MGoEscape?
We own a vacation home in Canada on the shores of Lake Huron and tend to spend a good chunk of every summer there. Well, that's not happening this year. Fingers crossed we get better news on opening the border in mid-July.
So, we'd really like to just go somewhere for a few days to get some of that summer feeling back. The west coast of Michigan looks like the place to go. We are looking for a nice hotel/resort/place to stay with a town nearby with some nice places to eat. Ideally the resort should have beach access or a nice pool with cool drinks. I've been looking around Traverse City up towards Charlevoix but I'm always hesitant to just go with pretty website pictures and glowing comments from the internet. I know even less about South Haven, Grand Haven, etc., some experienced comments would really be helpful.
Any suggestions from the MGoMichiganders? I assume Michigan is in a similar recovery phase as Illinois that allows for outdoor dining only. No indoor dining yet which makes things tricky.
Family friends swear by the Homestead; they go every year. I've been once and was very happy with it. Seems to hit what you want: beaches, pools, two nice towns (Glen Arbor / Leland) nearby. Friends who live in Chicago feel positively about New Buffalo and make a similar pitch (they use VRBO), but I've never been and can't say firsthand.
Growing up, my family rented a cottage on Little Glen Lake in Glen Arbor for a week in the summer for a few years. Absolutely loved going to Sleeping Bear Dunes, towns like Empire and Glen Haven, the original Cherry Republic store, and day trips to Leland. My brother got married in Traverse City a couple years ago and I took my wife (fiance at the time, she had never been to Michigan before) around to all the places I remembered and loved it. Oddly enough, we never visited Traverse City growing up, but it's really only 20-25 minutes away so absolutely accessible from Glen Arbor area or vice versa.
Cherry Republic is so, so good.
I know someone who had her bachlorette party (at 25) in Traverse City (she was living in DC at the time), which blew my mind. Can see it for a destination wedding, though.
I have cool personal story with Cherry Republic. We used to go every year, and when I was roughly 7 or 8 years old (in the mid-'90s), I was walking around the store with $5 that I couldn't decide what to spend on. Some guy started trying to talk up some of the products to me, but 7 year-old me wasn't biting. So he said I could invest in the company - turns out he was the president (Bob something-or-other was his name). Being 7, I had no idea what that meant, but he went back to his office and printed out a "stock" certificate. The next year, I came back and he immediately recognized me and my family, and gave me my "dividend" of $7. For a few years, every summer we would stop by and he would treat us to some ice cream, give us some swag, and I was highlighted as the "customer of the year" or something like that in one of their newsletters. At some point we stopped going up to Glen Arbor every year, so we lost touch with Bob. I have no idea if he is still there, and I'm sure he wouldn't remember me/us anyway, but I still remember the whole thing all these years later, all because he took a few minutes to pay attention to a little kid in his store with $5 burning a hole in his pocket.
I liked your cool story so much that I googled "Cherry Republic", found out the owner/founder is Bob Sutherland, and then googled his name.
I bet this is the "Bob" you speak of (the article was written just last month):
Grew up in the Chicago burbs, grandparents are from the New Buffalo area. I've gone to New Buffalo pretty much every summer. It is a great vacation area. The north is better if you want a more seclusion since New Buffalo has tons of IL folk during the summer, but New Buffalo is great for any summer Michigan activity you can think of.
we stayed at the Homestead for a weekend during our honeymoon ( then went camping in da UP). Its all right, but I like anywhere on Lake Michigan.
We rent the same house on Long Lake just outside of Interlochen for a week each August. It's a really nice area and only about 20 mins outside of Traverse City.
It's stupid expensive, but maybe there will be some deals this year?
Are you coming up this year?
Absolutely, as much as one can be these days. It's pretty much a standing reservation.
Already have a pontoon booked for the week so I can do some fishing. Apparently the lake is well stocked, but nothing comes near the shore.
I plan on spending that entire week on the water.
You think little hatter would want to visit the farm?
Him? Probably not. Unfortunately he's a city kid through and through. We've been working on that since I've been home more, with mixed results.
Me? I would love to. And I might not want to leave.
