Southern Michigan Shore

We had not heard much about the state of Michigan, and went into it with the thought that we’d drive through quickly, poke into Detroit and then be on our merry way. We wrongfully let our expectations for the state be driven by what we’d heard about Detroit. We went in expecting to see the state polluted with industry, along the lines of what we’d seen on the Indiana shore. What we actually found in Michigan was something very akin to what we’d found on the East Coast in previous trips. We found clean beaches and lighthouses reminiscent of the ones we’d seen in New England, and a long string of upscale lakeside communities that could easily rival Cape Cod.

Welcome to Pure Michigan!

The Michigan shoreline on Lake Michigan stretches about 250 miles from the border with Indiana to Traverse City. We drove in on the southern end from Indiana and started our drive up the coast. Our original plans had included driving by South Bend to visit the Notre Dame campus and then stopping for the evening in Grand Rapids. We got derailed from those plans when we stopped at the Michigan welcome center.

There we found out some really surprising and neat facts:

• Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
• Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
• Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes (no one has suggested redoing the state motto to be the Land of 11,000 Lakes?)
• Michigan has more than 36,000 miles of streams.
• Michigan is the largest producer of cherries of all the states.
• Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.
• The state is a leading state in the ownership of recreational boats and in the sale of hunting and fishing licenses.

And here is an unexpected one, at least for me:

• Michigan is home to more public golf courses than any other state.

-         We got a large map of the picturesque lighthouses and changed our route to follow the shoreline. The visitor center’s guide suggested that we drive up the coast and visit the bigger lakeside communities of St. Joseph, South Haven and Saugatuck. We did just that. We stopped for lunch in St. Joseph, walked on the beach in South Haven (known to locals as South Heaven) and drove the shopping streets of Saugatuck. We saw massive yachts, gorgeous homes, and beautiful nature. It was Friday afternoon, everyone was in a great mood and we met plenty of friendly people while walking around the town harbors.

The beach in St. Joseph

St. Joseph Pier Lighthouse

South Haven South Pierhead Lighthouse

The Village Hall in Saugatuck

Small boats in Saugatuck

We found a quaint campground, the Dutch Retreat, just outside of Holland. Holland, as you might expect, is widely known for its Dutch heritage. The city is best known for the massive tulip festival that’s put on every spring, and for the large windmill that you can find in one of the city parks. This windmill was the last windmill to be taken apart in Holland and reconstructed in the United States. Holland’s 8^th street is a long tree lined street with wide stone sidewalks. There are clothing and sporting goods stores on each side, and ice cream shops, cafes and restaurants add nicely to the mix. Holland also has a gorgeous lighthouse, known as Big Red.

Windmill on Windmill Island

Walking around Holland

Walking around Holland

The beach in Holland

Sailboat coming from Lake Michigan in front of Big Red Lighthouse 

On Saturday morning we drove into Holland and bought a week’s worth of fresh vegetables and squash at the local farmer’s market. You could tell it was close to harvest season with the wide, colorful selection.

Lots to pick from!

Pick a pepper

Or an apple

Or a bucket of tomatoes!

We spotted a local theater advertising a movie showing that evening and made plans to go. We’re usually pretty careful with our budget, and I think this was the first movie we’d seen in theaters in the seven month’s we’ve been on the road so far. We ended up seeing one of the best movies we’d seen a long time, Moonrise Kingdom, and we saw it for a total cost of $16.50 ($6 movie tickets each, $1.50 candy and $3 bucket of popcorn). I didn’t know there were theaters left that charged such welcoming prices.

The Knickerbocker Theater in Holland

What a great time we had on the Michigan shoreline! We heard that it was equally nice, if not nicer, further north along the shore all the way to Traverse City. We almost decided to drive a large loop through the whole state, but then opted to save Michigan for another time, when we could come back for several weeks and really explore the state. Right now we’re on a tight schedule, we need to make it to New England by leaf changing time! :o)

A sailboat on the Michigan shore

To see more pictures of the south shore communities, click here.

Happy Lake Michigan and Michigan exploring,

M.