Recent Blog Posts

Festivals, local dinners and forest hikes ahead! Morel Mushrooms Have you ever gone on the hunt for morel mushrooms? There’s a trick to finding them and it’s this: You either find a million or nary a one. But come mid-May, that doesn’t stop any of us all from trying. Come May, the ...
Read More>>

There’s a new ride in town – and it’s the only one of its kind anywhere in Michigan! Photo provided by Wheels on Rails LLC Wheels on Rails opens this May in Grawn, Mich., (about 1.5 hours south of Petoskey) and offers a 6-mile, roundtrip, 1-hour ride by railbike along a (non-active) rai...
Read More>>

Chasing the Aurora Borealis Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis displaying over Lake Michigan. This spring, Northern Michigan got its finest display of the Aurora Borealis in years on March 23-24, 2023. It was bigger, brighter and more prevalent than anyone could recall in recent memory – or m...
Read More>>

Bring the bikes, the swim trunks and the fam! Now is the time to make those camping reservations for this summer in Petoskey! Area campgrounds fill early and for good reason – they are gorgeous, serene and of limited supply. Get a night or two in while you can. Here are 2 favorite places n...
Read More>>

Photo Credit: Boyne Mountain Resort It’s been dubbed Michigan’s “second bridge” – and we can’t argue that! The world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge is now open at Boyne Mountain Resort (just 20 minutes south of Petoskey) and there is no debate that the new Skybridge Mic...
Read More>>

It’s time to hit the slopes! Ski lovers wait for this all year long – the white stuff + a long weekend = heaven! Here are a couple of downhill ski options not far from Petoskey to checkout.  And while you’re here, be sure to spend a little of your time off the slopes walking be...
Read More>>

Photo by Kristina Lishawa Photography. Look for these winter wonders December through March It’s the thrill of a lifetime – spotting the prominent white plume of a snowy owl, either on the wing or perched up high on a tree branch. And, guess what? It’s finally our time of year to see th...
Read More>>

You may be aware that Michigan’s birthday is coming up. January 26 marks our state’s 186th anniversary, which is pretty impressive. However, did you know there’s another day dedicated to The Mitten State? Since 2017, the National Day Calendar has celebrated each state in the order in w...
Read More>>

The slang is just plain fun:  Do you have a fatty?  It’s fatty weather!  Let’s rent some fatties! Fat bikes are all the rage and for good reason. These bikes are outfitted with wide tires and knobby tread that roll through everything – mud, sand and snow. And wi...
Read More>>

Every year, Grandpa Shorters delivers mail to Santa that boys and girls put in the red mailbox in front of Grandpa Shorters Gifts during November and December. Here are some letters from Christmas 2022. Dear Santa, My name is Dakota and I am 6 years old. This year I have been very nice. F...
Read More>>