Things to Do in Petoskey, Michigan

Three miles northeast of town, the park has a mile of sandy Lake Michigan shore on Little Traverse Bay. It’s a favorite place to search for Petoskey stones along the beach. The half-mile Old Baldy Trail loops to the top of a dune with wide views, and the 1-mile Portage Trail runs through wooded dunes.

★ Good to know A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for your car, and the day-use lot usually closes from early November to early spring because of snow and drifting sand.

Downtown Petoskey has been a shopping area for more than 100 years, and its streets are lined with historic gas lamps. More than 170 shops, studios, restaurants and offices fill the district, with views down to the bay. Stops include American Spoon, Symons General Store and Murdick’s Fudge.

★ Good to know A pedestrian tunnel links downtown to Bayfront Park, so you can shop and walk the waterfront without moving the car.

This 25-acre park was once an industrial site, and it now gives the city 7,800 feet of public shoreline on Little Traverse Bay. It has a promenade and clock tower, a 144-slip marina, a kids’ fishing pond, a playground and a waterfall area. A stair tower climbs to Sunset Park above.

★ Good to know The Little Traverse Wheelway runs through the park, so it’s an easy place to start a bike ride.

The Little Traverse Historical Society runs this museum in the restored railroad depot at 100 Depot Court, right in Bayfront Park. Exhibits cover Ernest Hemingway’s time in Michigan, Odawa artifacts and the history of the Little Traverse Bay region. The society also offers a Hemingway tour.

★ Good to know It keeps seasonal hours, so check the museum site before you go.

This 36-acre park follows the Bear River for 1.5 miles through the middle of town. The city says the Bear River has more fall than any river in the Lower Peninsula, and a 2010 project added a quarter-mile whitewater course. Trails, boardwalks and lookouts line both banks.

★ Good to know Main entrances are off West Lake Street and Sheridan Street, and the North Country Trail passes through here.

This paved trail runs 26 miles from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, and it passes through Petoskey’s waterfront and past the state park entrance. It’s mostly dedicated path, with some boardwalk and sidewalk sections. Views of Little Traverse Bay come often along the way.

★ Good to know The stretch from Bayfront Park to Petoskey State Park makes a good short ride.

Just east of downtown, Bay View has welcomed summer visitors since 1875 as part of the Chautauqua adult-education movement. Its 337-acre campus holds hundreds of Victorian cottages, most built before 1900, and it’s a National Historic Landmark. Each summer brings classes, lectures and more than 50 musical events.

★ Good to know Summer is when Bay View’s programs run, so check its calendar for concerts and lectures during your stay.

Founded in 1971, the arts center fills a historic former church at 461 E. Mitchell St. in the Gaslight District. It has four galleries, a theater, a dance studio and classrooms. Exhibitions, classes and performances run through the year.

★ Good to know It’s a few blocks from the shops, so it slots easily into a downtown afternoon.