Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliates links, which means that if you buy something through these links, I might get a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
For those of you who don’t know, there’s been a rivalry between Ohio and Michigan dating back over a 100 years. It started with the Toledo war and it continues on today, mostly on the football field. As an Ohio resident of 9 years, I don’t think that I’m supposed to say this, but here we go: ”Michigan, you win! At least when it comes to the natural beauty.”
It took me 7 whole years to discover Michigan. It’s still a mystery to me how come people in the Midwest don’t know about the beauty of Coastal Michigan. But here I am, ready to spread the news and encourage anyone who loves natural beauty to travel to Petoskey.
We visited Petoskey for 4th of July twice: once in 2020 and the second time in 2021. We spent three days there each time and we could have easily spent twice as much time. I put together a list of our favorite activities that could easily fill up a whole week.
what to do
1. Hit the beach at Petoskey State park
I am going to start by saying that if I didn’t know Petoskey was on a lake, I would have sworn I was looking at a sea or ocean. The immensity of lake Michigan, the clarity of the water, the different shades of blue – reminded me a bit of the Caribbean sea. You can easily spend hours at the beach, playing in the sand, climbing the dunes or looking for the famous Petoskey stones. When we went there this past July, we had an unusually cold day (like long pants and jacket kind of cold), so the water was chilly. We put our kids in their wet suits and they had a blast!
2. Visit the quaint, little town of Harbor Springs and play at the beach
Harbor Springs is a charming, waterfront community that lies in a sheltered bay on the north shore of Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The small beach is perfect for little kids. There are bathrooms, changing facilities and picnic tables right on the beach. Some trees provide shaded spots for people who don’t want to sunbathe.
The beach is within walking distance to bars, restaurants, stores and the marina. Since we were there over the 4th of July weekend, we were able to watch the parade go through town, while enjoying a delicious lunch at Pierson’s Grille. I highly recommend reserving a table and doing this, if you travel with young kids. Our boys were melting into the bright sun and they wouldn’t have lasted long in the streets.
3. Take a boat ride
We were lucky enough to be in Petoskey at the same time as our friends, Ann and Artie, who own a speed boat, so they took us for a ride between Petoskey and Harbor Springs. But there is also a ferry that runs between these two towns, from May until September. The ride is approximately 45 min, and it connects Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Bay Harbor.
4. Walk around the Historic Gaslight District
Downtown Petoskey is filled with restored historical buildings, turned into restaurants, stores and specialty shops. We walked around there after our lunch at Beards Brewery, in search of an ice cream place. We got our fix at Murdick’s Fudge and ate the ice cream while sitting in the shade at Pennsylvania Park, right behind the shop.
The downtown area, which sprawls over a hill, also offers beautiful views of Lake Michigan.
Tip: park your car for free at the Bayfront Park, right across the street from the Gaslight District. There is a tunnel that connects the marina with the downtown, and it only takes a few minutes to get from one side to the other.
5. Have a picnic and play at the Bayfront Park
The day we got to Petoskey, after a 7 hour drive, we knew that our kids would not be up for a sit down restaurant. They needed to move around, jump and play. So we decided to do a picnic instead. We found THE perfect picnic area on the waterfront. The tables were overlooking the lake and we could watch boats come and go, as we ate our dinner. After eating, the boys played at the kid’s park with Ted and my dad, while my mom and I shopped for groceries.
The Bayfront park also has a small, history museum, that we visited another day. It was interesting learning about the history of the place and the boys were entertained by looking at the artifacts.
6. Enjoy a stunning sunset at Petoskey State Park
I’ve seen my fair share of breathtakingly beautiful sunsets over the years, but one can never get tired of them, right? The sunset at Petoskey State Park is something you should experience at least once during your trip to the area. The red, orange and yellow colors make the sky look like it’s painted.
Another good spot to watch the sun go down over the lake is Sunset Park in Petoskey.
Other activities in the area
With only 3 days in the area, we couldn’t do everything that Petoskey has to offer. There are a few other activities on my list that I am looking forward to doing next time we vacation there.
1. Rent a bike and pedal along the Little Traverse Wheelway
Little Traverse Wheelway is a 26 mile long bike path that connects Charlevoix to Harbor Springs. While some people are brave enough to tackle the whole trail at once, it is fair to assume that is not something that you would want to do with little kids. Instead, you could start riding the bikes at the Bayfront Park and pedal a few miles along the lake. You can rent bikes and kids trailers at Latitude 45, in downtown Petoskey.
2. Canoe or kayak down the Bear River
Parents with kids as young as 2 can rent canoes from Bear River Canoe Livery and enjoy a ride along the river. They offer 4, 2 and 1 hr trips. People have reported that the river is very calm and the paddling is easy.
3. Play at Pirates Cove Adventure Golf
Our kids asked us to play at this putt-putt place every time we drove by it. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have time. The place is highly reviewed on TripAdvisor and it would be a good spot to visit, if you needed a break from the beach.
where to stay
the Highlands at harbor springs Resort
We stayed at the Highlands and really enjoyed it. We got a Deluxe Room, which had a bedroom, a living room, with a Murphy bed and a pullout couch, one bathroom and a balcony. We were traveling with my parents and never felt like we were too cramped up in there. The furniture and the decor in the room were a bit dated, but that’s the only con I can think about.
Our room was in the Heather building and we had access to a pool, connected through a curtain to a spacious, spillover spa. The kids had a great time swimming from one side to the other and the spa was really nice in the evening, when the sun went down and the pool felt a bit too chilly.
As guests at the resort, people can also use the paddle boats and kayaks on the pond behind the main building for free. The only rule they have is that you be courteous to other people waiting for a turn. There were no other people there when we went, so we enjoyed a leisurely half an hour long ride on the pond.
Other activities that you can do at the resort in the summer: hiking, biking, ziplining, horseback riding, scenic chairlift rides, yoga and segway tours. Since we only had three days in Petoskey, we skipped on those activities, so that we could spend time in town and at the lake.
The Highlands is also a good place to go to in the winter, for their snow activities, like skiing, snowboarding, tubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sno-go bikes.
The only thing I don’t advise to do at the Highlands resort is to eat breakfast there. We did it once and regretted it. The price was outrageously high ($22/person) and it was buffet style. The food was average at the most. I’m sure we could have found way better breakfast restaurants in either Petoskey or Harbor Springs.
where to eat
As usual, we prepared some of our meals in our hotel room. We ate at the resort twice: breakfast (not recommended) and dinner, which was expensive, but delicious.
Restaurants we recommend in the area:
1. Beards Brewery – not only was the food really good, but they also have an amazing view over the lake.
Tip: ask for a table on the patio
2. Duffy’s Garage and Grille – we did take out pizzas here and they were really good
Tip: take the pizzas to go and eat them by the waterfront, at the Bayfront Park
3. Pierson’s Grille – this restaurant in Harbor Springs had delicious fish. We tried the salmon and the whitefish and loved them both.
Petoskey, MI is one of those places that will stay in your memory forever once you visit it. From the charming downtown, to the picturesque beaches and beautiful parks, Petoskey is the perfect family vacation destination. With so many attractions and things to do, you could easily spend a week exploring the area. We have visited it twice for the 4th of July and it’s turning into a family tradition. We will gladly go back every time the opportunity arises and I encourage you to give it a try – I bet it will become one of your favorite places in the US as well.
Love Petoskey! Great post 🙂
Thanks, Ann! And thank you for introducing us to Petoskey 🙂
Pingback: Why Frankenmuth, MI didn't win my heart