Getaway to Michigan's Little Traverse Bay: Harbor Springs, Charlevoix and Petoskey

It's just 27 miles from Charlevoix, Michigan, to Harbor Springs, with Petoskey in the middle. The trio make a perfect weekend getaway—or a leisurely week's vacation.

Charlevoix

No one does shoreline like Charlevoix, where three lakes (Round Lake and lakes Michigan and Charlevoix) connect like big blue pearls. On downtown's boutique-lined Bridge Street, visitors peek at bronze sculptures and works of art hung in the windows of galleries, such as Elements and North Seas Gallery. Moms browse designer kids' clothes at Ga Ga for Kids.

At the downtown marina nearby, sailboats bob at finger docks. In East Park at the water's edge, shop the shelves of Harwood Gold Cafe before picking up an al fresco lunch of Australian-style meat pies or savory crepes from That French Place. Cap the day with a pint of Michigan Beach Blonde at Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company, on Round Lake's shores.

When you go

Castle Farms

Castle Farms, a historic farmstead with accents of French Renaissance architecture, invites families to tour its network of gardens with reflecting ponds, play structures and a model railroad.

Earl Young Houses

Sloping roof lines and fairy-tale flourishes mark an enclave of 26 stone "mushroom houses." The Charlevoix Visitor's Bureau supplies maps of the whimsical stone homes built by Earl, a local architect.

Fisherman's Island State Park

For a serene walk in the woods, try the trails at this state park west of town. Hiking trails that traverse 5 miles and 2,678 acres of Lake Michigan beach.

Beaver Island

The Emerald Isle offers a two-hour ferry ride to this remote island. Visitors can rent bikes or kayaks from Happy Paddle to explore the island's secluded trails and rocky lagoons.

East Park

Relax at the park's picnic tables, then take a short walk to watch yachts cruise beneath a drawbridge. Check out nearby galleries, boutiques and waterfront bistros.

Harbor Springs

Healing waters lured steamship tourists to Harbor Springs in the late 1800s, but today it's known as a first-rate gallery and golf destination. Its bluffs feature tree-filled vistas and long views of Lake Michigan. M-119, the main road that connects Harbor Springs and Cross Village, twists north over rolling hills to form the famed Tunnel of Trees (especially beautiful in fall).

Weekend visitors can catch an art flick at the restored Lyric Theatre or sip champagne and eat escargot at The New York's 100-year-old bar.

When you go

Legs Inn

Servers wearing embroidered Polish folk dress deliver cold pints and huge platters of pierogi at this Cross Village eatery with an outdoor garden.

Art galleries

Harbor Springs' Main Street is lined with shops exhibiting the works of renowned local artists. Visit Boyer Glassworks for handblown baubles.

Tunnel of Trees (M-22)

Twenty-seven miles of snaky two-lane run from Harbor Springs through a canopy of hardwoods to Wilderness State Park.

Tom's Mom's Cookies

Dense confections, each the weight of a deck of cards, boast flavors like chocolate with dried cherries or oatmeal butterscotch.

Pond Hill Farm

The Spencer family's hilltop farm features an on-site cafe, winery, brewery and hayrides, plus a squash rocket for kiddos to use to feed the goats.

Petoskey

Petoskey's Victorian steeples and charm-soaked Gaslight District perch above Little Traverse Bay's hillsides. Climb up the observation tower at the Bear River Valley Recreation Area to overlook a steep, tree-lined river valley, where whitewater kayakers ricochet through rock chutes. Migrating salmon vault over a low dam upstream from Waterfront Park, which features a ¼-mile-long breakwall extending into Lake Michigan. Families picnic on the park's lush lawns or watch kids climb at the Fred Friedli Playground.

Petoskey's waterfront provides ample parking for cyclists to access the Little Traverse Wheelway, a paved trail tracing the shoreline. A trailside ice cream boost awaits north of town at Kilwins Chocolate Kitchen (with flavors like Double Peanut Butter Pie and Blueberry Waffle Cone). Thirsty cyclists can pull off for a pint of Juicy IPA at Petoskey Brewing before stopping to comb the beach for fossils at Petoskey State Park.

When you go

Little Traverse Wheelway

Bring your own bike or rent wheels at Latitude 45 to cruise 23 miles of paved path connecting Petoskey to Charlevoix to the west and Harbor Springs to the north.

American Spoon

Local sugar bushes and berries reincarnate as salted maple caramel and wild blueberry spoon fruit (try samples!) at Petoskey's artisan jam house.

Sturgeon River Pottery

Visit the artisans collective at this cozy studio, where makers turn clay cookware or craft jewelry from Petoskey stones (fossilized coral clusters).

Crooked Tree Arts Center

In an ornate former Methodist church, stained-glass windows illuminate photo exhibits, plein air paintings and rotating sculpture installations.

Petoskey State Park

Waves wash Petoskey stones within easy reach on a mile of sandy beach surrounded by two campgrounds and a network of trails.