Want to see the winners from other regions, too? Click here for Above the Bridge, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Gaylord & Grayling, Leelanau, Ludington, Mackinac Island, Manistee & Benzie, Marquette and Traverse City.
Bar to Hear Live Music
1st Place Tie: Noggin Room Pub, Perry Hotel, Petoskey
Check out the Summer Music on the Veranda series to hear why this venue is known for showcasing regional talent.
1st Place Tie: City Park Grill, Petoskey
Ernest Hemingway hung out here, so should you. Karaoke for the brave; live music for all.Â
2. Beards Brewery, Petoskey
3. Legs Inn, Cross Village
Beach for Sunset
1. Petoskey State Park, Petoskey
More than 300 acres of sandy beach and forests tucked between two of the world’s premier vacation towns—Petoskey and Harbor Springs.
2. Sunset Park, Petoskey
3. Sturgeon Bay Beach, Petoskey
Bloody Mary (Place)
1st Place Tie: Noggin Room Pub, Perry Hotel, Petoskey
Heavy on the veggies and always made with fresh Bloody mix make these beloved brunch accompaniments around Petoskey.
1st Place Tie:Â Legs Inn, Cross Village
Order the signature Luksusowa Bloody Mary, made with Luksusowa (the Polish word for luxury) Vodka. Pablo Picasso was once asked what astonished him most over the past half-century, and he replied: “The three most astonishing things in the past half-century were: the blues, cubism, and Polish vodka.”
2. Palette Bistro, Petoskey
3. The Side Door Saloon, Petoskey
Breakfast Spot
1. Brutus Camp Deli, Alanson
Tuck into a plate of pancakes at this breakfast and lunch spot with its knotty pine interior and mounts on the wall for a True North experience.
2. Roast & Toast, Petoskey
3. The Original Pancake House of Bay Harbor
Brewery (Must Brew Own Beer)
1. Petoskey Brewing Company, Petoskey
Cutting edge craft brews served up in a vintage building that once housed Petoskey’s first brewery.
2. Beards Brewery, Petoskey
3. Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs
Conservancy Preserve
1st Place Tie – Offield Family Viewlands, Harbor Springs
Almost 300 acres of meadows and forest threaded with trails that make dog walking a recreational sport.
1st Place Tie – Little Traverse Conservancy
2. Allan and Virginia McCune Nature Preserve, Petoskey
3. The Hill Nature Preserve, Boyne City
Farmstand
1. Bill’s Farm Market, Petoskey
Veggies, fruit and flowers in varieties from A to Z (K is for Kohlrabi!) grown by a family who has been doing it for more than a century.
2. Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs
3. Bear Creek Organic Farm, Petoskey
Favorite Nonprofit (In Region)
1. Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey
Dancing, cooking, painting, writing … the arts bloom in all their 3-D glory inside this cool converted 19th-century church.
2. Lyric Theatre, Harbor Springs
3. Blissfest Music Organization, Petoskey
Fish Fry
1. Moose Jaw Junction, Pellston
The secret? It’s hand-battered.
2. Mim’s Mediterranean Grill, Petoskey
3. Scalawags Whitefish & Chips, Mackinaw City
Fishing Charter Company
1. Plumber’s Helper Charter Service, Petoskey
The boat’s the bomb—a 43-foot Tiara open-sport yacht. But the real catch? If you don’t catch fish, you don’t pay!
2. Rockin And Reelin Sportfishing Charters, Indian River
3. Chasin Tail Charter Fishing, Mackinaw City
Gallery to Buy and Browse Local Art
1. Three Pines Studio, Cross Village
Hand-blocked linens, hand-spun and died yarn, hand-thrown pottery, paintings and a springer spaniel named Carina, all housed in a rustic building set on the scenic Tunnel of Trees. Can we move in?
2. Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey
3. Hanni Gallery, Harbor Springs
Hardware and Building Supply Store
1. Preston Feather Building Center, Petoskey & Harbor Springs
Known for going above and beyond since 1915.Â
2. Coffman Hardware & Camp Store, Mackinaw City
Hotel, Inn or Resort
1. The Inn at Bay Harbor, Bay Harbor
Get pampered, eat and drink like a rock star, gaze out from your balcony at deep-blue Little Traverse Bay, play world-class golf. Three cheers for this winner!
2. Perry Hotel, Petoskey
3. Bay View Inn, Petoskey
Tunnel of Trees // Photo by Connor Gray
Interior Furnishings
1. The Quiet Moose, Petoskey
Elegant, individual interiors planned right down to the kitchen sink. Their new downtown Petoskey showroom is inspiration incarnate.
