Petoskey, Michigan

Petoskey, Michigan is on the southeast shore of the Little Traverse Bay between Charlevoix and Mackinaw City.

It’s one of my favorite towns – great atmosphere, great shopping, great restaurants…and a couple great bookstores where I always buy things about Great Lakes shipwrecks and local history.

And for some of the best root beer on the planet, check out a 50s style restaurant by the name of Bob-In Again where they say: “No matter what you choose to eat, We know that if you Bob-In once, you'll Bob-In Again!” Anyway, it’s called Bobby Boy’s Barrel Root Beer. You won't be sorry.

On the weird side, 50,000 passenger pigeons were killed each day in Petoskey in the late 1800s before they became extinct in the early 1900s.

Petoskey is also famous for a high concentration of Petoskey stones, the state stone of Michigan. A Petoskey stone is a rock and a fossil, often pebble-shaped, that is composed of fossilized coral. The Petoskey stone and the city were named after Chief Ignatius Petosega (1787–1885), who founded the community.

Railroad-wise, the Northern Arrow and other rail lines provided passenger traffic to Petoskey and Bay View, Michigan but they were discontinued in the late 20th century. Petoskey was also the northern terminus of the Chicago and West Michigan Railway. Occasional passenger excursion trains to Petoskey are operated by Lake Central Rail Tours. Freight service to Petoskey is limited and provided by the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway.