wedding feasts, harvest celebrations, and festive occasions of every kind. In addition, detailed practical travel information provides all the ingredients you’ll need to cook up a truly delicious experience for even the most demanding of traveling gourmets.