A taste of summer, plus great beer, food, and chocolate!

If you can’t wait for summer to get here, you need to get to the Traverse City Civic Center this weekend! Beer lovers are headed to City Park Grill on Saturday…and life is just beachy at the City Opera House Saturday night! You can sip and sample great food and drinks in Mackinaw City, and Sunday is the day for chocoholics in Traverse City!
 
Traverse City Lake and Cottage Show, Friday through Sunday, April 5-7, Grand Traverse County Civic Center
Home decor and design…furniture to landscaping…kitchen and bath to home services and other awesomeness awaits you! Show hours are Friday 3 to 8, Saturday 10 to 6, and Sunday 10-4. Admission: $7 for adults, $2 for kids 6 to 15; free for those five and under. Check out the website for details at http://tccottageshow.com/
 
Hopfest at City Park Grill, Saturday, April 6th, 5-10pm
Celebrate National Beer Day by sampling nearly 100 varieties of craft beer, mead and hard cider from establishments like Short’s, Bells, New Holland, Beard’s, Petoskey Brewing Company and much more. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Get yours at mynorthtickets.com
 
Cheeseburger in Paradise…A Tropic Rock Extravaganza at the City Opera House, Saturday, April 6th, 7:30pm
This is the perfect antidote to a long cold winter-a tribute to Jimmy Buffet and beach music. This will be a real tropical party with bouncing beach balls, a limbo stick, and a contest for the wildest tropical shirt. Enjoy a margarita and a cheeseburger and plan to change both your latitude and your attitude at this summer-themed evening. Get tickets at cityoperahouse.org
 
Taste of Mackinaw, Saturday, April 6th, 2-10pm, Mackinac Bay Trading Company
Sample delicious food from local Mackinaw City Restaurants, plus beer and wine tasting from Mackinac Island Brewhouse and Mackinac Island Winery! Tickets are $10 at the door.
 
Traverse City Chocolate Festival, Sunday, April 7th, Park Place Hotel-2 tastings at 11:30 and 2:30pm
Back for it’s 10th scrumptious year, the TC Chocolate Festival features tastings and samples from the regions finest chocolatiers, chefs and caterers. Tickets are $20, with proceeds going to the Northwest Food Coalition, and are available at tcchocolatefestival.com