This may be a small sample of Alpena’s downtown offerings, but it’s indicative of the quirky and charming diversity on hand. The retail, dining and entertainment options are great for a town this size, and more than ample for a visit. Also downtown and very near the harbor, Bay View Park’s Fine Arts Shell hosts events throughout the summer. Between City Band Concerts, the True North Radio “Concerts in the Park” series and the Thunder Bay Arts Council Summer Concerts in the Park series, there are at least two performances each week, all summer long. The park also has basketball and tennis courts and play and picnic areas, making it a good place to stretch out after you’ve moored. Just down the shore from there, you’ll find the life guard-
QUICK GUIDE
Attractions Besser Museum: (989) 356-2202 Civic Theater: (989) 354-3624 Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival: (586) 566-1603 or 595-3600 Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary & Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center: (989) 356-8805 The Thunder Bay Theater: (989) 354-2267
supervised Starlite Beach. Farther down from that, you’ll come to Mich-E-Kewis Park. It has many standard park amenities—a swimming beach, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits—and it also has something a little less common: an area specifically designated for kite flying. And north of downtown, on Johnson Street, the Besser Museum houses everything from a Picasso and a
Lodging, Dining & Retail Cathy’s Hallmark: (989) 354-4525 Cobblestone Bike and Vac: (989) 356-1238
planetarium inside to a historic bank, church and school outside. With its eclectic collection of art, history and science objects and exhibits, it can satisfy a diversity of visitor interests. If you come to Alpena without your boat, there are still plenty of opportunities to get out on the water. Canoes and kayaks can be rented and taken on a trail of shallow shipwrecks. Charter boats, both for angling and scuba diving, are easy to find—as are both the fish and the shipwrecks in this part of Lake Huron. Onshore and off, above the waterline and well below, Alpena offers the opportunity for all kind of adventures— and as many accommodations. alpenacvb.com
Fletcher Street Brewery: (989) 356-2294 Jerry’s & Mary’s Antiques & Collectibles: (989) 358-8500 Jeppetto’s Riverfront Bistro: (989) 354-8190 Middle Island Keepers Lodge: (989) 619-1013 Take 5 Deli: (989) 354-0400 Water’s Edge Motel: (989) 354-5495
Marina City of Alpena’s Marina: (989) 356-0551
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