| |
TankTop
I teach, therefore I am a teacher
PeaNut 25,495
December 2001
Posts: 9,062
Layouts: 37
Loc: Stuck in the 80's
 |  Posted: 5/28/2012 3:08:29 PM
We are looking for a place to spend a week or so in Michigan. We want a true beach experience without driving to the Atlantic or Gulf.
Our favorite beach to date was Waves, NC in the OBX.
We like quaint, quiet, tshirt and shorts type places. Local joints, mom and pops, etc...
Any suggestions? |
"Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome." Hope Floats
| |
|
|
Gsquaredmom
One step closer to Pea hD
PeaNut 259,367
April 2006
Posts: 7,954
Layouts: 0
Loc: Chicago suburbs
 | Posted: 5/28/2012 3:18:01 PM
My friend has a place in South Haven. She loves it.
I went to Saugatuck and Whitehall as a child. Don't remember much except a little ice cream parlor, so there must be some cute town there. |
|
|
*sprout*
The Jolly Green Giant's Favorite Pea
PeaNut 45,764
August 2002
Posts: 5,049
Layouts: 0
Loc: West Michigan
 | Posted: 5/28/2012 3:23:21 PM
Grand Haven is our favorite.
There's also Ludington, Pentwater, Manistee, South Haven, Saugatuck/Douglas and St. Joeseph. The Ludington/Manistee/Pentwater area would have cooler air and water temperatures. Saugauck/South Haven would be warmer. Just depends how far north or how far south you'd like to go.
When are you thinking about going? |
|
|
devildog
Be gentle; I'm a delicate little flower
PeaNut 172,765
October 2004
Posts: 11,474
Layouts: 2
Loc: Why do you wanna know?
 | Posted: 5/28/2012 3:23:37 PM
New Buffalo, Michigan
I don't know that it's all that quiet since it's a pretty popular getaway spot, but it is fun. |
*****Natalie*****
FYI--That avatar is NOT me; it's NOT my DH; it's NOT my father; and, I'm NOT related to him by blood or marriage. It's just a dude...wearing a Wal-Mart bag. 
"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your crotch and may your arms be too short to scratch." TheSeaBee&Me, 5/20/2009
I love the smell of drama in the morning!
| |
|
|
chippieinthehouse
PeaNut
PeaNut 429,171
July 2009
Posts: 259
Layouts: 0
Loc: Michigan
 | Posted: 5/28/2012 3:30:15 PM
South Haven, Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven. All have nice beaches, nice shops and restaurants. They are also all within about one hours distance of each other. | |
|
justbecause
AncestralPea
PeaNut 249,087
February 2006
Posts: 4,523
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 5/28/2012 3:59:20 PM
I'm going to recommend South Haven. The tourist-y part of town is great. I used to spend my weekend sans kids there during the summer when I needed a break from my reality (I live about an hour away). There's several great little resturants there. PM me if you want some recommendations there. You can rent houses there but all the beach ones book up to a year in advance. If you get lucky, you might be able to find one that's in town but not necessarily on the lake or maybe a little bare-bones. My favorite place to rent went through a major remodel and is now 4 times the cost to rent. South Beach is my favorite. North Beach isn't as busy. South Haven is super busy during their blueberry festival. If you go there, check out Friends Good Will and get on one of their sunset cruises. DH told me he wanted to marry me (but didn't actually propose b/c he didn't have a ring yet) on one of those cruises.
And if you want some of the best chocolate in the country, Chocolate Garden is in Coloma which is about 20 minutes east of SH and oh SO GOOD 
Pentwater is beautiful but it's 3 hours north of South Haven. I haven't spent much time in the other lake cities as those two have the most meaning to me. |
just because I feel like it
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DeafKnitter
| |
|
|
little mama
Squirrel!
PeaNut 51,555
October 2002
Posts: 7,139
Layouts: 0
Loc: Clinton Township, MI
| Posted: 5/28/2012 4:44:38 PM
We've stayed in Grand Haven and loved it. Close enough to Michigan Adventure (amusement/water park), good restaurants, beautiful beaches. I've heard great things about Saugatuck and South Haven as well. |
Marianne,
Wife of 16 years to the best hubby ever, and mama for 14 years to the greatest son a mom could ask for! | |
|
|
TankTop
I teach, therefore I am a teacher
PeaNut 25,495
December 2001
Posts: 9,062
Layouts: 37
Loc: Stuck in the 80's
| Posted: 5/28/2012 5:02:41 PM
Thank you for all the suggestions. We will not be going this summer, but will be planning for next summer.
