A Winter Weekend on the Bay at Tamarack Lodge

A lodge built to be used in every season

Tamarack Lodge of Traverse City is open year-round, and the lodge calls itself a four-season playground. The claim holds up best in winter, when the question is not whether there is something to do outdoors but whether the place you are staying makes the indoor hours feel like the point. A lodge with cedar, stone and a fireplace in the lobby has an advantage over a roadside hotel on that score.

A winter weekend here is a slow weekend. You are not racing a sunset on the beach or chasing a summer festival. You are choosing which hour to spend in the hot tub, which board game to pull off the shelf and when to walk out and look at the bay. That pace is the product, and it suits couples, small groups of friends and families who want a reset more than an itinerary.

The Cedar Cottage wing

The newest addition is the Cedar Cottage wing, home to the indoor pool, the hot tub and a cedar sauna. All three are open daily from 8 AM to 10 PM, which gives you a long window to work with. Go early, before the day fills in, and you may have the sauna nearly to yourself. Go late, after dinner, and a soak in the hot tub is a fine way to end a cold day.

One practical reminder: there is no lifeguard at the pool, and the amenities are for registered guests only. If you are bringing children, plan to be in the water with them. Centre Ice Fitness access is included in every stay too, so a morning workout before you indulge in the sauna is an option rather than a plan you have to pay for separately.

Fireplaces, tubs and a warm room

Every hotel room at the lodge has an electric fireplace, a flat-screen TV and a soaker spa tub, and individual climate control means you can keep the room at the temperature you like rather than the one the hallway prefers. The suites add a kitchen or kitchenette, a washer and dryer, and a sofa sleeper, which turns a long weekend into something closer to a rented cabin.

Guest Michaela visited in the off season, booked a two bedroom suite and wrote about the "cabin kind of feel with wood trim and fireplace." That is the mood to book for. Ask for a Lakeview room or suite so the bay is part of the picture, even when the beach is empty. A gray winter lake from a warm window is a view worth having.

Evenings in the Main Lodge

The Main Lodge is where winter evenings land. The spacious lobby has a fireplace and games out for guests, and there is a billiards table in the lodge. You can borrow board games, puzzles and movies to take back to your room, and the second floor holds a photo gallery of the property that is worth ten minutes on a slow afternoon.

The beverage station is stocked with coffee, tea and hot chocolate 24 hours a day, free of charge, so there is always something warm in reach. For something stronger, the lodge says to enjoy beer, wine and seltzer in the Main Lodge, and Twigs Gift Shop sells wine, beer and lodge souvenirs if you want a bottle for the room. Pair that with the electric fireplace in your room and you have a perfectly good Saturday night without leaving the property.

Getting out for an hour or two

You will still want to get out. The lodge's own winter suggestion is the igloos at Hop Lot, and downtown is only about ten minutes away, so dinner out and a short drive back is easy. The TART Trail is a short walk across the street for anyone who wants a cold-air stroll with a hat pulled low.

Pack the way you would for any northern Michigan weekend in winter: real boots, layers you can add or shed, and a swimsuit for the pool, which people forget. Road and weather conditions change, so check the forecast before you drive up and leave extra time for the trip. If conditions turn, the lodge's 24-hour guest services desk in the Main Lodge lobby is staffed around the clock.

Booking a winter stay

Check-in is at 4 PM and check-out at 10:30 AM, and a winter weekend rewards using all of both. Arrive in the afternoon, settle in, and spend the first evening by a fireplace rather than on the road. The lodge's Lakefront Romance Package, with sparkling rosé and local chocolates in the room, suits a couple's weekend, and the Traverse City Red Wine Package comes with Michigan tasting glasses. Call reservations at (231) 938-9744 to ask which packages are running for your dates and which room types are open.