Traverse City Ranked Among Best Vacation Destinations in U.S. For Beer Lovers

What?! A list about beer and Grand Rapids, Beer City USA, didn't make it?

It's true, GR did not make Thrillist's "Best Vacation Destinations in America for Beer Lovers" list, but our neighbors to the north did-- congrats to Traverse City!

According to Thrillist, the destinations they chose are "the perfect spots to mix standard vacation activities-- boating, hiking, sitting lazily in the sand -- with some of the best beer in the country."

Thrillist does note:

While we love our big beer cities -- Portland, San Diego, and Denver are fantastic vacation spots -- we largely kept our selections out of the biggest (or most obvious) beer metropolises. But hey, we're not stopping you from vacationing in the best beer cities, either! 

(GR did make that list.)

Here's Thrillist's praise for Traverse City:

If you close your eyes and try to picture a gorgeous Michigan lake town, your mind will very likely draw a picture that looks exactly like this bay city that, thankfully, isn't actually Bay City, with respect to the Rollers. The heart of Michigan's wine country is like a postcard of Michigan's azure-blue paradise, a place with endless options for great food (Cooks' House… good Lord!), a solid film fest, museums, and laid-back summer life. Oh, and there's beer. Sorry, all that whimsy made us forget why we're here.

Yeah… so about that beer. Traverse -- a tiny town of about 15,000 or so, minus the "sprawl" and situated on the magnificent Leelanau Peninsula -- happens to house thestate's best beer bar in the form of 47-tap-deep, Michigan-centric 7 Monks, but it also owns it when it comes to breweries. There's the famed Mackinaw Brewing and a hub of barrel-aging masters at Jolly Pumpkin in town, while Right Brain Brewery,Ferment, and Workshop hold their own in a city blessed with as much beer as it is scenic viewpoints. There's probably no better place in the state to chill beachside while drinking a locally crafted beer."

Here's the rest of their picks for beer-cations in the U.S.:

• Portland, Maine
• Missoula, Montana
• Tampa, Florida
• Sonoma, California
• Western Massachusetts
• Traverse City, Michigan
• Cooperstown, New York
• Astoria, Oregon
• Boulder, Colorado
• Charleston, South Carolina