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There is something for everyone to love in Petoskey, Michigan. Most people who come to the area just love to drive through the coastal town and enjoy its beauty. Climb through the area until you see Traverse Bay. The view is breathtaking and the feeling stays with you for a long time. But there is so much more to do and see in this charming area.
You will enjoy long biking and hiking trails, fudge from the Gaslight Village, and beautiful scenery that makes your escape worthwhile. If you are a lover of outdoor adventure, Petoskey, Michigan, will appeal to you. As you enjoy the outdoors, there are vacation rentals to help make your stay worthwhile.
Visit Petoskey if you love hiking, biking, sailing, swimming, golfing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, kiteboarding, kayaking, and downhill skiing among others. You can also fish while at it.
In all four seasons, there is something you can do outdoors. Winter is as fun as summer.
The beauty of Petoskey lies in the blue waters of the Little Traverse Bay. During summer, the trees are lush green contributing to the beauty of the area. When fall comes, the trees are gold.
Ernest Hemingway wrote most of his early works in Petoskey. You will see vivid descriptions of the area in his works. He documents his early days’ adventures in the beautiful land.
Petoskey sits near Michigan’s mitten tip. This part of Michigan is beautiful regardless of the season you visit. It is a resort community that offers enough activities for visitors all year round. When you come here the first time, the small-town charm gets to you, but you also enjoy amenities like you would in a big city. There are hotels, eateries, and shopping places to mirror what you get in a big city.
Petoskey houses the seat of Emmet County. Visitors to the area will love the surrounding destinations, such as Boyne Falls in Boyne City, Walloon Lake, and Harbor Springs. You can also drive to Charlevoix, which offers so much for visitors. Once you settle in one of the vacation rentals, you have so many places to visit and so much to do.
The long Lake Michigan shoreline is one of the most picturesque areas you will come across. So, bring your camera.
One of the most popular areas in Petoskey is the Gaslight District. This is a downtown shopping center with so many independent shops, eateries, boutiques, and fudge shops. The Little Traverse Bay along Lake Michigan gives visitors long stretches of sandy beaches with clear water. You can enjoy the lake more through the Little Traverse Bay Ferry. The ferry goes from downtown Petoskey across the lake to Harbor Springs. You need a whole day to explore the area.
The Petoskey Pierhead Light stands 30 feet tall. It is a red and white tower that acts as the landmark of Traverse Bay. Away from the bay is Pennsylvania Park. This is a large grassy expanse with a white gazebo. It is one of the best city parks in Michigan. Occasionally, there will be a concert in the park, so check the schedule as you plan for your vacation.
You will love the outdoor community overview in Petoskey, Michigan. The hiking and biking trails are always busy. These trails are in a natural setting, and you will always have company if you choose to explore the trails.
Further in the lower peninsula is the Petoskey State Park Beach. It is one of the most interesting state park beaches and a favorite camping area along Traverse Bay. People come to the area to search for the Petoskey stones. There are lots of these stones, and they have a unique pattern, a real treasure for the residents and people who come here for vacation.
If you love events, you can come during the Balloons Over Bay Harbor. During the event, hot air balloons fly over Little Traverse Bay.
You will experience cold and snow during winter and warm and fun weather during summer. This is what you get in all of northern Michigan. Temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees F during the day between June and September. In the morning and evening, temperatures are cooler during the summer months.
During the summer months, the sunsets are a pastime for most vacationers. The shorelines are a great place to catch the sunsets. As you bask under the evening sun, the beaches offer you a lot of amenities, including paddleboard rentals, picnic tables, and many more.
With so many summer activities and winter activities, Petoskey is ready for you any time of the year. There are more summer activities than winter activities, but because it snows in the city, there is still so much to do when the cold kicks in.
Petoskey, Michigan, hotels offer accommodation to thousands of people. There are resorts along the Traverse Bay, condos, inns, classic cottages, and homes by the shores of Lake Michigan. You will have an easy time getting a vacation rental that meets your needs.
The Victorian-era Petoskey is a four-hour drive from Detroit, Michigan. Once you get to the town, it will be easy to drive or sail to different sceneries and neighboring areas, such as Harbor Springs. If you are in Chicago, you will only drive for five hours. You can fly from Minneapolis, Detroit, or Chicago into the Cherry Capital Airport. Occasionally, there are direct flights from Cincinnati, Denver, Dallas, and New York to the town.
You can start your tour at Bayfront Park. This park houses the red clock, Petoskey City Marina, Petoskey pier and lighthouse, and the Bear Recreational Area. There is also a beautiful waterfall that makes the park more enthralling. You need a few hours to enjoy the views. There is free parking but during the summer months, you need to get there early or you will have no space. It is fun strolling the pier and walking in the warm water. During the summer months, bring your sunscreen, a sun hat, and flip-flops. The park should be part of your summer activities and winter activities list. Click here to see the Petoskey, Michigan houses for sale.