As much as I really appreciate the offer, if it's still standing next summer, we'll do it then. You're one of my favorite people that I've never met, and I'll be damned if the first time we see each other will be in a mask and without handshakes.
Also I'll need to create a more family friendly alternate MGoAccount ahead of time. If my wife ever reads this one I'm fairly certain I'll need stitches, if I'm lucky.
consider that we have a particular lamb that is like out of a story book. and if little hatter needs some help getting drawn out, well, she's the one to do it. smart, cuddly, wags tail furiously when you pet her.
and we've got some chicks to go with hundreds of chickens. and cows. and lots of kids. don't write it off just yet.
I've looked at summer cottage rentals and the same rules that apply near our place in Canada apply to the cottages I've seen in Michigan...got to rent for a full week. Sounds good, but we've decide to go mid-week for 3 days to avoid weekend crowds.
Yeah that's harder to find.
I grew up on Long Lake. Went to Long Lake Elementary School. My mother still lives there.
If you're going southwest Michigan, I much prefer Holland over South Haven, Grand Haven Saugatuck (all are easy to get to via 31, if you want to do a day trip). Downtown Holland has some great restaurant/brewery options, pick-your-own blueberries on the north side of Lake Macatawa. That said, it's not as much of a harbor town as Grand Haven or Manistee. I spent my college summers working at Camp Geneva on the north side of Holland, so I'm biased, but I would rent a beach house anywhere north of the state park in a hearbeat, if I was able to.
As somebody who grew up in Grand Haven, I couldn't tell you much about the resort scene. But since its less than an hour between Grand Haven and Holland, its easy to stay on the beach in Grand Haven and still go spend the day exploring in Holland.
Definitely easy to stay in either city and spend time in the other. My only experience with Grand Haven was really for Coast Guard Festival, so it was always packed. Looked like a cool town, I just never got a chance to actually check it out except sitting in traffic before/after the fireworks.
We have a place near South Haven. Beach is gone. The restaurants are okay and the bar scene is pretty tame. If you are looking for that, there, I am sure, are spots open.
Our beach along Lake Huron is gone, too. Last fall there was about 4' of beach on a calm day when there used to be 40+' of beach. That's why I've put "pool" on the list. Thanks for the heads up on the missing beach which isn't a surprise.
Word of advice. A lot of in-land lakes' water levels are REALLY high. We had the same issue last summer near K-zoo, and it really dampened the fun aspect of the water. Apparently, its worse this summer. So just ask about the water levels if its an in-land lake.
EDIT: lake Michigan water levels are really high too. The water level is flooding several of the lakefront paths in Chicago, so you might want to check that too if you're on a great lake.
To add to the other comments we just spent a couple days in Traverse City and the beaches on Grand Traverse Bay are almost all gone, a couple more feet of water and there will be impact beyond the beaches. Additionally many of their restaurants remain closed because the seasonal help they need to run that city has not returned and probably won't this summer. We were happy to get away and relax but if you are banking on eating out, shopping, etc., I would do a little more digging to see if that's even an option wherever you plan to go.
Thanks for the heads up. I was wondering if the "summer of no fun" could lead to staff shortages and some places just not opening at all. The tourist trap town near our place in Canada is probably a ghost town this summer.
Do you mind if I ask where your cottage is? It sounds like it might pretty much be in my backyard. I am guessing Bayfield or somewhere near there.
Further south....Ipperwash Beach.
Based on recent experience, TC has one thing in abundance this summer: Meatheads riding / driving their Harleys / pickups on Front Street and trying to draw attention to themselves. (Does a Harley have any other purpose?)
Not sure what's going on there ..... could be that they've been stifled in SE Michigan and they're yearning to express themselves.
Seriously, plenty of places are open and some are pretty loose about COVID-19 stuff. There's a BBQ place on the north side of Front Street (name escapes me) downtown that looked filled the other evening. I didn't see masks on anyone.
Am meathead & have Harley, can confirm.
It’s true. seems like we’re about 60% open at this point. Not nearly the same experience.
I hear Benton Harbor is nice this time of year.
