East Tawas is a small city, although it has a very lively downtown area. The main downtown area would probably be considered the six-block area between Sawyer, Lincoln, Bay, and Main Street. Downtown East Tawas is home to many small shops. Many of these shops can be found on Newman Street, inlcuding the Book Nook, Village Chocolatier, Windjammer's, etc.

Every shop has a small town feel and sells unique items. Many restaurants can be found here as well. A major attraction in downtown would be the Newman Street mini mall. Downtown is also home to the only movie theatre in the small town of East Tawas.