Petoskey Area Blog
3 Tips on How to Embrace Winter from Petoskey Area Locals
Winter: It’s practically a Hallmark movie around here. Downtown Harbor Springs was, after all, featured on Hallmark’s Christmas Cam. Our towns are dressed in their winter whites, and people flock to the area for skiing and sightseeing. There’s an undeniable romance-movie vibe in the air. Sadly, some visitors and would-be [...]
10 Winter Date Night Ideas in the Petoskey Area
Date nights are a must in every season, but sometimes they feel especially necessary during the winter months. For some of us, the first part of a new year can feel heavy with its cold weather, short days, and post-holiday hangover, so what better way to brighten the season than [...]
Grandpa Shorter’s: A Family Legacy
Grandpa Shorter’s Celebrates 80 Years as Petoskey’s Longest Operating Family-Owned Gift Shop Petoskey was barely three decades old in 1880 when Chief Petoskey’s son, Bazil, opened a souvenir shop at the present-day corner of Lake and Petoskey streets. Little did he know that in doing so, he would anchor that [...]
A Hole-in-one: The Great Lakes Championship Returns
Legend has it that The Heather at The Highlands, the first BOYNE Golf course, was the catalyst that started the golf boom in northern Michigan, labeling our region as America’s Summer Golf Capital. That title and its attached prestige have brought numerous championships to The Heather, including five Michigan Amateur [...]
Top Tips About Ice Fishing in the Petoskey Area
Harbor Springs resident Caroline Keson wakes up at 4:00 a.m. on a brisk winter day. She and her partner grab some caffeine, hop into their loaded truck, and head out in the dark morning to their ice fishing spot. There’s a lot of commotion pre-sunrise as anglers unload their gear [...]
Pond Hill Farm: your winter destination for family fun in northern Michigan
Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs started small. First, Jimmy Spencer had a self-serve vegetable stand with an honesty box for the money. Then there was a small farm market, built by Spencer and his parents, Sharon and Jim. Apparently, if you build it, they will come. The market attracted [...]
Romantic Date Night Ideas in the Petoskey Area
Whether you’re looking for a unique dining experience or something a little more affordable, the Petoskey area has some great choices to take your sweetie out for a great date night. It’s not all about where you go to eat. Put a little more thought into it and pick a [...]
Where to find the Petoskey Area’s finest Valentine’s Day chocolates
How and when did chocolate become the flavor of choice for Valentine’s Day? If you don’t get your sweetheart a box of chocolates for the holiday, are you a terrible person? For the second question, I think that really depends on your sweetheart. But the first has a real answer. [...]
7 Best Winter Hikes in the Petoskey Area
Maybe you long for the tranquility and stillness that accompanies winter hiking. Bright, white drifts muffle your footfalls as you navigate the trail in snowshoes. Huge crystalline flakes flash briefly on your coat before melting. Chickadees rasp their calls to one another, flitting past you in search of winter forage. [...]
The 2026 Petoskey Area Bucket List
My first visit to the Petoskey Area was in the late 1990s, when a business trip brought me to Stafford’s Perry Hotel during the fall season. As I traveled north along US-131, I crested a hill on the outskirts of town, and a 180-degree view of the autumn colors met [...]