Travel

This Midwest Town Is Like a Mini North Pole

Snowshoeing to a wood-burning fire and piney beer pretty much sums it up.

The Highlands at Harbor Springs
The Highlands at Harbor Springs
The Highlands at Harbor Springs

If Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” is the soundtrack of your month and you’re one gingerbread house away from being cast on a holiday-themed episode of My Strange Addiction, a trip to Petoskey, Michigan is a December must. The tiny town sits next to a misty lake surrounded by snow-blanketed hills, looking like a village from The Polar Express or How the Grinch Stole Christmas, promising the winter wonderland vibes you hear about each year.

Located on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, this small town of 5,700 residents transforms into a magical snow globe of comforting eats and seasonal treats each winter. It’s locals go over the top in decorating their businesses and homes with kitschy ornaments, glitzy garland, and oversized red bows to welcome the holiday.

You may even be able to spot the northern lights in this upper peninsula region of Michigan, just shy of Canada. Also in Petoskey are a lit up enchanted snowshoe trail leading to a yurt with s’mores around a fire, streets lined with gaslight lamp posts and holiday lights, wreath-making workshops, and taverns offering white chocolate peppermint cookies to pair with piney seasonal beers.

It’s a place where Santa Claus himself would probably vacation if he wasn’t stuck in the workshop overseeing elves and sweeping up reindeer poop. Here’s everything to do in Petoskey, a bucket-list destination for even the most skeptical of Scrooges.

Coveyou Scenic Farm Market
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market

Don’t rely on Rudolph-get a car

No matter where you’re flying in from, you’ll need to bank on renting a sleigh-err-car. The nearest airport offering commercial flights is Pellston Regional Airport, though the routes are limited and infrequent.

Your best bet is to fly into Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan, and make the hour and a half drive north. But you can certainly bookend your stay with nights in Traverse City, known as one of the “bluest” locales in America with its downtown scene perched above the bays of Lake Michigan to offer waterfront views from practically any vantage point.

Pour Kitchen & Bar
Pour Kitchen & Bar
Pour Kitchen & Bar

Eat enough to rival Santa’s belly

Though Petoskey may be a small town, it’s big on flavors. Cuisine can best be described as “elevated American”-chock-full of rich meats, cheeses, and breads that warm your core before you layer up to brave the elements. The elevated part comes from the quality-Michiganders are proud of their state’s exports, so it’s common to find locally-sourced slabs of smoked bacon from Plath’s on burgers and sandwiches, a cranberry Stilton from Petoskey Cheese, and pillowy buns from bakeries like Crooked Tree Breadworks.

Beer culture also runs rampant, and while I always sigh wistfully when my summer sours disappear from most menus (it is wintertime, after all), the seasonal selections more than make up for it at Beards Brewery,  Tap30, and the no-frills Mitchell Street Pub (where you can throw peanut shells right on the floor). These local brewers offer spicy lagers, chocolatey porters, and even pine-forward IPAs like Petoskey Brewing Company‘s Crimson Empress.

The Back Lot Petoskey
The Back Lot Petoskey
The Back Lot Petoskey

Petoskians also take their weekend brunches seriously, with places like Maple + Batter and breathtakingly scenic Barrel Back, offering sky-high stacks of jelly-doused pancakes and decadently rich Benedicts. You should also try to stumble into one of the town’s many pastry shops or candy stores for coffee and sweet indulgences. The country’s very first Kilwin’s sells its famous caramel pecan turtles and Tom’s Mom’s bakes dozens of chocolate chunk cookies with festive flavors like white chocolate and peppermint

Perhaps the biggest culinary highlight, though, is The Back Lot-a cluster of food trucks offering everything from fried chicken tacos (Happy’s) and sweet and spicy grilled cheese (Cheese & Co.) to crispy fish sandwiches (The Reel Deal) and loaded Philly fries topped with shaved ribeye and Cheez Wiz (Phoxie’s), all set around fire pits and cozy shanties to really embrace the great outdoors.

Cutler's
Cutler’s
Cutler’s

Come back bearing gifts

Most of Petoskey’s shopping can be done in its historic Gaslight District, with businesses embracing Michigan culture by selling small-batch jarred preserves, hand-poured candles, soaps, and winter fashion. You can venture into gems like McClean and Eakin for books and Cutler’s for a wonderful variety of quirky kitchen appliances and accessories.

