The Harbor Springs Visitors Guide

The Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to provide you with the premier shopping, dining and activity guide in Northern Michigan. It is filled with year ‘round information to help make your stay as enjoyable and memorable as it can be! Should you have additional needs, we encourage you to visit our office at 368 E. Main St. in downtown Harbor Springs, our information Gazebo located adjacent to the Municipal Marina, or our website at www.harborspringschamber.com. We also welcome your calls at 231-526-7999, if there anything more we can do to make your stay postcard perfect!

We thank you for visiting Harbor Springs and hope that our small town charm and character, natural beauty and wide array of other wonderful amenities guarantee a time to remember and a reason to return again soon!

Visitor Information

While in the Harbor Springs area, stop by the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce located on Main Street for year ’round visitor information. The Chamber of Commerce is located with the Andrew Blackbird Museum in an historic building (look for the totem pole!).

During the summer months, visitor information also is available at the gazebo on the waterfront. Throughout the year, visitor information can be found online at our website, www.harborspringschamber.com, or also at www.visitharborsprings.com. Have questions about what to do or where to play? Call us at 231-526-7999 and we’ll be glad to help!

Historical Facts

Harbor Springs is rich in history and natural beauty. Our location on the water brings people to visit this area today just as it did more than 100 years ago. Our streets are lined with historic architecture and our downtown area is filled with shops and businesses that relish guests--just as we have been welcoming visitors for generations.

In 1861, a post office was established and the first postmaster was Chief Andrew Blackbird. The original Emmet County courthouse was built in 1886 and later became the Harbor Springs City Hall (the building soon will be renovated to be a history museum).

In the 1870s, Northern Michigan began to be a summer destination for religious and business groups from around the Midwest. The area became a place for recreational and health resorts where socialites could escape the heat, dust and hay fever. Hotels and boarding houses were built in Harbor Springs and the associations of Wequetonsing and Harbor Point were formed.

Little Traverse Bay provided an easy access to the steamships that brought passengers from around the Midwest. Once the railroad reached Harbor Springs in 1882, guests could arrive by steamship or train. The Pointer boat provided ferry service into Harbor Springs from the resorts.

During the week, Ephraim Shay’s narrow gauge railroad, the Hemlock Central, hauled logs and then on the weekends, it carried picnickers to excursions in the lumber camps at Stutsmanville and Weimer’s Lake. By the 1920s, Harbor Springs was known as the ‘Naples of the North’ and 11 hotels greeted visitors.

Many of the buildings that hold a place in Harbor Springs’ past are still in use today such as Holy Childhood Church, the old City Hall, Ottawa Stadium, and the Depot. The restored Pointer boat carries guests around the harbor in the summer.

Today, Harbor Springs still finds visitors returning year after year to enjoy the summer months. The same spectacular beauty and resort hospitality that brought people to Harbor Springs more than 100 years ago is still alive today.

Walking in Harbor Springs

Harbor Springs loves pedestrians! Named a pedestrian-friendly community, Harbor Springs is a place for walkers and strollers to enjoy all that our community has to offer. In our beautiful downtown community, a favorite pastime is walking by the shops, along the waterfront, and on the pier.

This is a community that loves visitors! You will find many places to sit and enjoy the ‘views’ of summer--benches throughout the downtown area and picnic tables along the waterfront and at the beaches.

Pick up one of our Walk Harbor Springs brochures which highlights one, two, and three-mile walking loops beginning on the waterfront. Whether you are a power walker or a casual stroller, Harbor Springs is the place to get out the walking shoes!

Outdoors Galore

If it’s the outdoors you want, visit Harbor Springs year ’round because we have it all!

Summers in Northern Michigan are known to be spectacular. Our summer weather is one of the many reasons that visitors have been ‘summering’ in Harbor Springs for more than 100 years.

And what isn’t there to like about our summers? Fabulous beaches, gorgeous sunsets (and yes, the sun is still out until after 10 p.m. as we are on the western edge of the time zone), Lake Michigan, moderate temperatures and an abundance of things to do--beaching, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, golfing, tennis and more.

