Where to Park It for a Picnic
Summertime in Northern Michigan is spectacular. There’s so much to see, do, and explore, inside and out. With this beloved season being so fleeting, many of us try to absorb every ounce of outdoor time possible, to the point that we make dining al fresco part of our personality. Barbecues and cookouts, beach day sandwiches, ice cream in the park, drinks out in the Social Districts, and saying yes to patio dining at every turn. Another option is the age-old picnic. No basket necessary; just grab a bag, cooler, lunchbox, or takeout container and head to any of these picnic spots for an en plein air meal.
Alanson
Directly off US-31 is Alanson Village Park, a friendly neighborhood gathering space that features numerous amenities, including playground equipment, a pavilion, basketball courts, shuffleboards, a horseshoe pit, tennis courts, grills, and, of course, picnic tables. There are also grassy areas perfect for a blanket smorgasbord spread. Portions of the park are undeveloped, offering shade thanks to the surrounding trees. Being right smack in the heart of the village’s downtown, after eating, you can visit the local library or cross the boardwalk and explore Sanctuary Island Park, a small wetland island in the Crooked River.
If you’re looking for a quick-stop site, the mini roadside Woodruff Park in nearby Oden is a good option. Also located on US-31, Woodruff Park offers a designated picnic area, an artesian well, and a drinking fountain, as well as shade courtesy of the surrounding cedar and birch trees—ideal for a brief dine-then-drive situation.
Most of the picnic and park locales featured in this blog include playground equipment for kids, but if you’re looking for an especially cool place that is open to the public for day use, free of charge, consider visiting Camp Pet-o-se-ga. With a large, handicapped-accessible playground, plus beach access, trails, and picnic areas, Camp Pet-o-se-ga is a fun adventure for everyone.
Camp Petosega is home to a vast amount of open space for picnics and this accessible playground pictured here. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
Bay Harbor
On the eastern edge of Bay Harbor lies East Park, which boasts some pretty unparalleled views of Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay. Free and open to the public, this park has restrooms, a pavilion, and picnic tables. East Park is a great spot for a morning coffee and a baked good, a lunch break, or even a sunset viewing.
East Park just outside of Bay Harbor has beautiful views during a summer or fall picnic. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
Boyne City
Situated alongside the Boyne River—a popular fishing spot, if you’re so inclined—is Old City Park in downtown Boyne City. A scene of manicured lawns, beautiful botanicals, and mature native trees, Old City Park is home to a gazebo that hosts a variety of community events and summer concerts, a playground, and picnic areas. The shaded and well-maintained grounds offer a cool respite from the summer sun and temperatures, making your picnic like that of a Manet oil painting—relaxed, refined, and refreshing. It’s then just a short walk to main-street shopping, dining, and other picnicking parks.
Walking toward the lake, you’ll find the Boyne City Open Space, aka Sunset Park. A four-acre chunk of downtown real estate with 600 feet of Lake Charlevoix frontage, this grassy expanse is what the city calls a “park in progress.” The public is encouraged to use Sunset Park, whether for meet-ups and playdates, a picnic lunch with friends, a meditation spot, or simply to soak up the beauty of the lake at high noon or during golden hour. Benches and picnic tables are available, but the grass is nice, too.
Wrapping further around the lake, you’ll come to Veterans Memorial Park, where the storied, year-round farmers market takes place every Saturday. Veterans Memorial Park, another popular location for community events, features a memorial, a covered pavilion, a play area for children, a baseball field, a boat launch, grills, and opportunities for fishing. When it comes to finding a place to dine, aside from the pavilion, there are shade-providing trees to set-up beneath, plus on-site restrooms.
Boyne City’s open space or as the sign reads “Sunset Park” is a great place to take a break and watch the waves on Lake Charlevoix. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
Harbor Springs
One of the many parks in the Harbor Springs area, Zorn Park features a picnic area located directly across from the popular City Beach. Zorn Park is ideal for picnics, boasting existing tables, a grassy setting, and breathtaking blue-water views of the Little Traverse Bay.
