Traverse City, MI

With a cherry on top—that’s how you’ll get your New Year’s at the CherryT Ball Drop in Traverse City. Just before midnight, the giant cherry, illuminated by 5,000–7,000 Christmas lights, descends more than 200 feet from a crane hovering over the downtown skyline. Downtown Traverse City; (231) 944-1500; cherrytballdrop.com. —Alix Strauss