Up North Getaway: Your Guide to Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Mackinac Island, Charlevoix and Boyne City

This past weekend, my husband and I were able to get away, just the two of us, for the first time without kids. It felt strange, terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. This was the first time that both boys were being cared for by someone other than ourselves, but fortunately they were in good hands. We had three family members step in to care for them for three days. It was so amazing to spend quality time with my husband, and also have time to spend time with some of my family while Up North. I’m fortunate to live in Michigan because our Summer is stunning, and even though we were up there when it was still a bit chilly, it was still so nice.

Here is a quick guide to a few of our favorite places including must-sees, food and entertainment!

 

Petoskey

Our first stop was at Beard’s Brewing in Petoskey. This local and popular brewery has great food and beer, and their location overlooks the lake. It’s newly designed location with a spacious outdoor patio is perfect for people of all ages.

After Beard’s we did what every other tourist does, shop, have some drinks and explore.

We stopped into Roast & Toast to snag a coffee where they spelled my name either intentionally or legitimately incorrect as Danyell. From there we sampled some wine at Petoskey Farms Vineyard and even snagged a bottle of bourbon aged wine for dinner.

From there we continued shopping before stopping into Gypsy Vodka to sample some gin, vodka and rum. The place was awesome, and they had an awesome Smore drink and mojito!

We even got to write on one of their barrels.

One of our favorite stores was right in downtown. Have you ever been to Gliks? They literally have the BEST stuff for men and women.

Harbor Springs

After stopping into a few more stores, we decided to head to Harbor Springs. Harbor Springs is a gorgeous little town full of character and beauty! We decided to immediately go down to the boat dock and take in the views.

From there we continued to shop and explore the little town. As we started approaching dinner time, we decided to grab a quick snack and drink. We were meeting my dad, sister, nephew and BIL for a quick drink before cooking out, so we went to one of the popular hangouts, Pierson’s Grill & Spirits.

We snagged an ice cold beer, a cosmo and a margarita pizza. We sat outside and enjoyed good conversations and sunshine.

Once we enjoyed some good food and drinks, we headed up to my dad’s home north of Harbor Springs to grill. We definitely took in the views!

Our first day was wonderful. We stayed up too late, but we went to bed happy and full.

Mackinac Island

The next morning we woke up bright and early to snag breakfast at The Depot in Alanson. It’s an old train station depot that serves really great breakfast with that mom and pop kind of feel.

From there we headed directly to Mackinac City to jump on one of Shepler’s Ferry boat over to the Island. Shepler’s has been transporting tourists and non-tourists back and forth from Mackinac Island to surround areas since the 1950’s. It’s affordable, accommodating and comfortable! You should see how talented the Captains are who steer the boat through the water but also dock it so dang perfectly.

 

We immediately went into tourist mode. We walked into nearly every store, spent money, snagged a Starbucks, grabbed some pizza and beer, toured the island via foot and bike!

 

One of our favorite places we stopped was a bar called Goodfellow’s. We enjoyed a delicious flat bread pizza, a tasty shot created by the bartender and a few good brews. Another place we loved stopping at for a while to relax was the Pink Pony. The Pink Pony is a bar, restaurant and hotel that sits overlooking the water with a pool, hot tub, outdoor bar and patio. Their drinks are fantastic and the live music was awesome. Of course, the view and company were also fantastic!

Mackinac Island was such a blast. Definitely a trip to remember. If you haven’t been to Mackinac Island, I highly suggest it!

We caught the 6:30 PM boat back to Mackinac City. From there we ventured back to Pierson’s, in Harbor Springs, for some dinner. Following dinner, we snagged some ice cream before heading home.

Charlevoix

The next morning, we woke up pretty early. We packed up our stuff and Jason, my dad and I headed to Charlevoix for some breakfast and more touristy fun. We grabbed breakfast at a little cafe called Little Harbor Cafe, in downtown Charlevoix. Interestingly enough, the cafe sustained significant fire damage in January 2018 following a fire. Over a year later, and the cafe is still a community and tourist favorite.

Following breakfast, Jason and I ventured solo, while my dad ran an errand. We walked over to the drawbridge and noticed a path directly to the beach and lighthouse. We immediately started walking, and I’m so glad that we did. It was a chilly walk, but such an incredible view.

The water was so incredibly blue. Although it was chilly, it was worth the walk.

Boyne City

We explored Charlevoix a bit longer before meeting my dad in Boyne City. A small tourist town about 20 minutes south of Charlevoix.

 

 

We stopped in a few stops and stumbled upon a gem of a store. Long Road Distillery was a unique place where both Jason and my father sampled different whiskeys, gins, bourbons, vodkas and flavored liqueurs. There was also another vendor within this store called Outdoor Beerdsman that had awesome apparel, jewelry and gifts. We all enjoyed these two stores and will definitely be back!

We even snagged our pup a tasty treat, which he LOVED!

We then went and snag one last cocktail before hitting the road. We stopped into a place my dad frequents called Cafe Sante. We were not disappointed. Jason grabbed a mojito which was so amazing, and I ordered a coffee drink that literally involved fire flames to create. It was the best drink I’ve ever tasted.

We were sad to have our little getaway end, but we were excited to get on the road to see our boys. The 3.5 hour drive from Boyne City flew by, and we arrived home to some pretty excited little boys. We made sure to snag them a few gifts while away.

If you haven’t ventured up to Northern Michigan to explore some of these amazing little towns, I couldn’t recommend it more. We plan on returning soon but including a few other places as well including Pictured Rocks. Overall, this mini getaway was fantastic. We did a lot in a short amount of time, and I returned home feeling refreshed and content.

Have you been to Northern Michigan? What’s your favorite vacation spot?