Western Michigan Vacation Places

MisterB · 04:04 PM

Family vacation - spending a couple of days in Chicago then looking for a place in Western Michigan on Lake Michigan to spend a couple of days at (shop/beach), have two teenage girls in tow. Can anyone recommend where to go and what to see?

Thanks,

Ed

chicago_82sc · chicago_82sc's Garage

I can recommend South Haven MI. Not too far from Chicago. Nice small harbor town with a nice beach and some terrific ice cream places. I've been there several times from track days at nearby Gingerman Raceway.

krystar · 07-08-2010, 11:25 AM

lolol yea south haven. it's a nice quiant harbor resort town. the creamery on phoenix about 1/2mile east of the highway is awesome. and gingerman is just a bonus. there's events there all the time, almost all are friendly to spectators just walking in (provided u sign waiver)

Oh Haha · 11:39 AM

South Haven is very cool. (My BIL and sis have a cabin on Horseshoe Lake, about 6 miles from the track.) You can hear the cars on still mornings.

The beaches are great and the track is open most days even if you just want to see what's running.

There is a fantastic restaurant downtown but I cannot think of the name. I think it's 'Ellie" or some other female name. CLEMENTINE"S

Saugatuck is supposes to be nice as well.

Ludington is another place albeit further north.

RKC · 11:59 AM

Yup, South Haven or Saugatuck are great. Saugatuck is probably the nicest/largest nearby town for shopping/eating. The town is up the river a bit, but the beach is nice and a short drive. South Haven North & South beaches are great, and walking distance from the town. St Joseph has a great beach just down the bluff from the town, but the town is much smaller (they are all small, really).

If you've got the time, Traverse City and just about every little town on the water is nice further north. Little lakes up there are nice too (Torch, Glen, Charlevoix, etc.)

Tim Hancock · 07-08-2010, 12:42 PM

I "think" the OP meant the west side of Lake Michigan, but keep up the Michigan side suggestions as they are closer to me.

chicago_82sc · chicago_82sc's Garage

Gingerman has evening open track events. Something like $50 bucks plus helmet from 6 pm to sundown. They have also reconfigured the track.

I think the ice cream place is Shermans - right off the highway. Expect a line.

lendaddy · 07-08-2010, 01:48 PM

Your teenage girls would love Grand Haven, it's thee resort town on the west coast. If you want something more relaxed Saugatuck is great. There are others but if you want the classic "This is our summer at the beach" experience, then it's Grand Haven. Great beaches, great marinas, great bars, great food, wide range of styles, etc..

Neilk · 07-08-2010, 03:34 PM

Went to North Western MI last summer and was blown away at how nice it is. We stayed in Boyne City and drove all around. We are going to Macinac (sp?) next week for two nights. Looking forward to getting out of the Texas heat.

Tim Hancock · 07-08-2010, 04:15 PM

Two summers ago we stayed a couple days at a beautiful home on the south shore of Lake Superior. The beach was beautiful and we enjoyed some fun wave jumping with Jetskis in the cold water. We enjoyed campires and walked for miles at night along the beach.... very peaceful.

This thread has inspired me to look into a similar trip to the east shore of Lake Michigan.

Oh Haha · 07-08-2010, 05:09 PM

I 've been to Whitefish Point several times although we never stayed overnight.

Our honeymoon was a drive to the UP, into Canada a bit, to Mackinaw Island, and then over to Whitefish Point(I'm a big Edmund Fitzgerald buff and I still get chills visiting the memorial) and then down the West side of Michigan. We stayed in small motels the entire time and had a great time. The 911 was our chariot,, BTW.

There are some great waterparks for kiddies in Muskegon. In fact, we are going there in August.

wcc · 07-08-2010, 07:16 PM

If you are truly staying in MI along Lake Michigan than I'll chime in. It really depends on how far North you want to go. I think it's like a wave as you go North. Starts off slow down South and gets better as you go North, falls off again and than gets better. The UP is something all together different. Whitefish point SUCKS! Well, it's a nice ~2hr stop but that's about it. UP is a DIFFERENT story all together. I've been all over the UP too so PM if you really ever want to go there.

South Haven is nice. The North beach is great for teenagers and 'the' place to be. The South Beach is more family friendly side with the Light House Pier along with boat docks. The shops down town are mediocre at best. Clemintine's is probably the best place to eat. Straight out towards Walmart there is the BEST ice cream place around IMO named Shermans. That's what we sell in our ice cream place. Don't want to deal with the wait you could get Sherman's ice cream at Captian Nemo's downtown. Probably not quite the selection but the most popular flavors. SHHHHH, don't tell anyone....

But I worked on my G-ma's farm every summer from '85-'99 (minus college and Military) and South Haven is a fun place (lots of secrets I won't share). But for a vacationer I would honestly recommend Sherman's ice cream and Crane's Apple Pies... They are the absolute BEST. Well my relatives too, but really, THEY ARE THE BEST, IMO. Saugatuck or Traverse City as a great stop. How far north are you willing to go. Saugatuck you can climb MT Baldy, Relax on one of the Nations "Best" Beaches, visit unique shops etc. Plus a lot more better restaurants (Marrow's) and an Ice Cream Shop across the street that HAS Sherman's with normally a short wait. If you like Chocolate get the French Silk. You can walk the board walk looking at boats, sit on a bench and watch the boats go in/out when you get bored you can cross the street to great shopping and food places. *BE OPEN MINDED AS SAUGATUCK IS A LARGE GAY COMMUNITY, (not that there's anything wrong with it... as Jerry would say) It's more apparent across the street. It really isn't that bad and the shops and food are really good. PM me if you want more details.

How far North do you want to go? A couple hours and you're in Grand Haven it's nice but IMO it's too spread out like SH so it's up to you. Muskegon is nice if you can get away from the Papermill Factory smell. Usually stinks around there when I've been there. Never been happy with Muskegon. Traversecity has been nice but usually very busy.

On a side note you should go to SOM - State of Michigan and look at the water conditions. South Haven N beach was closed along with Van Buren State Park for too much Bacteria due to run-off. Recently re-opened. South of South Haven there is a Nuk plant and the water is warmer. Swim in that if you want but I'll pass (Nice Warm Water, fish look a little funny....).