Dive Right In to Lake Michigan

A five-hour drive to southern Lake Michigan will take you a world away.
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The New Buffalo Light guards the dunes.

Photograph by soupstock/stock.adobe.com

Cincinnatians battle over the “best” Michigan beaches with the same vigor we deploy when comparing chili parlors. You’ll find lots of sandy escapes up and down the Lake Michigan coast, from Grand Haven to Petoskey and beyond, but if you’re just dipping your toes into the Michigan experiment, why not focus on the southern towns and keep your drive to under five hours?

The Hook

The 80-mile stretch of sandy beaches from New Buffalo to Lake Macatawa/Holland is prime vacation land filled with impressive dunes, parks, golf courses, and marinas as well as the popular destination towns Benton Harbor, South Haven, and Saugatuck. Travel + Leisure ranks Warren Dunes State Park (Sawyer), Silver Beach County Park (St. Joseph), Oval Beach (Saugatuck), and Holland State Park along that stretch among Lake Michigan’s top 12 beaches.

The beaches of Lake Michigan are nearly indistinguishable from popular coastal beaches, except for maybe the lack of waves.

Photograph by William Laird

Eat & Drink

You’ll find pizza, ice cream, breakfast, and other beach favorites in every town, but several stand-out restaurants offer a little something different. The Southerner is nestled on the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck, serving Chef/Owner Matt Millar’s take on New Orleans and low-country Southern cooking. Clementine’s occupies an 1896 bank building in South Haven and delivers a menu of fish, chicken, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, and salads with daily specials. There’s a second location in St. Joseph. The Benton Harbor Arts District hosts monthly events to highlight local artisans, shops, and food venues; don’t miss the all-day art/food/drink Artoberfest in September.

The Southerner, 880 Holland St., Saugatuck, MI, (269) 857-3555

Clementine’s, 500 Phoenix St., South Haven, MI, (269) 637-4755

Where to Stay

Soak up the summer at Lake Shore Resort.

Photograph by Grant Legan

If you can’t score a bungalow just off the beach, give the Old Harbor Inn in South Haven a try. The 45-room hotel overlooks the Black River just before it empties into Lake Michigan and is a couple of blocks from beaches, Clementine’s, and South Haven Center for the Arts; all rooms include kitchenettes. The Lake Shore Resort just south of Saugatuck will fill your schedule with morning yoga, evening firepits, and complimentary bikes and kayaks if you let it. And why wouldn’t you? It’s vacation!

Old Harbor Inn, 515 Williams St., South Haven, MI, (269) 637-8480

Lake Shore Resort, 2885 Lakeshore Dr., Saugatuck, MI, (269) 857-7121

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