The shoreline of Petoskey, MI with the Petoskey harbor. Photo courtesy of TeliDrone.
Petoskey, Michigan is one of my go-to places when I want to get away and feel like I’m in another world. It’s incredibly beautiful and laid back luxurious, both at the same time. No wonder it’s where the rich and famous like to hang out.
Here are some of the places that we love in Petoskey:
The Terrace Inn is a charming place to stay, with wonderful staff. We also noticed that they are paying close attention to protecting visitors during COVID-19, which is much appreciated. This 38 room vintage hotel is a little hard to find, located in the Bay View Association, but well worth the hunt. The wonderful 1911 restaurant makes the experience even more inviting.
Haystacks Women’s Apparel has tons of unique and cute clothes, with their own brand, so you can have stuff that you won’t see on everyone else! Their clothing is also affordable, which I love!
Thai Orchid Cuisine Take-Out guys, if you want something full of flavor, fresh and healthy, try this place! They use authentic Thai ingredients cooked in their 700 degree wok. Just writing about this makes me want to take the trip up there for dinner.
Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant Mexican food is one of my favorites. This family-owned restaurant that features authentic family recipes will make you want to come back for more.
There are so many things to love about Petoskey, MI, we would love to hear from you about additional places you love there.
Here’s an aerial shot of downtown Petoskey. Courtesy of TeliDrone.
NOTE: Aerial photos featured on Michigan Sweet Spot are available for purchase through TeliDrone.
Boyne City BakeryBoyne City Bakery has the most amazing French crêpes I’ve ever had. That’s saying a lot, my sister-in-law is a French native and often treats me to gourmet meals that include crêpes. This authentic French bakery features croissants, brioches, muffins, cookies, buckwheat crêpes, sweet crêpes, sandwiches, soups and quiches. Of course everything is freshly baked every day. They let me take a video while a crêpes was being made, can you tell that I’m seriously addicted to these?
The chef, Gildas Berrou was born and raised in Quimper, France. He was accepted at the prestigious trade group called the Compagnons at age 20, where he trained under the tutelage of some of France’s best bread chefs. Gildas and his wife Tara, a native northern Michigander, decided to move to the Boyne City area in 2012. Together, they’ve combined their love of making authentic Breton crêpes with their passion for growing organic fruits and vegetables. In addition to Boyne City Bakery, you can find them at Boyne City and Charlevoix farmer’s markets selling crêpes and croissants, as well as other farm products.
If you love great food and are anywhere near Boyne City, you owe it to yourself to visit Boyne City Bakery and try their delicious foods. The only downside is it’s going to be hard for a crepe from anywhere else to ever measure up again.
Hours: Tues.- Fri. 7 am – 2 pm; Sat .& Sun. 8 am – 2 pmClosed Monday
I discovered this unique barn driving on the backroads in Arcadia, MI.It would be easy to pass by the Onekama / Arcadia, MI area – but that would be missing out big time. Online searches reveal very little about the place, perhaps that’s because being there feels like you are going back to a time when electronic devices took a back seat to nature and being a human at peace with the world. I took these photos driving around the back roads near Lake Michigan.
The landscape is dotted with historic barns, vineyards, and rolling hills. You’ll also discover golf courses and a beautiful. Here places to stay: Here are some place to check out when you visit.
Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course: This course is open to the public and resembles a seaside links course with rolling terrain and a windswept landscape with breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. Lodging and cottages are also available.
Artesian Wells: Some of the purest water in the country is located at these public wells, where folks have been known to travel for miles to bottle it up and take some home. Here are links Old Facefull (GPS 44.427615, -86.247132) Portage Point Well (GPS: 44.376511, -86.227881).
Portage Point Inn: I’ve never had a chance to stay here but have always wanted to. This historic inn was established in 1903, yet features a boutique gift shop, pub, fitness center, lake access, movie nights on the lawn, kayak and paddle board rentals, boating, fishing and much more.