Harbor Springs is indeed the place to create summer memories. In the middle of winter, when summer seems like it was years ago, if you picture in your mind the perfect July day, that is Harbor Springs.

And our other seasons are something to write home about as well! Spring is a glorious season filled with maple syrup, morel mushrooms, and trillium. Fall is a colorful season enhanced by the brilliant shades of the hardwoods around us. Fall is a perfect time for many ‘summer’ activities, such as golfing, biking, hiking--and of course, shopping and dining!

Winter couldn’t be prettier than in Harbor Springs. This season is a true Currier & Ives scene with plenty of snow for winter fun. With two outstanding ski resorts, plus ample trails for snowmobiling, cross country skiing and snowshoeing along with ice skating, ice fishing and sledding, Northern Michigan is the perfect winter wonderland.

If outdoor play is what you want, visit Harbor Springs for four seasons of fun.

Hit the Trails--By Bike

Many bicyclists love nothing more than to get on a bike and ride whether they are in the city or on back roads. But when you add some stunning geography to the biking mix, then climbing on the bike becomes a different experience. That is what takes place in the Harbor Springs area as cyclists return to the area again and again to ride the roads and trails of this northern Michigan community.

Cycling in the Harbor Springs area is nothing short of spectacular. There is variety from easy cruising back roads to rolling, climbing routes along Lake Michigan. From families to serious road cyclists, there is something for every bike-lover in the Harbor Springs area.

The Little Traverse Wheelway is receiving regional and national attention for the beauty that exists along this path. Beginning just outside Harbor Springs, the paved or boardwalk 26-mile long non-motorized wheelway continues along Lake Michigan through historic Bay View, the Petoskey waterfront, Bay Harbor, and into Charlevoix.

The Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route travels along M-119 from Harbor Springs to Cross Village. This roadway has it all: a canopy of trees, a winding road along the high bluffs of Lake Michigan, views to Charlevoix and Beaver Island, stops in historic Good Hart, and then arrival in Cross Village. Cyclists from around the world travel to Harbor Springs to ride the Tunnel of Trees.

Mountain bikers have endless miles of trails available to them in the Harbor Springs area. The North Country Trail covers 4,000 miles of trails from the east coast to the North Dakota and passes through Michigan just north of Harbor Springs. The trail runs from Petoskey to Mackinaw City, a 38-mile trail that traverses woods, hills, streams, and pastures.

The quaint downtown shopping district of Harbor Springs is bicycle friendly and many bike racks can be found outside local businesses. Bike racks can also be found at the marina and the two city beaches. New this year: Borrow-a-Bike. Throughout the downtown business district look for the distinctively decorated Borrow-a-Bikes. Hop on the bike and leave at one of the city’s bike racks for someone else to enjoy. This is our way of saying thanks for visiting Harbor Springs!

Life’s A Beach

Where else can you find a small city with beaches within its city limits? Harbor Springs boasts two beaches each with their own distinct personality. The city beach located near Zorn Park is the larger of the two and comes complete with lifeguards, a beach house for changing, swimming rafts, and plenty of sand for building castles. The view from the beach across to Petoskey and the Petoskey State Park is spectacular.

The smaller Zoll Street beach is a real gem. This dog-friendly beach is great for swimming and kayaking. Located at the western edge of Wequetonsing, this beach has a long, shallow area that is great for kids to splash and play in the water. Both beaches have sandy and grassy areas and picnic tables.

The surrounding area outside of Harbor Springs provides some wonderful beach opportunities. The Petoskey State Park has dunes to climb, some occasional wild wave action, and Petoskey Stones to gather along the shore. Just north of Harbor Springs is the Thorne Swift Nature Preserve with a small beach accessed by a short walk through the woods. The Middle Village Park beach, located on Lamkin Drive in Good Hart, and the Cross Village beach are great places to ‘beach it’ for the day.

Whatever your beach pleasure, we have it here!

Let It Snow

We can’t say enough about our snow! It’s not the wet, gray groundcover that appears in the winter in cities. Our snow is light and white and just the ticket for winter activities.

For downhill skiers, Harbor Springs boasts two spectacular ski resorts. Nub’s Nob, the number one ranked Midwestern ski resort, and Boyne Highlands are just five minutes from Harbor Springs. The two resorts offer skiing and riding along with children’s parks, racing, and apres ski action.

