The bar that doesn't advertise. The Tuesday-night dinner you'd never find by Googling. The donut shop that sells out by ten.
A bowling alley, bar, and kitchen under one roof on Fifth Street — cosmic bowling, pool tables, keno, and a full bar next to the food menu. Locals treat it as the answer to a rained-out lake day or a teenager who's had enough of the beach. Call ahead on a Friday; league bowlers book the lanes solid through winter.
Downtown Roscommon's bakery-cafe, in the Fifth Street storefront that used to be AuSable Baking Co. and Creamery. Scratch-made bread and doughnuts, sausage gravy, and breakfast served all day, with coffee roasted in Michigan rather than a national roaster's blend. Open 7 to 4 Tuesday through Saturday, 7 to 2 Monday, closed Sunday. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables.
Saturdays at the AuSable River Center on Lake Street, mid-May through mid-October, 10 to 3 — more than thirty vendors on a good week, running produce, maple syrup, baked goods, plants, and crafts. Cash, credit, and Michigan's Project Fresh coupons are all accepted. Arrive early for the baked goods; this market has run long enough to build real regulars, not just tourist traffic.