I love summer in Michigan. Not only did I go to Lake Michigan an unprecedented five weekends in a row, but there are so many other great places! There's so much to see and do in my little state. This summer I hit up:
Saugatuck
My favorite beach used to be Oval Beach. It was always white sand, empty, beautiful. It cost $10 dollars to park there, and I felt like that cut down on the crowds. Well, no longer! We came here twice this summer and it was super packed the first time, and even more packed the second time. Both weekdays!
This is what I love about Oval Beach - you can park right in between giant dunes and the beach, and you can easily go back to your car anytime you want, so you're not walking a mile to get sunscreen or food.
We also climbed up Mount Baldhead, which is a series of many steps that leads to an outlook. Always a good time. We always also eat at Dairy Daze, where they give you giant - I'm not joking, giant - portions of ice cream.
Luther, Pine River & Silver Creek State Forest Campground
We did something new this year, and we joined our friends in a big group on their annual canoe trip. They've been going for 20-some years, and so they had everything planned so perfectly! They camp at Silver State campground. They rent from a place they like, and they know just how to figure the cars so that there are the right amount at the end of the 7-hour trip!
Along the way we saw cliffs, we climbed a giant dune, and we enjoyed the company of our friends. This was canoeing, different than kayaking for me, because it's so much less stable. It also was a more challenging river than just floating. It was awesome.
Old Mission Peninsula
We visited Kris' cousin Melissa and her husband Tom, and they have the good sense to live in Traverse City on Old Mission Peninsula, right on Lake Michigan. In fact, the road between their house and the lake is closed right now, because part of it is crumbling into the lake. It made it even nicer for walking and running, though obviously the residents aren't thrilled - not the ones that live in the middle of it, anyway.
We walked up to a high point and could see vineyards all around us. There's just something about the ordered rows of a vineyard that I find incredibly beautiful.
Tom and Melissa took us on their boat across the lake to Elk Rapids, where we ate lunch. We spent the rest of the time kayaking and paddleboarding and hanging out by the water. Nice area to visit!
South Haven
Right when we got to South Haven, we went to South Beach and were delighted with how empty it was! We noticed a lot of police, looked it up, and saw that a guy had just shot two people on the pier and then himself. South Beach is NOT like this, but then the next morning we got the paper at our Airbnb and it talked about a shooting at a party. I went to run and Kris was like ... be careful. But it was not like that at all ... just another nice beach town, but sad events, for sure.
We went here with Kris' family for a vacation weekend all together! Since it was Kris' sister, her husband, their two kids, and Kris' parents, plus us five, we got an Airbnb house that was a mile from the beach. It was fantastic. It was at 914 Phoenix Street, and not only was it giant, with a great backyard, she also had TOYS for us. A beach tent, bodyboards, bikes, scooters, wagon, beach toys - it was amazing.
We loved the farmers market on Saturday morning, running to the pier, checking out the downtown shops, eating ice cream, and going to Two Blondes for lunch. I loved South Beach and North Beach - North Beach had amazing, wild waves one day, while South Beach remained relatively calm. There was paid parking on the beach - $10 for the day, so it was easy to get to if you're not staying over, too.
One funny thing was the drawbridge. It kept not working. Once we waiting in our Jeep for a long time before deciding to turn and find another route, but one time we were on bikes waiting. We eventually just crossed!
Kris' parents went back for their anniversary two weeks later, so they liked it too! It surpassed Oval Beach as our favorite, but it's just a liiiiiitle farther from home.
Berrien Springs
Kris and I took the boys camping at Shamrock Park when they were not-one and three. Of course, they didn't remember it. This time we went without Kris, because of harvest.
We camped right along the river. Spots 74-79 seem like the best ones. We bought bait at a sketchy store right outside the campground, we fished, we waded in the water, and then we decided to go to Lake Michigan, you know, since we all love it. It was just a 12-mile drive straight west from the campground. We got there and saw it was called Weko Beach, and it was attached to a campground. You have to pay to get it, but the attendant just waved us in because it was 5:00 p.m.
Don't go to Weko Beach. There were dogs running around, and their owners weren't doing anything to control them. We saw a German Shepherd go after a dog that was walking by, and then when we walked by, the dog started chasing Max and barking like crazy. I ran in between them and yelled at him to go away in my meanest voice. The owners did nothing. Nothing. Max ran into the water to get away from the dog and it followed him into the water and bit him! I said, "RUN!" and we four sprinted away down the beach away from that dog and those terrible people. It broke his skin, but not his bathing suit, so I knew there was no dog bacteria in him, but that's not a fun vacation activity.
We got ice cream afterward at Scoops. Max didn't cry or scream and basically acted like he gets bitten by dogs every day. The ice cream helped me, anyway.
Our tent was inexplicably under a mercury light. We tried very hard to light a fire, but since the fire pit was open underneath, we couldn't do it. We went out to the river after dark and shone the flashlight into the river to see lots of creatures. The next morning Cole blocked the bottom of the pit and built a beautiful fire at 5:00 a.m., despite me shushing him.
We went to Warren Dunes State Park and climbed up the giant dune, and we went to the beach for a few minutes, then hit Western Michigan University on the way home to show my kids where I went for undergrad.
St Joseph
Our friends Erin and Jay live in St Joseph on Lake Michigan, and we try to visit them every year. I've lost count of how many times we've been there. We've done a lot of things in St Joseph, but this year we did some new things! For one, their yacht club had a huge party with a live band after a regatta race. There were so many people there, and it was super fun.
The next day Jay took us to a hike at Grand Mere. I loved the hike. It went through pavement, then woods, then mud, then dunes, then to Lake Michigan! The beach had really steep dunes, and it was beautiful. Then Jay drove us to Three Oak, another new town, and we went to Journeyman Distillery, which is a restaurant in an old stay factory. While you waited for your table, they had an 18-hole putting green! This delighted me, as I've never seen that, and it was so fun to play. Hopefully this will become a commonality at restaurants.
Mackinac Island
I went to Mackinac Island for a conference, so I despite the countless times I've been here, I did all new things! We stayed at the Grand Hotel (this for sure never would have happened), to social events on the porch, to yoga, and on a behind-the-scenes tour.
For the first time in my life, I rode in a horse and carriage. We went to the Woods, the back nine of the golf course at the Grand. It was a scramble, and Kris and I had amazing partners. I also made two birdie putts, with one of them being a 30-footer, so they were fooled into thinking I was good, too!
All in all, it was a wonderful summer in Michigan. If you ever have any questions about a location, please don't hesitate to contact me!