I hate the drive to ocean, so this sounds great for us.
Now, really dumb question...
How clear is the water? Dh does not do dirty lake water like we have around here. Is Lake M clear-ish like the ocean? |
"Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome." Hope Floats
| |
|
|
julieberg
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 160,179
July 2004
Posts: 6,446
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 5/28/2012 5:06:10 PM
I'm pretty sure it was South Haven we stayed in several years ago. Just my sister and me and our boys. Hubbies stayed home. Had a great time. Beach was nice, but the boys' favorite was the movie theater. It was a buck to get in and free popcorn!! We saw current movies that were playing. We stayed in a B & B - owner was kind of crabby to kids, but other than that it was a great trip. | |
|
cropduster
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 250,388
February 2006
Posts: 5,651
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 5/28/2012 5:28:05 PM
Here is another suggestion. Silver Lake Sand Dunes
It's located between Ludington and Muskegan and is not far from Michigan Adventure amusement park. I posted about it on my blog last summer. You can check that out here.
If you are going to drive through Grand Rapids, I highly recommend visiting Meijer Sculpture Gardens.
Have fun planning your vacation! |
|
|
TankTop
I teach, therefore I am a teacher
PeaNut 25,495
December 2001
Posts: 9,062
Layouts: 37
Loc: Stuck in the 80's
| Posted: 5/28/2012 5:36:27 PM
Thanks for the blog link. That looks like just what we are looking for. |
"Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome." Hope Floats
| |
|
|
PierKiss
What if everything is an illusion & nothing exists
PeaNut 82,319
April 2003
Posts: 14,420
Layouts: 39
| Posted: 5/28/2012 5:45:21 PM
St Joseph. It's in south west Michigan right on lake Michigan. It's small and quaint. I grew up there. Silver beach is good and big. Lions beach has rocks. Tiscornia beach is huge and nice but. I life guards on duty. Downtown st joe is adorable. Lots of little shops. Theres some good restaurants in downtown (pump house grill is pretty good). Down by silver beach on the train tracks is a place called silver beach pizza. Hands down the best pizza I have ever had! Up from the downtown area a little bit is a restaurant called Clementines-it's great! There is an ice cream shoppe called cabannas-yummy. Kilwins is also down there somewhere.
If you go during the 3rd weekend in July they will be having the Krasel ARt Fair. It's pretty neat, and was my favorite event. For the 4th of July they will do fireworks from the pier. You can sit on the beach to watch, but you need to get there early.
In my opinion no the lake water is usually kinda murky because our beaches have a sand and clay bottom. Sometimes it's clear though, it depends on the day. |
|
|
devildog
Be gentle; I'm a delicate little flower
PeaNut 172,765
October 2004
Posts: 11,474
Layouts: 2
Loc: Why do you wanna know?
| Posted: 5/28/2012 5:52:50 PM
How clear is the water? Dh does not do dirty lake water like we have around here. Is Lake M clear-ish like the ocean?
Lake Michigan on the Michigan side is absolutely beautiful--clear and clean, and great beaches. You won't be disappointed with the Michigan beaches.
In my opinion no the lake water is usually kinda murky because our beaches have a sand and clay bottom. Sometimes it's clear though, it depends on the day.
Interesting; I live in Illinois and think the Michigan beaches are wonderful, no comparison to the downtown Chicago beaches.
OP--I don't know if you have kids, but I'll second/third the Michigan's Adventure suggestion. It's a nice amusement/water park, very clean and very affordable. |
*****Natalie*****
FYI--That avatar is NOT me; it's NOT my DH; it's NOT my father; and, I'm NOT related to him by blood or marriage. It's just a dude...wearing a Wal-Mart bag.
"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your crotch and may your arms be too short to scratch." TheSeaBee&Me, 5/20/2009
I love the smell of drama in the morning!
