For Michiganders, lakes = life, particularly in the summer, and with good reason! For two summers in a row now, and certainly with the hopes of making this an annual tradition, I’ve visited the tiny lakeside Northern Michigan town of Petoskey with a couple dear friends. It’s a perfect place for a 3 night vacation, but you have to book early to get a more affordable place to stay.
The Facts:
- Petoskey is a great base to use to explore the area. It’s a little cheaper and more intimate than Traverse City, it’s got great access to beaches and nature centers, and a good selection of lodging and restaurants.
- Downtown Petoskey is just a few blocks filled with cute shops, including some wonderful coffee shops, and a quick walk down the hill to the pier, which even has covered picnic areas at the end of it. We found this was a lovely place to walk to with our morning coffees…
- You can search for the famed Petoskey stones (and find them!) on the rocky beach area right by the pier.
- There’s a nice looking bike trail that connects Petoskey to the next cute town down, Charlesvoix. We didn’t rent bikes, but were very tempted. Maybe next year?
- Make it a beach day! Turns out, Lake Michigan is gorgeous – and their motto is “No salt, no sharks”. The beach at Petoskey State Park was perfect, and just north of town.
- The whole area is filled with farms, cideries, wineries, breweries, orchards, farmers markets, etc etc etc. YUM.
The Photos:
