Hearthside Grove : News

As you unfold your maps, plug in coordinates on your GPS and start making plans for where you want to spend your summer season, keep in mind that Petoskey, Michigan offers some great experiences and was recently nominated as one of America’s Coolest Small Towns by Budget Travel! 

Some of the local attractions you don’t want to miss while you’re in town include: a drive along Michigan’s National Heritage Highway known as the “Tunnel of Trees” nearly 20 miles along the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan; the Oden Fish Hatchery; parasailing in the Little Traverse Bay; as many as seven pristine public beaches within minutes of Hearthside Grove; six nature preserves for hiking and biking; the Little Traverse Wheelway for rollerblading, walking, jogging or cycling from Harbor Springs through Petoskey and Bay Harbor all the way to Charlevoix; the Odawa Casino for gaming; The Young Americans at Boyne Highlands for top notch, high-energy entertainment; the Bay View music series and Sunday night Vespers for rich cultural experience; excellent art galleries and golf resorts; fine dining, casual dining, romantic picnic sites dotting the scenic landscape;watercraft rental on the Great Lake or the inland waterway, a journey that can take you through a chain of rivers and lakes all the way to Lake Huron; the North Country Trail for hiking and mountainbiking; and many unique boutiques to satisfy shoppers of all kinds! 

There’s all this and plenty more right at our doorstep, so give us a call, make your reservation, and we’ll see you soon!

Lawn & Landscape, Feb 23 2009

The design-build company Decra-Scape of Sterling Heights, Mich., recently received an award for its hardscape work at the Hearthside Motorcoach Resort in Petoskey, Mich.

When it comes to pleasing a customer, Decra-Scape is all about customization.

So when it came to creating elegant outdoor living spaces for the Hearthside Grove Motorcoach Resort in Petoskey, Mich., the design-build company’s workmanship was no exception.

The company’s focus was on the luxury resort’s hardscape features. From June to November 2008, more than 15 employees completed the workload, which included driveways, bungalow walkways, fireplaces, patio living and dining areas, pillars and courtyard walls, says Matt Caruso, founder of Decra-Scape

For the driveways, a 48,000-square-foot project, the company used Unilock paving materials, Caruso says. Several varieties were used, including Elegance Series Courtstone, Stonehenge and Olde Greenwich brick pavers. The resort’s model lot, which covers 3,000 square feet, also incorporated two different pavers, a Hollandstone that has a standard finish and a weathered-finish Brussels stone.

“We tried to encompass and incorporate as many different styles and shapes as we could,” he explains, adding the pavers also are strong enough to hold the weight of a 60,000-pound motor coach.

Basic equipment was used for their completion, including skid steer and track loaders, chop saws and “a whole lot of manpower,” Caruso says.

The driveways and walkways were only the beginning, though. Decra-Scape’s goal was to make the resort’s community lots as beautiful as its natural, wooded environment. To do this, fire pits were installed with burners covered in glass that give them a fire-and-ice feel. A cobblestone wall also was installed with flames coming out of it.

In addition, retaining walls were used to build kitchens equipped with granite tops, cocktail stations, ice makers, trash compactors and grilling areas.

“It incorporated a lot of neat things,” Caruso says. “Our niche before, during and after the service is to fit the clientele. This was high end.”

Decra-Scape’s work at the resort hasn’t gone unnoticed. The company recently received the Gold Award for outstanding work in hardscapes from the Michigan Green Industry Association. The award was for its brick pavers and retaining walls at the resort’s model lot that were judged according to site lines, safety factors, environmental fit, design and creativity.

It’s a great accomplishment for the company, and the employees at Hearthside Grove couldn’t be more pleased.

“We are proud to have such a quality partner onboard for this project,” says Hearthside Grove proprietor Craig Rose. “As we strive to create an environment where nature meets luxury, their outstanding work, craftsmanship and sheer quality continues to set us apart from others across the country.”

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Authors David Vokac and Joan Vokac recently included Petoskey in the second edition of  “The Great Towns of America,” a book which is subtitled “All New Guide to the 100 Best Getaways for a Vacation or a Lifetime.”

Petoskey, which was included in the Vokacs’ original 1998 edition, retained a place in their listings of great towns. Twelve of the other original communities, though, were replaced by others that enhanced their desirability as destinations in the past decade.

Traverse City was the only other Michigan community profiled.