CARLSON’S CORNER — Wellness, Prevention & Healthy Travel
“The healthiest vacation is the one you return from feeling better than when you left.”
Traverse City Wellness Score: ★★★★★ (5/5)
An ‘up north’ wellness gem — clean lake water, farm-fresh food, trails, and cool, restful nights.
The wellness case for Traverse City
Traverse City is northern-Michigan wellness: swim and paddle Lake Michigan’s clear water, bike the TART Trail, eat cherries and farm-fresh everything, and sleep in cool, quiet nights.
Healthiest things to do in Traverse City
- Bike or walk the TART Trail and lakeshore
- Swim and paddle the clear bay (mind the cold)
- Beach and dune walks at Sleeping Bear
- Kayak the Boardman River
- Farm-stand and orchard mornings
Best hikes in Traverse City
- Easiest: Flat TART Trail and Clinch Park lakeshore paths.
- Most vigorous: The Dune Climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes.
- Longest: Empire Bluff and Sleeping Bear Point trails.
Eat well in Traverse City
Farm-to-table is a way of life here — cherries, fresh fish, and local produce make clean eating effortless.
Move, recover, reset
Pair active days (biking, paddling, the dune climb) with easy lakeside recovery. The cool climate makes daily movement comfortable.
Sleep: Cool northern nights are made for sleep — just respect the wine tours and keep a sober driver.
Dr. Carlson’s Wellness Insight
“Traverse City is one of the most underrated wellness spots in the country — clean water, real food, and cool nights. Move on the trails and water, eat the local produce, pace the wineries, and you’ll sleep like a kid.”
— Dr. Will Carlson, MD, Emergency Physician
Return home better than you left
Daily movement, farm-fresh food, cool sleep, and paced wine tours — you’ll head home recharged.
If you do get run down on the road
Even a great trip can come with a sinus infection, a UTI, or a bad sunburn. If it happens in Traverse City, Vacation Medicine connects you with a licensed physician by video in minutes — $100 flat, followed for a week.
Call Vacation Medicine: 850-660-3112
Hidden wellness gems
- Best view-for-effort: Empire Bluff at sunset
- Best swim: a quiet Leelanau sandbar
Go deeper: Petersen’s Playbook: the medical-prep guide to Traverse City · more Carlson’s Corner
