Petoskey, Michigan

Petoskey is a small town with a population of roughly 6,000 people. Like most U.S. towns, it appears a bit larger from a Canadian perspective due, in part, to the layout of the town as well as the look and feel of the town. In this case, lots of wonderful Victorian buildings like this one.

The downtown shopping district offers numerous boutique retailers, not a chain store to be found, and a variety of interesting restaurants. Shops like Grandpa Shorter’s and Trapper’s Cabin offer unique gifts and Petoskey stones.

One of the taller structures in the downtown area is Stafford’s Perry Hotel. Built in 1899, it is open year round and operates as a full service hotel. When Lorraine and I walked around the building, we noticed an outdoor eating area called the Rose Garden Veranda which looked very nice. As a side note, I doubt that the hotel had cellular antennas in 1899. I noticed a number of folks playing Pokemon Go around the hotel. I don’t think that existed back in 1899 either.

The highlight of the downtown district? Wright Cycle Co. Alas, I did not see any bikes in the shop.

There is a small park in the heart of this downtown area which offers a pleasant place to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

A delightful way to spend an afternoon in Petoskey. There are, of course, big box stores a bit farther afield from the downtown area. Convenient for groceries and such however lacking in character when compared to Petoskey’s downtown.