| |
|
|
chippieinthehouse
PeaNut
PeaNut 429,171
July 2009
Posts: 259
Layouts: 0
Loc: Michigan
| Posted: 5/28/2012 6:04:13 PM
For the most part Lake Michigan is very clear and clean. If you come the end of July beginning of August the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven is lots of fun. They have a carnival, craft show, tours of the Coast Guard ships and on the last night they have great fireworks. There is also the Musical Fountain, kind of a cheesy, touristy thing, but it's fun. Lights and a huge fountain that shoots water and is coordinated with music. | |
|
Gsquaredmom
One step closer to Pea hD
PeaNut 259,367
April 2006
Posts: 7,954
Layouts: 0
Loc: Chicago suburbs
| Posted: 5/28/2012 6:06:31 PM
I have seen the lake at several points around the southern end of Lake Michigan. It is beautiful and clear at most places, unless there is sand and silt stirred up. I know several people who have kayaked on the lake and tell me they can see thirty feet down, it is THAT clear. I think the decline in industry and the rise of the zebra mussel have really cleaned up the lake. |
|
|
bear_mom
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 142,661
April 2004
Posts: 2,986
Layouts: 3
 | Posted: 5/28/2012 6:17:57 PM
Lived in South Haven during high school. Beaches are nice and the water is usually pretty clear. Finding a rental house on the lake might be hard for this summer (my aunts rent one, they reserve it a year in advance), but you might get lucky with someone cancelling.
There are some pretty good restaurants downtown and a really yummy diary west of town (easy to get to though).
Grand Haven, Saugatuck, Holland, and St. Joe are all nice also.
I would see what you could find for rental houses and go from there.
Emily | |
|
justbecause
AncestralPea
PeaNut 249,087
February 2006
Posts: 4,523
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 5/28/2012 6:28:38 PM
IME, Lake MI is fairly clear. It's not as clear as the ocean in some places but it's not murky brown like some in-land lakes are. There are spots where you can be 20 feet out and still see your feet and others, not so much. The beaches that are big tourist spots are the clearest save for when the beach is packed.
I love that you can go out 10-20 feet and still be in waist-deep water at some spots.
This whole thread reminds me that DH and I need to book next summer's vacation in SH. |
just because I feel like it
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DeafKnitter
| |
|
|
HillaryE
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 126,405
January 2004
Posts: 2,268
Layouts: 68
| Posted: 5/28/2012 6:43:57 PM
I live in Muskegon and grew up in Spring Lake/Grand Haven area. If you come here, let me know and I'll give you tons of suggestions on things to do depending on when you are coming. There is always great things to do in the summer.... | |
|
katgrl82
BucketHead
PeaNut 250,658
February 2006
Posts: 765
Layouts: 112
Loc: St.Louis suburb
| Posted: 5/28/2012 7:16:43 PM
I've vacationed in almost every Michigan town on the Lake Michigan coast and my favorite in the southern part is South Haven. The town is very walkable, has a nice pier and pretty lighthouse(great place to watch the sunset!), a good mix of shops and restaurants downtown, and a neat Maritime Museum. There are also sailing tours you can take on a replica old sloop that look neat.
We also like Holland, Grand Haven, and St.Joseph a lot too. Muskegon has some gorgeous beaches and a cool submarine from WWII that you can tour.
I also recommend going to Crane's Pie Pantry for dinner or dessert. It is an orchard farm with shop, restaurant and bakery and is soo yummy!
If you want to go up a little more north, the Traverse City area has alot more activities. However, it is also much more busy and crowded. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is gorgeous to visit in this area though.
I think the Lake Michigan water is very clear. Some of the inland lakes in the area have extremely crystal clear water where you can see way down. I read somewhere that the water there is some of the purest in the country.
I would recommend ordering a free Michigan travel guide. They put a really awesome travel guide produced by Midwest Living magazine. There are some great ideas and articles that might help you narrow down your choice. All the towns are so close together that you can stay in one spot and easily visit the other towns. Have a great trip, we really love the Michigan beach towns.
Also, if you wanted another completely different idea(I don't know where you live or what's closer) but Door County, Wisconsin is also a very nice place to vacation. It's sort of the "Cape Cod of the Midwest" and also borders Lake Michigan. |
|
|
sdt
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 36,898
April 2002
Posts: 7,064
Layouts: 56
Loc: MI
| Posted: 5/28/2012 8:36:01 PM
Frankfort |
|
|
jackietex
PeaAddict
PeaNut 184,329
January 2005
Posts: 1,011
Layouts: 4
Loc: Central Texas
| Posted: 5/28/2012 8:39:12 PM
Ilove Silver Lake! The dunes are beautiful! You can easily visit Silver Lake and Lake Michigan. Every Thursday we go to Bortel's and pick up some fresh fried fish and eat at the park across the street, overlooking Lake Michigan. Then we drive over to Pentwater and listen to the Pentwater Civic Band and people watch. On Thursdays there is a small folk music concert at the local lighthouse, Little Point Sable. There is a Craig's Cruisers and a lot of little shops. Pentwater is better for fun shopping. |
|
|