We’re serious about snow in Harbor Springs and high school racing is a wonderful way for young athletes to compete and be outside. And it’s not just the young that ski race. Most week nights both Boyne Highlands and Nub’s Nub have adult ski racing action that brings out the competitive spirit of the young at heart.

Miles and miles of groomed trails bring snowmobilers from around the Midwest. The annual Moose Jaw safari, a snowmobile trek from Harbor Springs to Larks Lake is a tradition of fun, good friends and good food.

Cross country skiers and snowshoers will find miles of trails--many groomed--including some with spectacular lake views.

If you are a summer visitor to Harbor Springs, make plans to come back for a winter get away. Winter is delightful!

Shopping, Dining and More

One of the favorite activities in Harbor Springs is strolling. Strolling is a way to spend the day and walking through the streets of downtown Harbor Springs is indeed relaxing.

You can shop, and eat, and shop, and stroll, and then shop and stroll some more. Our tree-lined shopping district has some of the finest shopping in the Midwest complete with everything from books to clothing to toys to home accessories to art.

Downtown Harbor Springs has much to offer shoppers! We have books, candy, pharmacy items, one hour photo, delis, interior design, kitchen design, home accessories, ice cream, candy, clothing, toys, sporting goods, shoes, greeting cards, bikes, specialty foods, coffee, dining, and more!

Dining in downtown can be an all day affair. From a sandwich and ice cream soda at Mary Ellen’s, take out dinner at Cornichons, panini sandwiches at Island Bean, fresh roasted coffee at Wooly Bugger, pizza at Turkey’s, a Thundercloud at Juilleret’s, lunch on Dudley’s Deck at the Pier or dinner at the New York--a day can be planned around every meal!

If it’s a rainy day and beach and boating are out, there is still much to do in Harbor Springs. Visit the library (located above Howse’s Candy Kitchen) or the Andrew J. Blackbird Museum; shop, dine, bowl, go to the indoor water park at Boyne Mountain, or visit the Little Traverse History Museum.

On the Waterfront

The waterfront in Harbor Springs is captivating. Enjoying a picnic lunch along the waterfront and watching the boats in the harbor is a treat. The Little Traverse Sailors sailing school, located on Bay Street, teaches young children and adults to sail and watching the tiny boats zip around the harbor is exciting.

The Little Traverse Yacht Club was formed in 1895 making it one of the oldest yacht clubs in the country. LTYC hosts an annual regatta, affectionately know as Ugotta Regatta, that brings some of the best racers in the country to Little Traverse Bay in late July. Throughout the summer, LTYC hosts racing action on Tuesdays and weekends. Watch the famed and historic NM sail boats (NM for Northern Michigan!) race in Little Traverse Bay.

Chamber Events

In Harbor Springs, there always is a reason to celebrate. And celebrate, we do in a variety of ways. In the summer months, join us for Street Musique, a seven-week long event held each Thursday evening 7-9:30 p.m. on the downtown streets. June 15th brings the waterfront wine festival, a great way to kick off summer.

July Fourth is a day of its own in Harbor Springs. No one does the Fourth like we do! The day is packed with activities: a morning running race, art fair in Zorn Park, a parade, food vendors, fireworks and more! It’s a day of celebration and generations of families come back to Harbor Springs to celebrate the Fourth together.

Summer ends with a Labor Day Street celebration, our version of a street sale complete with entertainment. September brings the Taste of Harbor Springs, Saturday, Sept. 22, a culinary delight along the waterfront with the foods of dozens of area chefs ready for tasting. October 6 is the Harvest Festival, a celebration of arts and crafts and harvest foods in downtown Harbor Springs plus the annual high school marching band invitational.

The annual Christmas tree lighting, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, begins the holiday season in Harbor Springs followed by the Christmas open house, the first Wednesday in December. During the winter months, don’t miss the Chili Cookoff competition during President’s Day weekend. Spring begins with Bowling Down Main Street, a fun event for young and old.

To receive a free copy of the Visitors Guide, email: info@harborspringschamber.com

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