OT: Michigan family-friendly beaches
My 5.5 year old daughter is disappointed that we aren't going to the beach this year. We'll be in Ann Arbor for a bit touring the old stomping grounds. What is the best beach destination, from Ann Arbor, for a family of 5 including said daughter and 2 toddler boys?
I'm looking for:
- Monday and Tuesday stay leaving Tuesday afternoon
- Nice(ish) hotel
- Proximity. The boys hate being in the car so the beautiful beach areas north of probably Ludington are too far
- Accesible for families with little kids (youngest is a little over a year)
Travel will be at the beginning of August. TIA for any recommendations.
Only negative is its location in the Worst State Ever.
does it cost to leave?
You don't pay to come in, but you pay handsomely to leave.
...it's well worth it.
Independence lake is very nice. They also have a little water park there now, good for smaller kids. Getting into the beach is very cheap ($5 for a car), the water park is more.
Rob
the beaches in Benton Harbor or South Haven are pretty nice.
I grew up near Caseville and though they do have a nice beach, I would say it's lacking in the accessibilty and nice(ish) hotel aspects.
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There are beautiful beaches all along that coast, from New Buffalo to Warren Dunes. The public beaches are small but the water is clear and very clean. There are also good restaurants for kids all along Red Arrow Highway, which is the main drag along that coast.
Hoffmaster is really nice.
The next public beach to the south, North Shore Beach, has a small playground right on the beach for kids.
The next beach to the south, Grand Haven State Park, would probably be too busy this time of year with Coast Guard week coming up.
I will trust your opinion over mine because honestly Muskegon is the only town on the West coast I haven't actually been to (at least not at its beaches). I'm just going based off what people have told me who lived there.
nice beaches.
Muskegon State Park, Pere Marquette and Hoffmaster State Park. I've never found the State Parks to be any problem. Pere Marquette is the city park, known to be a little more rowdy sometimes.
When Grand Haven, North Shore, and all the Muskegon beaches are packed on peak Saturdays, Hoffmaster is usually a lot more available.
4th of July weekend when Grand Haven was a zoo, I snuck into Hoffmaster no problem. (Still crowded, but bearable)
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I love how some American parents take their children's preferences into account. My African parents wouldn't have cared if we liked being in the car lol.
It's probably a little bit for the parents too. I mean, if the kids get cranky on a long road trip, then the car ride just becomes hellish for the parents.
I pass the signs to Rosebush on both 10 and 127 often on trips to/from up north. Don't know why, but it always catches my eye and leads to "hmmm, Rosebush, I wonder what that place is like." Good to see an MGoBlogger from Rosebush. Now everytime I pass it I'll think, "hey, LongLiveBo is from Rosebush."
of course we didn't have ipads either; we played license plate game & fought with our siblings until Dad threatened to pull over.
But if you don't want to go as far Grand Haven, South Haven, Holland are all fine.
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.. is what I had whenever she got to play/swim at Veterans Park Pool on Ann Arbor's westside:
Decent waterslide, shallow water pools with with play fountains for toddlers, separate swimming lanes, separate deep well, many lifeguards, lots of kids and families.. It's certainly not the beach, but its no drive, either. Kids love the place. Great public pool.
Also, check out the Tony Hawk design skateboard park, just a walk down the hill from the pool and to the NW. You and your kids will love it all.
Enjoy your return to a2!
The further you go, the better it's going to be. There are a few options that are just a hop away from Ann Arbor (Waterloo in Chelsea, Island lake in Brighton, and I'm sure there are more), but they pale in comparison to sucking it up for a taking a longer drive to better destination. Besides the obvious options up north, South Haven is no brains winner option for ya.
However, if you don't mind leaving Michigan and going to (friggin') Ohio, the Port Clinton and Sandusky area has a ton of very nice beaches and no shortage of nice resorts and hotels. It's a very kid friendly area for obvious reasons too.
Heck, your kid might even think just staying at the hotel and waterpark down by Cabelas in Dundee is the greatest thing in the world and forget all about going to a beach.
My kids absolutely love that waterpark. With 4 of them, it gets a bit pricey. :)
Rob
Portage Lake, Waterloo Recreation area. There is both a state and a county park on the lake. I'd check out the county park first. The state park has a campground and may be more crowded. West of AA, NE of Jackson. Can't remember which of the two parks I once visited though, but it was nice.
Island Lake State Park, Kent Lake, (Kensington iMetro Park is on the east side of the lake) Far less developed and crowded than Kensington.
If proximity is a constrain, then like a few have mentioned, Indpendence Lake is a good bet and it has a small water park adjoining now if I am not mistaken, so there is that. If you want to go a bit farther up the road, there's Kensington Metropark - it has a pool near the beach if you're wanting to contain the kids a bit too. Not far from there is Camp Dearborn, which has a public-access beach despite being a privately-owned facility - it's $6 for non-resident parking though.
Both Kensington and Camp Dearborn are near Milford which is a cool litle town with a variety or restaurants including the kid friendly and ubiquitous Leo's Coney Island.
About an hour from Ann Arbor. If you go take the scenic route of Pontiac Trail to Milford Rd which takes you through South Lyon and a bit more greenery.
No, there is NO pool in Kensington metropark. There is a small splash pad (sprinkler) and two good sized water slides adjacent to the beach area.
Still lots to do in the park. Frisbee golf, farm, Nature Center, boat rental, swim , etc.
St. Clair Metropark (Metro beach) does have a pool.
I'm in Brighton, so I'd say the Brighton rec area is a "meh" at best.
If the weather is perfect, and you have at least a whole day, I'd vote for a long drive to the southern west coast to find some Lake M sand.
But having 3 kids myself, almost ANY water can be a pretty fun time for kids, so I'd only look within an hour's drive or so.
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I stayed at Breakers hotel when I was a kid. I was absolutely in shock that there were beaches like that on lake Erie / in Ohio.
Caseville is more family friendly than South Haven. Less riff raff, college students and traffic. However, that means also less hotels, restaurants and entertainment.
caseville now has a brewery, a sports bar, and 3 other bars but no hotels yet! Cheeseburger right around then also!
If you drive fast, you can get there in 2 hrs 15 min. The beach is great and you can go watch the boats go through the harbor. Just make sure you get there early, caus the park fills up by 9:30-10. There are also a lot of small beaches in Holland, like Tunnel Park, that are nice as well. Hollands downtown is nice as well.
Lake Michigan is colder this year than it usually is. I'll be heading there this weekend, so will know more, but just be aware of that.