Inspiration Point Scenic Overlook: This is one of the best overlooks I’ve been to in my entire life. It’s just off the Scenic Highway and you can see for miles and miles. Trust me, and be sure to lug your camera along with you for this one, all 120 steps to the top of the overlook!
Arcadia Marsh: This 273-acre marsh nature preserve has a short trail and is especially popular for birding.
Area Preserves and Trails: While I was researching this project, I found a link to this map with a bunch of preserves and trails that I didn’t even know existed in this region.
This is a great time to start planning your Michigan summer vacation. These are just a few of the great places to discover in the area.
This stunning lookout over Lake Superior is one of the points of interest at Presque Isle Park in Marquette
Marquette Michigan, is among the most magical places I’ve ever been to. It’s like going back in time, surrounded by nature and friendly, warm genuine people. My first visit to Marquette was about 15 years ago when we took a family trip that I’ll never forget, partly because I locked my keys in our running car… but mostly because of the scenery along the lakeshore, wonderful parks, boutique shopping and great restaurants.
An NMU student was enjoying the scenery at Presque Isle Park.
I took this photo on a walk along the path in Marquette following the Lake Superior shoreline.
It had been too long since my last visit and this fall I made another trek to Marquette only to discover that it’s still the same as it used to be. I highly recommend this as a getaway vacation spot. Lake Superior is stunning in its sheer power and magnitude and there’s a walk along the lakeshore that stretches through town, passing a lighthouse, rocky shoreline, parks, and massive old iron ore docks . The town is full of locally owned shops and the people are welcoming, “U.P.” quirky (that’s a good thing) and kind.
A massive iron ore dock is a focal point along the Marquette Lake Superior shoreline although it’s no longer in use.
This summer I plan on revisiting Marquette for a couple of weeks and taking pictures to add to my upper peninsula collection of photos. Some of my favorite Marquette places that I visited so far are listed below, I’ll add to my list after I return from my trip this summer:
Marquette Food Co-op 502 W. Washington St., Marquette, MI 49855 I was totally impressed with this place, they had a huge selection of health conscious products, from organic food to organic lotions.
Donckers’ Restaurant has delicious food from scratch, an old time atmosphere, and a well stocked candy store and old time soda fountain.
The Portside Inn features awesome food in a historical pub atmosphere. Call ahead for reservations, they are hard to get into.
Sweet Water Cafe features meals made from fresh and natural ingredients and is a local favorite.
The Thai House is owned by a native of Thailand, and it shows. If you love Thai food, this place is a must.
Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery … this southern restaurant in the U.P. features authentic Cajun food that you will love.
The Marquette Baking Co features truly artisan crafted breads and pastries using organic flours and the finest ingredients.
Dead River Coffee … coffee is important to me, too important. So I was on a mission to find the best place and this is where the locals told me to go. I love Dead River Coffee, went there every day. It’s a historic little hole in the wall with great coffee and lots of attitude.
Presque Isle Park is one of my favorite parks, it has a winding road through hilly woods along Lake Superior. Stunning views and peaceful surroundings. Go there, you’ll be glad you took the time.
If you know of anyone who might be willing to trade photography services for rent in the Marquette region this summer, please let me know by emailing me at ann@atmediastudio.com , I’m flexible with my trip this summer and looking for a good place to stay. Thanks
This is another of the beautiful treasures you’ll discover along the Lake Superior shoreline in Marquette.
Tall grassy areas are a typical place to be aware of ticks.
Yes, I said it, lyme disease is in Michigan and if you live here, or visit here, you need to know about it. The last few years, I’ve been hearing more and more about lyme disease in Michigan and this year is no exception. I am not saying this to alarm you, ticks and lyme disease don’t need to ruin your fun, you just need to know that it’s here, it’s probably not going away anytime soon and how to protect yourself. Most cases in Michigan occur between late spring and mid-July, but can happen even in the fall.
