5 enjoyable issues to do that weekend in Northern Michigan May 15-17, 2026

There’s loads of alternatives to get outdoors this weekend, whether or not you’re in search of mushrooms, bike rides or need to assist out at a river cleanup. 

Here’s what we suggest: 

Ride within the Zoo-de-Mackinac

The thirty sixth annual Zoo-de-Mackinac weekend is May 15-17, with a full weekend of biking enjoyable. 

The 51-mile trip takes cyclists from the Zoo Bar at The Highlands in Harbor Springs to Mackinaw City, then on the ferry to Mackinac Island.

There shall be a brief detour on the path to bypass the washed-out part of the Tunnel of Trees. 

To register or discover out extra, go to zoodemack.com. 

More: MDOT: Tunnel of Trees highway part washed out, restore timeline unknown

Join the Dandelion Dash

The Dandelion Dash Trail fundraiser is again on Saturday, May 16 at Petoskey Middle School. 

The occasion includes a 5K run/stroll, a 1 mile run/stroll, a brief Family Fun Run and a digital 5K possibility. Entry value varies primarily based on which possibility is chosen. 

The 5K kicks off at 9 a.m., with the 1 mile at 10 a.m. and the Family Fun Run at 10:30 a.m. Participants must check-in previous to the occasion. 

Proceeds profit the Petoskey Children’s Nature Preschool, a nonprofit preschool that gives an “enriching, play-based, child-centered environment.”

To join, go to runsignup.com/DandelionDashPetoskey. 

Explore open studio with Good Hart artist

The Good Hart Artist Residency will host its first Open Studio Saturday occasion of 2026 on Saturday, May 16. 

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors are invited to cease in at 910 N. Lamkin Road and discover the artwork of Matt Bodett, an artist and the founder and director of the Center for Mad Culture in Chicago. According to the Good Hart Artist Residency, Bodett’s work is “driven by a desire to reimagine classical paintings and cultural myths through the lens of madness, not as a medical condition, but as a culturally relevant and human experience.”

Find out extra in regards to the residency and see different upcoming occasions at goodhartartistresidency.org/events. 

Go for a “Walk in the Woods”

Naturalists Jim Bricker and Eowyn Bates will lead a “Walk in the Woods” Earth Week Plus program on Saturday, May 16 in Cheboygan. 

Participants will meet at Alpena State Road and observe the Earth Week Plus indicators for the ten a.m. begin time. On the stroll, visitors can count on to learn to determine wild edibles, akin to native mushrooms. They’ll additionally hunt for sightings of uncommon wildflowers and get recommendations on birdwatching. 

This occasion is free and appropriate for all ages. Participants ought to costume for the climate.

Find out extra at earthweekplus.org/event/walk-in-the-woods-adventure. 

Help clear up your neighborhood

Many communities are internet hosting some spring cleansing alternatives this weekend, together with: 

• The citywide clean-up day in Sault Ste. Marie is about to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 16. Families, companies or organizations can register prematurely by calling metropolis corridor at 906-632-5700, or registering on Saturday morning between 9-10 a.m. on the farmers market. Garbage luggage will also be picked up on the farmers market.
• The Friends of the Offield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve in Harbor Springs are having a spring cleanup from 12-4 p.m. on Friday, May 15. The group will clear trails, repair fences, plant flowers and different seasonal duties. Volunteers ought to register prematurely.
• The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and Bearcub Outfitters will lead the Bear River Cleanup in Petoskey on Saturday, May 16. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. on the Bear River picnic shelter, and groups will then unfold out alongside the river to gather trash. At 11:30 a.m., volunteers will collect at Elder Piper for lunch and a midday prize raffle.
• Captain Jenn Dowker and the Nautical North Family Adventures crew will sponsor a cleanup day for 3 Cheboygan space seashores on Sunday, May 17. Volunteers will meet at Gordon Turner Park at 10 a.m., then head out to Cheboygan City Beach, Duncan Bay Nature Preserve and Cheboygan State Park. Divers will report back to their assigned location on the Cheboygan River. All of the collected trash will then be dropped at Gordon Turner Park to be weighed. At midday, Meag Schwartz, a consultant from Great Lakes, Great Responsibility, may also host a quick presentation in regards to the sorts, quantity and influence of trash in native waterways. Volunteers will then have the ability to take pleasure in a sizzling canine and soda lunch.

— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.