Something about quaint, undeveloped parks speaks to me. They feel undiscovered, allowing for an exclusive outdoor dining experience, but now that I’m sharing this, we’re all aware of Shay Park. This park also offers a lovely bay view, and it’s quoted online as being, and I quote, “a great place to eat lunch.” Need I say more? Yes? Okay. There are picnic tables, and the site is a convenient walk from the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society, so if you need a dose of history after eating, that’s the place to go.
Other picnic parks in Harbor Springs include Josephine Ford Park, Ottawa Stadium Park, Jean Jardine, and Deer Park—each with picnic areas and picnic tables. Check out the City of Harbor Springs website for more details!
Zorn Park Beach is the perfect little spot to enjoy what goodies you might find at a local restaurant to-go or even from the local Harbor Springs Market grocery store. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
Petoskey
Arguably, the heart, pulse, and center of downtown Petoskey, Pennsylvania Park is a veritable Grand Central Station, especially during the warm weather seasons. With park benches and picnic tables strewn about the varied terrain, which features a winding sidewalk, Blue Star Memorial Garden, Farragut’s Cannon (an oft-used photo op prop), a statue of young Ernest Hemingway, and a gazebo that houses Crooked Tree Arts Center’s annual Charlotte Ross Lee Concerts in the Park Series, there’s space aplenty in Pennsylvania Park. During those noon-time concerts, you’ll find many people enjoying their lunch while partaking in the live performance. As you select your patch of earth for a picnic, I recommend avoiding the old train tracks, as these are a favorite of kids practicing their balancing acts. Consider yourself warned!
Pennsylvania Park in Downtown Petoskey is probably our most active park, expanding from Mitchell Street to Bay Street – also a part of the green walkway called the “Greenway”. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
The recently renovated Sunset Park is a roadside destination with a sweeping view of Little Traverse Bay, the breakwall, and stunning sunsets. The enlarged parking lot and expanded grassy space for sitting make this spot more user-friendly compared to its former design. Sunset Park also has a gazebo, binoculars, and a staircase that takes you down to Bayfront Park and the Little Traverse Wheelway, just in case you need to get some steps in after your lunch.
Once you descend the staircase at Sunset Park and arrive at Bayfront Park, the world becomes your oyster for picnic spots. With benches placed along the water, picnic tables in multiple locations, countless grassy areas along the wheelway, by the waterfall, and even down by the breakwall in the open space where a friendly gentleman flies colorful kites, you have your pick for picnicking! And in case you need more stimulation, Bayfront Park includes the central promenade and clocktower, the Ed White baseball field, a Little Traverse Ferry Co. port, and the Midway Commons that takes you up through a pedestrian tunnel to the shopping district of downtown Petoskey. Be sure to admire the tunnel’s recently added mural as you bypass highway traffic by traveling beneath it!
Now that you have a list of picnic places to choose from, pack your lunch or get a grab-n-go sandwich and enjoy the green grass, blue sky, and golden rays of summer sun!
Bayfront Park in Petoskey is a must-visit destination during your trip, whether you’re passing through or marking it off your list of must-see picnic spots this season. Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
Bay View
This seasonal community is especially vibrant in prime picnic season in the Petoskey Area. Bay View is a place of deep history dating back 150 years, yes, you read that correctly. Today this community still embraces the Chautauqua movement, focusing on a dynamic music festival, theater arts program, an internationally renowned lecture series, recreational programs, educational classes, and religious services. The grounds and most all of their amenities are available for public use – through the proper process in some cases.
In the summer months, Bay View is also a stop for the Petoskey Trolley in its route to various Petoskey landmarks and shops. Letting off at Bay View’s Library, you could pack a little lunch and sit at the tables provided there or even in the endless amounts of open green space in the Bay View commons area (avoiding private property, of course).
Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
About the Author: Alex Dailey is a long-time Northern Michigan resident who happily calls Petoskey home. When she isn’t at her computer writing and editing, you can find her taste-testing craft cocktails, patronizing downtown shops (especially bookstores), and participating in as many local literary events as possible. She looks forward to sharing her Petoskey Area favorites with you!