Things to Do at The Open Space

Ten minutes in The Open Space and you understand Traverse City. This wide, grassy strip hugs West Grand Traverse Bay, a five-minute walk from downtown, yet it feels both civic and loose. Frisbee arcs over a family's blanket—no one minds. The bay glitters beyond the lawn; on clear days the Old Mission Peninsula hills knife into the horizon. Most people stop mid-stride. The park overperforms as an events venue. The National Cherry Festival—Traverse City's signature summer blowout—claims The Open Space as a main stage and gathering ground, so July turns the quiet lawn into a pop-up town. The rest of summer brings outdoor concerts, food trucks, and the easy buzz that good waterfront space creates without trying. Show up on a weekday morning in late May or early September and you might own the place—just water noise and whatever's rolling along the TART Trail at the edge. Location is key. You're close enough to downtown to grab coffee or lunch at Morsels or one of the Front Street spots, yet far enough that the place doesn't feel like a patio extension. The marina at the eastern edge adds texture—sailboats and motorboats bobbing, an occasional charter sliding onto the bay. Parking near the waterfront gets brutal in peak summer; walking from downtown is smarter.

Park at Clinch Park lot off Grandview Parkway (M-72) and you’ll still walk 5 minutes—summer meters are brutal. The Open Space sits right at the foot of Union Street where it meets the waterfront, about a 10-minute walk from the heart of downtown Traverse City's Front Street. Walking from downtown is smarter; you’ll pass coffee shops, bookstores, and you won’t circle for a space. If you're staying downtown, walking is the obvious move — the route takes you past coffee shops and bookstores, and parking near the waterfront in summer is a minor ordeal. The library parking structure on Cass Street, three blocks inland, stays half-empty even on Saturday. If you're driving from further out, the Clinch Park lot off Grandview Parkway (M-72) is the closest paid option, though the meters fill fast on summer weekends; the library parking structure on Cass Street a few blocks inland is a more reliable backup. Pedal the TART Trail from either direction and the park hits you in the face—no hunt, no fee. Biking via the TART Trail from points north or south drops you right at the park's edge.