Harbor Springs, Michigan Hotels

This is the current conditions weather report for Harbor Springs. The report was made 28 minutes ago, at 12:15 UTC. The temperature was 70°F / 21°C, with a dew-point at 70°F / 21°C. The atmospheric pressure was 29.77 inHg / 1009 hPa. The relative humidity was 83%. The skies were mostly cloudy with light rain.

Harbor Springs is a city in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,567 at the 2000 census.

Harbor Springs is in a sheltered bay on the north shore of the Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The Little Traverse Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse on the Harbor Point peninsula that forms the natural harbor there. M-119 connects with US 31 seven mile east and south at Bay View, with Petoskey just five miles away on the south side of the harbor.

Founded by the Jesuits, Harbor Springs was once called L'Arbre Croche, which means Crooked Tree. In 1847, L'Arbre Croche had the largest concentration of Indians in the states. French traders renamed the area Petit Traverse, or Little Traverse, when they arrived in the area. The village was eventually incorporated as Harbor Springs in 1880.

The city swells in the summer tourist "season" - which generally ranges from Memorial Day to Labor Day - and has a picturesque, New England feel to it year-round. Popular activities include boating, sailing, strolling on the city pier, playing tennis, and shopping the 4-block downtown area, which boasts an inordinate number of upscale shops for such a small area. The downtown area includes several restaurants, including the historic Mary Ellen's (an authentic '50's-style soda fountain), the local favorite pizza place, Turkey's (named for its owner, who apparently "hobbled like a turkey" when injuring himself during high school football season), and Bar Harbor, famed for its burgers and as a gathering place for yachtsmen. Juilleret's is a popular family-run restaurant that began in 1895 when Joseph and Martha Juilleret opened a boat livery and ice cream parlor on the same location. Juilleret's has remained in the family since, making it Michigan's oldest family-run restrauant. In 1975 the current owner James Juilleret (fourth generation), took over operations of the business. Gurney's Bottle Shop has take-out deli sandwiches complete with homemade bread that are very popular.

Also downtown are a small but thorough bookstore (Between the Covers), several coffeeshops, fudge shops, and over a dozen art galleries, the destinations of many of the "fudgies" (Northern Michigan-speak for "tourist" because of their frequent fudge purchases) who clog the sidewalks during the summer months. In the winter, the town serves as the base for visiting skiiers, as both the Boyne Highlands and Nubs Nob ski resort are only a few miles away, and the town's custom of setting their Christmas tree in the middle of the downtown street has been seen on many postcards.

The town is also just a few miles from neighboring Petoskey, Michigan, which is on the other side of the bay and offers a wider variety of activities including a multiplex movie theater, a thriving downtown area of its own, and several big-box stores.

Nub's Nob is a small ski area located near Harbor Springs in the neighboring township of Pleasant View. Nub's Nob (often shortened to simply "Nub's") boasts a gold medal from SKI Magazine as well as being voted the Midwest's Best Ski Area three years straight, in addition to having the #1 Terrain park rating from SKI Magazine's 2007 Reader Resort Survey and #4 in grooming.

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