Information on Traverse City, Michigan and the surrounding Northwest Michigan area

Downtown Petoskey and the SEE-North Exploration Center

The historic downtown gaslight district is worth exploring any time of year. Numerous specialty shops and delightful restaurants line the streets. Search for a good book, a new outfit, a piece of art, or maybe just an ice cream cone.

Located off Pennsylvania Park in downtown is the SEE-North Exploration Center. This center offers a variety of hands-on, interactive learning stations for both children and adults. Discover more about the plants, animals, and habitats of northern Michigan while having fun. Admission is free and a gift shop is on-site stocked with neat science and nature items.

Exploration center hours are 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday and 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday. Larger groups and school classes can be accommodated by appointment. Call SEE-North at 348-9700 for more information.

Photo by Patrick Nagi
The SEE-North Exploration Center in Petoskey is located off Pennsylvania Park in downtown.

Continue to explore Petoskey by going underground. Yes, use the tunnel to go under U.S. 31 and reach Bayfront Park. Once there walk the docks, let the children play at the beachside park, maybe view a game at the softball diamond, and plan to stay for the sunset.

While waiting for sunset, walk the shoreline and enjoy the view. As you go, periodically look down by your feet for the official state stone, the Petoskey Stone. These stones are actually fossilized coral and date back 350 million years. The stones, when wet, are much easier to identify and locate so consider searching for them even on a rainy day.