At the foot of Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City is a metropolitan hub surrounded by farms, orchards, and vineyards. Nowhere in town is the agricultural setting more evident, and tasteable, than at Moomer’s ice cream parlor, the porch of which offers a nice view of dairy cows grazing. The ice cream is rich but not cloyingly so, sundaes are generously constructed, and sodas are made using Vernor’s ginger ale, which once was a Michigan exclusive. A couple of other great bucolic tastes are each a drive out of town: the Cherry Hut in Beulah, which has been known for stupendous cherry pies since 1922; and Friske Orchards up in Charlevoix, where the smell of apples, apple cider, apple pie, and apple donuts is a dizzying appetizer. Back in Traverse City, Cousin Jenny’s serves all manner of pasty — traditional ones and “gourmet pasties” with ingredients that reflect cuisines of the world. For a blast of the past, Don’s Drive-In (since 1958) is a bright pink building that sells burgers from slider-size (1/8 pound) to quarter pounders and double quarter pounders. Shakes and malts are blended to order and, in season, can be made with fresh Michigan fruit.