The beautifully-curated and eucalyptus-smelling Poetess and Stranger encourages sustainable holiday shopping with eco-friendly journals, bags, and skincare products. Whereas Flora Bae Home houses one-of-a-kind knick-knacks and home decor (where I unsurprisingly picked up a fabric sloth ornament and a linen dish towel with absurdly loud red and green patterns).

No matter where the shoveled sidewalks take you for holiday gifts and treasures, be sure to make a pit stop at the city’s Christmas tree, which sits pretty in Pennsylvania Park.

Coveyou Scenic Farm Market
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market

Feast on seasonal bounty and preserves from farms

Markets like Coveyou, Pond Hill, and Bill’s offer a merry array of local produce, spreads, jams, and even Christmas trees, but you’d be remiss to not visit the actual farms, vineyards, cideries, and even maple syrup wineries that make Petoskey so special.

Favorites included Resort Pike Cidery & Winery, which touts an impressive list of homemade ciders-both traditional and creative (like pineapple habanero)-that you can order by the flight. At Sweetwater Floral owner Kalin Sheick hosts wreath workshops and has put together a program where you can order evergreen kits online. There’s also Maple Moon Sugarbush & Winery-the nation’s first maple winery with red and white blends and, you guessed it, wine made from fermented maple syrup. They obviously also excel at standard maple syrup production, including cinnamon and barrel-aged varieties that will upgrade any waffle on Christmas morning.

The Highlands at Harbor Springs
The Highlands at Harbor Springs
The Highlands at Harbor Springs

Get your snow adventure on… or just build a snowman

Petoskey is home to three ski parks for those hoping to hit the slopes: The Highlands at Harbor Springs, Nubs Nob, and Boyne Mountain. Winter activities like tubing, ice skating, sledding, and snowshoeing are available at most of these locations, and can also be found at Petoskey Winter Sports Park. If you’d rather hike than slide, Petoskey State Park is also host to an abundance of trails, all of which are canopied by pine trees that lead to a pebble-lined beach.

For the less adventurous (a.k.a. me), there are plenty of other options to take advantage of the beautiful settings. A casual stroll anywhere along Lake Michigan is an absolute must, even when it’s snowing horizontally, for Petoskey’s beautiful stretch of rocky shores. And walking tours of Ernest Hemingway’s haunts will provide a glimpse of Petoskey’s past with the American novelist, who spent the first 22 summers of his life in Northern Michigan at a vacation home on Walloon Lake. Hemingway even mentions Petoskey and its beauty in some of his works, with references to fishing and exploring the area’s many creeks.

The Highlands at Harbor Springs
The Highlands at Harbor Springs
The Highlands at Harbor Springs

But what is inarguably the best holiday event, by far, is The Highlands at Harbor Springs’ Enchanted Trail-a two-mile snowshoe trek through the forest guided by holiday lights that lead to a large yurt with towering wooden beams, a bar, and even a sofa and chair set-up by a fireplace.

Once you arrive, you can knock back thematic cocktails like mulled wine and boozy hot cocoa, make s’mores, and snap photos in front of a light display glittering against stacks of firewood. It’s a picturesque activity for both kids and adults alike, and not only because it comes with the promise of alcohol (for the latter, of course)-it’s just downright peaceful on a starry night.

Inn at Bay Harbor, Autograph Collection
Inn at Bay Harbor, Autograph Collection
Inn at Bay Harbor, Autograph Collection

Skip the igloo and stay somewhere extra cozy

There are a handful of decent lodging options outside of the area’s run-of-the-mill hotel chains, and the most luxurious accommodation can be found at the Inn at Bay Harbor. This waterside oasis, which offers fireplaces and balcony-adorned suites, is blanketed by lake-effect snow and boasts a restaurant, bar, and, perhaps its biggest draw, a waterside hot tub so you can relax while taking in views of Lake Michigan.

Feeling less jolly and more exhausted? Take a break from it all at the resort’s spa, with seasonal services like a peppermint pedicure or their signature Northern Luxury Skin Treatment-a 90-minute recharge that combines a wild lavender scrub and wrap with a hot stone massage using coveted Petoskey stones.

Even if you ended up on the Naughty List this year and are unable to treat yourself to a last-minute holiday getaway, remember that Petoskey shines just as much in the summer and can easily be added to your domestic travel bucket list.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on InstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeTikTok, and Snapchat.

Joey Skladany is a contributor for Thrillist.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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