Jean Klock Park in BH is the nicest family beach in the area, and probably has the most sand left. Silver Beach was pretty torn up the last time I was down there (a few months ago) and Tiscornia was non-existent. The Inn at Harbor Shores is a beautiful place to stay, as well. I don't know much about the rentals.
The Inn at Bay Harbor is really nice.
Traverse City will have lots of hotels to choose from. I have been to Grand Traverse Resort but that was years ago and it may be dated. I'd check out trip advisor to pick a hotel. Parts of Sleeping Bear may be closed but otherwise that is a great place.
A great tour is M22 out of Traverse City - visit Suttons Bat, Northport and the Lighthouse, Leland and Fishtown (if it isn't under water) - even consider a trip to the Manitou Islands (catch a boat out of Leland) then to Sleeping Bear, Glen Arbor and Empire. You can even swing down to Frankfort and see the Betzie Bay Lighthouse.
Lots of cool stuff to do in TC and surrounding area. The size of TC ensures some stuff will be open.
Jonesing for sports? The Traverse City Pit Spitters will be playing minor league baseball starting July 1 at 7:05 p.m. at Turtle Creek Stadium.
I have a place south of Frankfort and the food trucks are doing brisk business - In TC check these out - http://www.thelittlefleet.com/
I heard last weekend that the ferry from Leland to the Manitou Islands will remain closed all summer due to poor dock conditions.
Can confirm. They are shut down for this season.
We used to have a place in Harbert, which is in the Union Pier/New Buffalo area. The beaches are really nice, clean water, good restaurants along Red Arrow Highway (Redamak's for burgers is a must). Before we had a house, we stayed in a rental with a pool that was also near the beach. Best of both worlds.
I have to admit that the periodic water pollution being spit out by the steel mills in Gary always causes concerns about New Buffalo. Don't want to be anywhere near hexavalent chromium discharges into the lake.
Check out Petoskey. Great little town.
The only issues I ever heard about regarding the Union Pier beaches was the occasional rip current.
Harbert you say??? We used to be pseudo members of the Prairie Club/Camp Hazelhurst. Swedish Bakery, Hyerdahl's in Stevensville, Warren Dunes, Oinks for ice cream (as Jim Price would say "Nice Area").
Love Oink's and Swedish Bakery.
My oldest niece on my ex's side of the family worked at Oinks as soon as she was old enough thru her first couple summers home from IU. I've enjoyed several yummy dairy desserts there.
And yes to Redamaks, great burgers!
Another favorite restaurant in that general area is Timothy's in Sawyer. The owner Timothy is one helluva chef, you'll find menu items there that no way you'd expect in such a small town.
Also, Skip's Restaurant just north of New Buffalo if you are in search of big-time small-town prime rib, though it's been a number of years since I've eaten there.
One more: this one on Blue Star Hwy midway between Benton Harbor and South Haven: DiMaggio's Pizza in Hagar Shores. My favorite Pizza joint in northern Berrien County, they just reopened last year after a bad fire ripped thru the restaurant back in 2018.
I grew up in Ludington, that might be an option for you.
The city beach is big enough that even with the high water levels there's still sand to enjoy. And the Ludington state park sits between Lake Michigan and Hamlin lake, giving you some good inland lake beach (water level regulated by a dam) options.
It's also a little quieter than Traverse City or the Havens, which might be appealing during a covid summer.
I like Saugatuck so much we've moved here. We rent our studio guest house (and get many visitors from Chicago) and my wife runs our used bookstore in town. Oval Beach is excellent and a bit smaller this year but not washed away. Plenty of restaurants and amazing food - all are open with seating inside (limits on capacity) and outside. Saugatuck State Park is right on Lake Michigan and open. Saugatuck Dune Rides are talking about opening soon. There are MANY Air BNB type places in town as well as B&B's. Retro boat rentals is fun. Downtown shopping is great. We are 15 minutes from Holland so that is an easy trip and worth an afternoon/evening. You could also drive down to South Haven for the day.
We stayed in Saugatuck about 20 years ago on the way down to the Northwestern vs Michigan football game In Evanston. All I remember we ate at Toulouse and stayed at a hotel where the owner had a pet corgi. Also, it was about 70 degrees the first of NOVEMBER.
I’ll be escaping to Michigan next weekend