Southeast Lake Michigan

After a rough couple weeks my husband and I were looking for a quick weekend getaway. We are based out of Milwaukee, WI, and are partial to Lake Michigan and lake towns. This year we decided we would check out the other side of the lake for a change. So, off we went on a short trip around the south and west of Lake Michigan!

I have a bit of an obsession with lighthouses. We’ve gone to almost all on the west side of Lake Michigan. So, I made it my mission to check out a bunch on our way! Here are a few of my favorites.

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Saugatuck, MI:

We spent a full day checking out Saugatuck, MI. This ended up being my favorite city of the weekend. It was a cute little town with a beach vibe. The town felt low key and relaxed, which reminded me of back home.

We had intended to spend time sitting on the beaches, soaking in the sun. Unfortunately, it turned out to be pretty cool and windy. We still checked out as many beach spots as we could, and spent some time walking on the shore. We are always on the hunt for beach glass!

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One of my favorite parts of traveling is enjoying the local food scenes. I love trying new food and checking out creative and unique restaurants. My husband loves driving his Subaru down rustic roads. We combined the two when we stopped at The Farmhouse Deli before hitting some dirt roads and picking a spot for a picnic lunch. The Deli was hands down the best meal we ate all weekend! They had delicious and inventive deli options to pick from, and also had a cute shop with some great grocery items. We had Muffuletta Sandwiches and two delish deli salads. The other noteworthy food stops we made were UnCommon Coffee Roasters & Mitten Brewing Company. We stopped at UnCommon Coffee
for a quick bite. Everything was great and we were able to enjoy the morning on their cute front deck. At Mitten Brewing Company we tried a pizza flight (which might be the most genius idea ever). I also had a beer flight and am kicking myself that I didn’t bring back any of their Bean Ball Blonde. It was a light ale
coffee beer. I’ve only ever had dark coffee beers. This one was smooth and delicious!

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One stop we were super excited to make in Saugatuck was Retro Boat Rentals. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate with us. We had a 1958 aqua blue Geneva all picked out and were excited to cruise the Kalamazoo river. If we are ever in the area again we would definitely try to make this stop.

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Holland, MI:

The whole reason behind planning this long weekend is that it was Tulip Time in Holland, MI. This is an annual Dutch heritage festival and millions of tulips bloom in the city of Holland. It was just as beautiful as I imagined! My favorite tulip-related stop was Veldheer’s Tulip Gardens. It is a tulip farm and garden
started in 1950. It did not disappoint! So much so, that we bought tulip bulbs even though we have no yard to plant them in!

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We also checked out beaches in the Holland area. Unfortunately, the weather was still cool and windy so we couldn’t pitch the umbrella and sunbathe. Even with the cool weather the beaches were still impressive. We were jealous that there was so much open beach space. With high water levels, the beaches by us have been eaten up with water.

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We had a tasty breakfast at deBoer’s Bakkerji. My favorite part was indulging in some Dutch specialties. We shared Saucizenbroodjes, which is a Dutch version of pigs in a blanket. It was flakey and delicious. We also grabbed a Kraklingen (Sweet Dutch Pretzel) at the bakery attached to the restaurant. It went great with the coffee (that they brew on site I might add!). For dinner we decided on the Seventy-Six Restaurant. The highlight for me was sharing a few of their appetizers aka “High End Junk Food”. We tried the Lobster Rangoons & Arancini, both were great!

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