2. Reid Furniture Co, Petoskey
3. Kauffman Furniture, Petoskey
Local Realtor (Name, Realty)
1. Wally Kidd, Kidd & Leavy Real Estate, Walloon Lake
Experienced, successful, skilled and knowledgable, yes, but don’t overlook his big heart.Â
2. Stephanie Jones, Kidd & Leavy Real Estate, Petoskey
3. Pete Platte, Gaslight Reality, Petoskey
Local Red Wine (Name of wine, winery)
1. Pond Hill Red, Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs
Robust reds deliver big flavor from estate-grown, cold-climate Marquette grapes.
2. North Arm Noir, Walloon Lake Winery, Petoskey
3. Petoskey Red, Petoskey Farms Vineyard & Winery, Petoskey
Local White Wine (name of wine, winery)
1. Wildwood White, Walloon Lake Winery, Petoskey
A single-vineyard wine produced from cold-hearty dry La Crescent grapes, this wine is a medal winner!
2. Pond Hill White, Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs
3. Frontenac Gris, Crooked Vine Winery, Alanson
Mountain Biking Trail
1. Boyne Highlands Resorts, Harbor Springs
This perennial Top 5 winner in MTBparks.com Riders’ Choice Best Bike Awards serves up wooden drops, wall-rides and man-made jumps on its dozens of miles of trails.
2. Offield Family Working Forest Reserve, Harbor Springs
3. Cheboygan State Park, Cheboygan
Outdoor Dining
1. Legs Inn, Cross Village
Authentic Polish food in a wonderfully eccentric building, surrounded by gorgeous gardens and a soul-soaking view of Lake Michigan. The live music lineup is stellar too. Legs Inn is a Destination with a capital D.
2. Stafford’s Pier Restaurant, Petoskey
3. The Back Lot Beer Garden, Petoskey
Outdoor Gear Store
1. Bearcub Outfitters, Petoskey
The folks who tell the whole family to go out and play.
2. Bahnhof Sport, Petoskey
3. The Outfitter, Harbor Springs
Party Store
1. Toski-Sands Market, Petoskey
You know that place that always has just the cut of meat and the bottle of wine to make your dinner special? Toski-Sands is it.
2. Bill & Carol’s West Side Grocery, Petoskey
3. Corner Grocer, Petoskey
Place to Get Your Annuals and Perennials
1. Willson’s Garden Center, Petoskey
Since 1921, five generations of Willsons have made the world a prettier place. (Download their free guide to growing hydrangeas in Northern Michigan and make your world a prettier place.)
2. Bear Creek Organic Farm, Petoskey
3. Pollys Plucking & Gardening, Harbor Springs
Place to Take an Instagram Photo
1. M-119 Tunnel of Trees, Harbor Springs to Good Hart
Check your stress at the curb and drive this lazy asphalt beauty as it winds past Lake Michigan views, deep forests, old-timey cottages and tiny towns.
2. Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City
3. Petoskey Breakwall, Petoskey
Restaurant for a Special Occasion
1. Legs Inn, Cross Village
A funky-rustic building, authentic Polish food, sumptuous gardens and a huge-blue view of Lake Michigan spell special occasion.
2. Chandler’s, Petoskey
3. The Pier Restaurant, Harbor Springs
Sports Gear Rental Company
1. Bahnhof Sports, Petoskey
From boots to beanie they have you covered with everything you need to get out on the Northern Michigan slopes.
2. The Outfitter, Harbor Springs
3. Latitude 45 Bicycles and Fitness, Petoskey
Spot to Bird Watch
1. Wilderness State Park, Mackinaw City
Layovers for international avian flights happen on this Lake Michigan peninsula.
2. Spring Lake Park, Petoskey
3. Sunset Park, Petoskey
Summer Festival or Event
1. Blissfest Music Festival, Harbor Springs
Three days, five thousand chill people, folk, roots and world music. All set on a Northern Michigan farm. Woodstock went to the Midwest and grew up.
2. Art in the Park, Petoskey
3. Petoskey Festival on the Bay
Wedding Venue
1. Stafford’s Perry Hotel, Petoskey
Winter, spring, summer or fall, this elegant Victorian hotel with its lush rose garden and views of Little Traverse Bay is the backdrop for a perfect wedding.
2. Birchwood Farms, Harbor Springs
3. Stafford’s Bay View Inn, Petoskey
Winery or Wine Bar
1. Walloon Lake Winery, Petoskey
From grape to bottle, taste the love the Dennis family puts into their wine.
2. Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs
3. Pour, Petoskey
Winter Festival or Event
1. Holiday Open House Weekend, Petoskey
Petoskey’s downtown Gaslight District turns into a living snow-globe for this event.
2. Petoskey’s Winter Carnival, Petoskey
3. Harbor Springs Ice Fest, Harbor Springs