Check out the below map provided by the state of Michigan, it shows where the most cases have been discovered in the state, and where lyme disease is heading. If you’re visiting the lakeshore, ticks like to hang out in tall grassy areas and hop on for a tasty meal when folks walk by them. But, you can prevent this by either covering up, and/or spraying with tick repellant. I prefer to use natural repellants with at least 20% oil of lemon eucalyptus. After being in wooded or tall grassy areas, check for ticks and take a shower. If you discover a tick, remove it and save it so you can send it in for testing if you get sick. If you remove a tick within 36 hours of it attaching itself to you, chances are more likely that you won’t get lyme disease. If you do get sick, getting immediate 30 day treatment with antibiotics that last for at least 30 days is important. Following are some useful resources to help combat this issue:
Prevention: Be cautious when walking in the woods, avoiding bushy and grassy areas. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and wear insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin or, if you’re like me use something natural containing a strong solution of oil of lemon eucalyptus. After walking in wooded areas, thoroughly check the skin for the poppy-seed sized ticks, paying particular attention to the scalp, armpits and groin. If you find a tick, carefully remove it with tweezers or a tick remover. More info
Repel Plant Based Insect Repellant with Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus has been recommended as a natural solution.
Permethrin on clothes kills ticks on contact and lasts several washes
Dammix Tick Tubes offer an innovative solution to rid your property of ticks.
Michigan beaches are among the best in the world and are regularly voted as top destinations. In fact, this summer, the Grand Haven beach was named #14 by CNN Travel as a “Must See Beach.” Here are some of my favorite Michigan beaches:
This is not even close to a complete list of nice Michigan beaches, it’s just ones that I am familiar with and love. Please add your favorite beaches in the comments section.
I took this photo when camping in Petoskey, Michigan at the Petoskey State Park. Photo approved for use in blogs and websites linking back to MichiganSweetSpot.com.
Michigan’s fun loving Kid Rock was probably singing about this Michigan campsite or one like it in his hit song “All Summer Long” where he references summer in northern Michigan.
It’s a bit of a joke among my family members that I “hate” camping. I’ve been rethinking that after my trip last summer. This photo was taken at sunset, right on the beach just a few feet from my campsite. It’s hard to complain about roughing it when you can go to bed with this nearby and wake up in the morning to a refreshing walk along the sugar sand shoreline.
If you would like to plan a northern Michigan camping trip, here are a few campsites to consider. Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments section and tell me about them. I would love to hear from you.
More Michigan Campsite suggestions: here’s a website that has additional ideas with Michigan campsites ranked by customer satisfaction: Tripleblaze Best Campsites in Michigan
That’s Georgia Gietzen and Dee Shuker from Northwoods Hardware.
I’ve always had this thing for hardware stores. My dad used to take me shopping with him when I was a little girl and hardware stores were a favorite stop. But, Northwoods Hardware in Glen Arbor is not one of your typical hardware stores. Sure, they have all of that manly stuff that guys expect, but you’ll also find a place with natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products, great gifts, wonderful gardening products, art supplies, office supplies, fax and copy service and even FedEx shipping and packaging. There’s also camping and recreational gear. I just love great locally owned places like this that make you feel welcome and appreciated the minute you walk in the door.
I love lavender. I love the way it looks, smells and makes me feel. So of course when I heard about the largest lavender farm in the state of Michigan I HAD to go there. The place is called Lavender Hill Farms.
Complicating matters was the fact that it was rainy, 4 hours away and at the end of the season for pictures. But, I went anyway. I loaded up my lab and toy fox terrier and called it a road trip.
It was a Sunday afternoon and totally deserted, all the better for me and my camera.
Logging ruins at Marshall Memorial Park in Newaygo
After hearing about the virtues of the Newaygo County area for some time now from my family up north, I decided to have my Noah give me a little tour. This is an HDR photo of the first stop on his list, Marshall Memorial Park. The park was established in 2004 to remember trooper Kevin M. Marshall of the Michigan State Police, who was killed in the line of duty.
The park extends back into the woods with wild snake grass growing along the banks of Brooks Creek. There is a pavilion with picnic tables, look off deck and scenic trails through the woods. It’s beautiful and worth visiting.
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