Everything worth doing.Within 20 minutes.

A third-generation family farm turned winery one mile from the lake — seven acres of cold-hardy grapes worked on thirty-six acres of rolling ground. The stacked-cordwood tasting room looks out over the vines rather than the water, the trade for a quieter afternoon than the lakefront spots get. Monday to Thursday 11 to 6, Friday and Saturday to 7. Local cheese and salsa by the pour.

Named for the mahogany runabouts that still cruise Walloon's three arms, Barrel Back sits below Hotel Walloon with private slips at Legacy Water Sports directly underneath — tie up and walk upstairs. Glass garage doors open the dining room to the lake on a clear evening; a wood-fired oven and rotisserie smoker handle the brisket and pizza. Twenty-three taps, a cantilevered deck built for the sunset side. Open year-round, lunch and dinner daily.

An 1891 inn at the foot of the lake, renovated in 2014 without losing the wide porch or the private dock where guests still arrive by boat for dinner. The kitchen runs a seasonal American menu with a wine list that's held Wine Spectator recognition for years. Dinner only, 5 to 9 nightly. Reserve ahead for a table on the water side once the July calendar fills.

Petoskey's downtown bar and restaurant has occupied this 1875 building since it was McCarty Hall's billiard parlor, and the back room is still called the Hemingway Room for the young writer who drank here before he was anyone. Prohibition tunnels and a house ghost are part of the pitch; steaks and whitefish are the reason to stay. Open daily 11:30 to 9, eight minutes north of the lake.

Twenty rotating taps in a downtown Petoskey taproom, with vinyl to flip through and board games on the shelf, plus a basement lounge called the Root Cellar for when the main room's full. Closed Monday and Tuesday; open to 9 on weekends. Burgers and a fried pickle plate cover the food side. The pick for a rainy Wednesday when the wineries feel too far to bother with.

The village beach, right where M-75 meets West Street — a gradual sandy swim area, bathhouse, historic footbridge, and the public boat ramp most Walloon Lake visitors use if they don't have a private launch. It's the most crowded stretch of shoreline on the lake by early July afternoon and the easiest one to find. Free parking, no permit required.

A Bear Creek Township park on the lake's northeast side, off Gruler Road — sandy beach, a boat launch calmer than the downtown ramp, a covered pavilion, and enough parking that it rarely fills the way Melrose does by ten. Kayaks and paddleboards launch easiest from here, and a buoyed swim area keeps younger kids contained. Fully wheelchair accessible, beach included.

A Michigan Centennial Farm on US-131 south of Petoskey, worked by the same family since an 1874 homestead — organic produce, the region's largest mum grower, and a refurbished barn stocked with local provisions. The hillside sits above rolling farmland with a view back toward Walloon Lake. Open April through October, Monday to Saturday 9 to 6, Sunday noon to 4.

Downtown Petoskey shuts down part of Howard Street every Friday morning from late May through the start of October — local produce, bread, cheese, and flowers, 8:30 to 1. Recent construction has bounced the first few weeks of the season between the old News-Review lot and Howard Street itself; check the chamber's page before the season opens if the exact spot matters.

The full-service marina below Barrel Back, downtown Walloon Lake Village — bowriders, pontoons, jet skis, and wake boats by the day, plus a pro shop, fuel dock, and boat detailing. Formerly Tommy's, now Legacy, same location since before most of the current cottage owners bought in. Book ahead for a July weekend; walk-up rentals thin out fast once school lets out.

Ernest Hemingway's family built this cottage on the north shore in 1900 for $400 and named it Windemere; he spent every summer here from age one through twenty-one, save one. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1968, it's still privately owned by Hemingway's family and not open for tours — the literary pilgrimage here is a drive-by and a look across the water, not a ticketed visit.

A 32-room boutique hotel facing the village park, AAA Four Diamond, with heated marble bathroom floors and an all-season hot tub for after a day on the water or the ski trail. Complimentary scones and coffee in the lobby each morning, light appetizers each evening. Central enough that Petoskey, Boyne City, and Charlevoix all sit under a half-hour drive.