Petoskey and Harbor Springs: A #MittenTrip Full of Surprises
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During this past weekend, I was lucky enough to embark on a little northern Michigan adventure up to Petoskey and Harbor Springs area on my very first #MittenTrip. I was so excited for the trip because even though I have lived most of my life in this gorgeous state, very little time has been spent north of Mount Pleasant. My boyfriend and I packed up our fall weather essentials and hit the road Friday afternoon.
Friday
Depature: I left Muskegon and met my boyfriend in Mount Pleasant at about 2:30pm. When I arrived, he was just finishing up his packing and last minute errands. We hit the road officially just after 3pm and were off to Walloon Lake Village!
Quick Stop: We knew we had a full weekend ahead of us with a lot of time outdoors so we stopped in Gaylord along the way. I bought a new pair of hiking boots and he got some new laces, which proved to be very important purchases! Just as we walked into the store, it began to snow. We were stunned, but the staff at MC Sports assured us that it wouldn’t stick.
Arrival: We arrived at the Hotel Walloon just after 7pm and the sparkling white flakes were still falling from the sky. After getting a tour of our room and the main lobby area by Randy, we were in love with the hotel. Everything was so cozy, and everyone was friendly and accommodating!
Dinner Time: After settling in we headed down the road a short ways to Barrel Back and enjoyed a few beers from Short’s Brewing Company. If you stop by, you have got to try the roasted brussels sprouts. Delicious!
Resting up for Tomorrow: After that we were pretty tired so we headed back to Hotel Walloon and enjoyed some warm cider and some Cup of Cocoa cookies that were provided for guests in the evenings by the fire in the lobby.
Saturday
Winter Wonderland: Although they told us the snow wouldn’t stick, we woke up to Walloon Lake Village covered in a thin blanket of fresh snowfall. Thank goodness we packed layers!
Change of Plans: We planned to go out to Dripworks Coffee in the morning, but my body had other plans. When I woke up I was in so much pain from a sore throat that we headed to the Petoskey Urgent Care instead. Randy at Hotel Walloon sent us on our way with the best hot chocolate we’ve ever had, which made the trip to urgent care much better!
I was sad to find out I was suffering from strep throat (first-year teacher problems), but the doctor was amazing, wrote me a prescription to get me back on my feet, and wrote me a long list of places we needed to see. My appointment lasted about an hour, only 10 minutes of which was the actual examination. The rest of the time was the staff asking questions about The Awesome Mitten and giving me great suggestions on places to eat and things to see. The people in Petoskey are truly the friendliest around!
Back to Adventure: After I had my medication, we got back on track. We headed straight to Boyne Highlands for our Ziplining Adventure that Ayyo Weekends booked for us! This was the highlight of the trip for both of us I think. We had an amazing time zipping through the treetops and over the heads of other guests riding the chairlift. The grounds were wet and icy so packing our hiking gear was very helpful.
Warming Up: After our little 2-hour aerial adventure tour, we were ready for some warmth. We headed to Petoskey Brewing for some drinks and sandwiches. Soft pretzels make me a happy camper – no matter how cold, wet, and sick I am!
Checking In: After our morning adventure, we were pretty wiped out. We checked into our room at Boyne Highlands Resort Main Lodge and took a catnap!
Dinner with Hemingway: After our non-stop afternoon we opted for a relaxing evening. We stopped in for some soup at City Park Grille, which is said to be a local favorite. The bar is over 100 years old and Ernest Hemingway himself sat there and wrote! We took our dessert to go and stayed in our hotel room reading short stories byHemingway and enjoyed being out of the snow the rest of the evening.
Sunday
Breakfast for Two: We started our day with breakfast at Roast & Toast with some fresh coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Afterward, we wandered through downtown Petoskey to see some of the different shops.
Tunnel of Tree and a Detour: Next, we hopped into our car to drive the must-see M-119 Tunnel of Trees. While, on the road, we stopped at a great little farm called Pond Hill Farm for some wine and beer tasting!
Last Stop: Before hitting the road for home, we grabbed lunch at the beautiful Pointer Room in Stafford’s Pier Restaurant and wandered around downtown Harbor Springs before saying our goodbyes to the beautiful north.
We were certainly not ready for our weekend to be over, but we knew the time had come. Before hitting the road, we both agreed that we would be back again very soon and many times to come.
Are there any must-see places that we missed on our trip? I know we will have plenty of new places to explore the next time we are in the area. I am already looking forward to it!
Special thanks to our sponsors for making our #MittenTrip to Harbor Springs possible: Verizon, AYYO Weekends, Shorts Brewing, Great Lakes Proud, and High Five Threads.
There is so much to see and do in northern Michigan. Take a kayak down the Jordan River, A boat ride on Lake Charlevoix, Art shows on the waterfront in each town, Walk to the top of Barn Mountain (also called Avalanche Mt) in Boyne City and see over Lake Charlevoix, Eat at Cafe Sante or Red Mesa( both very unique) here in Boyne City, enjoy drinks and live music at The Noggin Room in the Perry Hotel ( much like Cheers) and I could go on and on. So glad you ha a great time in our area. Come again anytime.