The Gaslight District is the heart of Petoskey's downtown — a ten-block stretch of Victorian commercial buildings on Lake and Howard Streets that has been maintained as a shopping and dining precinct. The buildings are well preserved and the streetscape is attractive without being too heavily themed. Independent shops predominate: galleries, clothing boutiques, bookstores, and kitchen stores mix in with the restaurants and cafes.
The district is at its most pleasant in the evening in summer, when the street lamps are on and the restaurant terraces are occupied. In winter it quiets considerably, with most of the summer tourist trade gone, though a core of year-round businesses remains open. Several of the galleries show work by Michigan artists and make good browsing even if you are not buying.