Boyne City Travel Diary, Part 3. (video!)

I’m back with the final post from our annual trip to Boyne City! Below, I’ve included a TON of things that we love to do in the area, along with a video of some of our favorite places. You can also find more here:

Part 1

Part 2

[This was our first time recording any type of video like this so it’s a miracle that we didn’t kill each other (spoiler: we sort of did). But we are hoping to record more fun videos now that the autumn season is here and Eddie is learning to film!]

WHAT TO DO & WHERE TO GO!

Boyne City

We’ve stayed in Boyne my entire life and we always stay right on the water. There are lots of condos and houses to rent. Some of our favorite places include:

Cafe Sante. Easily our favorite restaurant and the food is just so, so good. The year I was pregnant with Max, Eddie and I went there EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Red Mesa Grill. Tacos and chips and guac and margaritas.

Kilwins. Ice cream, hello.

Local Flavor Bookstore. I can’t even tell you what a special place this bookstore has in my heart. I’ve always had such a huge love of reading and have picked a book or two out in this store from the time I was a young kid. It’s just the most classic, adorable indie bookstore that doesn’t even have hipster vibes. I love it. And they do coffee too.

Wine Emporium & Market. This has the best selection of wine also incredible cheeses and snacks.

Grain Train co-op. It’s a grocery store, BUT – all organic – healthy and fun food!

Fustinis Oil and Vinegar. This location is recent but you guys know that I’ve adored Fustinis oils and vinegars for YEARS!

Sommerset Point – Porter Creek Fish House. This is a fairly recent addition but we like to go here to have a snack or a drink on the patio. And walk the marina.

Boyne City Farmer’s Market. Been coming to this my entire life and it’s where I get some of my favorite treats! There is incredible local produce but it’s also where you can find Friske Orchards, Pond Hill Farm and Happy’s Taco Truck.

Avalanche Preserve is great for a workout and gives you a stunning view of Lake Charlevoix. We also like to go to Young State Park (by boat) or Glenwood Beach.

Lavender Hill Farm. All the lavender you can dream of, plus ice cream!

There are lots of cute little shops right in town – clothing, “beachy” knick knack things, art – and I’ve watched so many places come and go over the years. Our most favorite thing to do is Stroll the Streets on Friday nights in the summer. We try to get two in while we’re there.

 

Bay Harbor

We love going to Bay Harbor to walk the marina, the strip of shops and have a cocktail on the patio at the Bay Harbor Inn. Right in between Bay Harbor and Petosky, there is a fabulous playground that overlooks the water, called East Park.

 

Petosky

Petosky is the most “city-like” town we always make a stop in (if you can even call it that) – and there are again, lots of restaurants, shops, coffee, ice cream and toy stores. Some favorites:

American Spoon Cafe. We’ve found that their food was better in years past, but their gelato is to die for.

Cutler’s. Every kitchen item you can dream of.

Perry Davis Hotel – Rose Garden Veranda.  Beautiful setting over the bay.

Roast & Toast Coffee.

 

Harbor Springs

Harbor Springs is my favorite little town near Boyne and is always the one I look forward to the most. It’s just SO incredibly charming. Again, there is a wonderful little strip of shops, lots of places to eat, get ice cream, a marina to walk around, lots of golfing, wine tasting and all that jazz.

Pond Hill Farm is also near the town.

American Spoon has a location there.

Tom’s Mom’s cookies for the BEST cookies ever.

We’ve also drove the tunnel of trees multiple times and it’s super gorgeous, especially in the fall.

 

Charlevoix

We do a lot of the same in Charlevoix – shop and eat! But our most favorite thing to do is head down to the lighthouse and beach to watch the sunset. Great playground, great fishing off the pier and it’s all so beautiful. There is a spacious marina to walk around and generally, it’s a great place to WALK if you have a toddler that never stops moving.

We did eat at Smoke on the Water for the first time this year and it was delicious. For years my family would go to the Villager Pub for whitefish and that is good too, albeit more like bar food.

One thing that was really fun when I was younger was to take the Ironton Ferry over to Charlevoix. All about the experience! Eddie almost throws up.

 

That’s all I’ve got for now, but as time goes on I’ll continue to update this post! We’ve gone to many other surrounding areas over the last 30+ years and done many things, but the above are what we find ourselves doing year after year. And most often, we actually stay in and cook dinner, make a fire and have s’mores on the beach!

Thanks for indulging in my northern Michigan love.