The hunt for Petoskey stones is a must for anyone who visits the town. It is not easy to find these stones, and even when you do, you may only get a small stone. Start the search at the Magnus Municipal Park and proceed to the shores of Michigan Beach Park. You may also collect some in the Fisherman’s Island State Park, Bay Front and Sunset Park, and Petoskey State Park. Once you get the stones, learn how to polish them and proceed to make a necklace out of them.
There is nothing interesting about the pierhead lighthouse, but the walk to the pier will make your summer day more interesting. It sits in Bayfront Park, a short distance from the City Marina. At the marina, you can sit on one of the benches and enjoy the great view of boats coming and going into the lake.
There is a museum behind the marina, the Little Traverse Historical Museum. This is a nice spot for anyone who wants to learn more about the town of Petoskey. The material here was donated by the local people. You get a chance to learn of the history of the Petoskey stones and how they came to be the recognized symbol for the area.
Next, visit the Bear River Valley Recreational Area. This is a breathtaking stretch along Bear River. There are trails, whitewater rafting, and boardwalks for fun. Although there is so much to do, you need to bring safety gear for the boardwalks and other activities. You can enjoy class I and IV rapids. The City of Petoskey invested over $2 million in the renovation of the recreational area in 2020. They create a quarter-mile whitewater boating area in the river. Along the river, you will experience steep bluffs, rapids, forests, concrete paths, and boardwalks among others.
The Little Traverse Wheelway is a 23-mile-long paved path. It is great for biking, jogging, riding, skating, or just walking. The scenery along the path is breathtaking. It connects Petoskey to Harbor Springs and Charlevoix. A long stretch of the Wheelway is along the Little Traverse Bay, and you get to enjoy the view of the water.
From the Wheelway, take a chocolate tour. The Kilwin’s Chocolate Kitchen shows you how chocolate is made. If you want to start a chocolate business or start a franchise, you will get the training you need here. If you visit during the training session, you will learn with the trainees how to make different treats. Some of the treats on offer include Turtles, Chocolates, Truffles, Corns, Caramel, and Brittles. You will get a free sample after the tour. You can make the tour part of your winter activities.
If you want chocolate and treats, grab some from your tour of Kilwin’s Chocolate Kitchen. Head to the Gaslight District where you will find shops of all sorts. There are about 170 shops in the area for you to explore. New visitors in the area can pass by the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau and learn more about the area. There are benches and gas lights along the streets where you can just sit and relax. This area is more than 100 years old and while there, you can still enjoy great views of Traverse Bay and dine before you go back to your vacation rental.
There are galleries and restaurants to enjoy after a long day of exploring the outdoors. You can pass by Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts for Petoskey stones. If you are lucky in your hunt for the stones, the NorthGoods store offers you a polishing kit to get you started.
Michigan is a farm-to-table state. The food is always fresh regardless of the restaurant you visit. Lake Michigan also offers a fishing area, allowing the restaurants to serve seafood. Local ingredients, such as whitefish and cherries form most of the dishes served. There are several craft breweries from hops and vineyards in the area and wine from the grapes in the area.
You can step into Chandler’s Restaurant, which has three dining areas. The restaurant has a beautiful patio where you can enjoy summer. Inside, they offer Symon’s Wine cellar. Their menu has seasonal ingredients, including Michigan apples and so much more.
Duffy’s Garage and Grille offer casual dining for car lovers. The interior is decorated with parts of classic cars. Here, you will enjoy pizza and gourmet burgers. From here, you can visit the City Park Grill. The grill serves almost all American dining with foods, such as hamburgers and whitefish meals. The bar at City Park Grill was a regular spot for Ernest Heminway – this is where he wrote some of his stories.
You can step into any eatery in the Gaslight District for American food. Whatever restaurant you step into, there will always be fresh foods.
There is so much to do in Petoskey, Michigan. You need a week or a couple of weeks to explore the area. As you explore the area, you need a place to stay and there is plenty of that in every corner of the city. You can live in classic homes along the shoreline or in condos in the town center.
Mackinaw Island has more than 1500 lodging rooms. It is a place where you will never come across franchise hotels as most of the places are family-owned and operated. Some of the award-winning properties in Mackinaw Island give you the best accommodation. From here, you can visit Nubs Nob and the areas surrounding Nubs Nob for a day of fun and recreation.
If you have interests in skiing and golf, you can visit the Boyne Highlands Resort and get lodging after your winter or summer activities. Boyne Highlands Resort is set high up from where you can have great views of Petoskey as you enjoy nightlife and great dining.
Your next trip to Petoskey should be fun. Plan out a list of summer activities and winter activities and block out a few weeks so that you have enough time for Petoskey nightlife, shopping, dining, and anything else the city has to offer.