Tag: lake michigan

Posted in Travel

Michigan Recap Part 3

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Well, it’s really getting real around here. Yesterday, I spent a few hours in my classroom just getting it set up and organized. Today, we have a professional development day. After today, I don’t have to think about school for a bit and can savor the remaining days of summer.

So far, I’ve shared parts one and two of our trip to the Lake Michigan area. We started in South Haven, visited St. Joseph, and then moved on to Saugatuck. I’m picking up where I left off to finish sharing about this trip.

Also, I’m sorry about the number of times I used the word “cute” in my part 2 post…I will try to do better. haha

Friday morning, we had our breakfast delivered around 8:30. Hazelnut waffles and sausage hit the spot.

Then, we got ready and headed into town …

…for our couples massage. Why does the time go so quickly when you get to relax?!

The massage was great, and then we went to Boardwalk to get…

…a smoothie for Trav and juice for me. It hit the spot.

After that, we walked around a bit. I had seen the Christmas store the day before, and I’m trying to get better about picking up ornaments on our travels, so we headed that way.

There are ornament options for everyone!

I loved seeing the Nutcrackers…those always remind me of my Gma.

Some of the cute ornaments I spotted:

I kept it simple with the Saugatuck chair with wreath. I can’t wait to hang it on the tree in December.

After that, we drove back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the day. After a bit, we walked back to town to grab a bite to eat. First, we stopped by the farmer’s market…

…and then we walked down by the water for a bit. It was overcast for most of the day. Of course, I would have loved sunshine and another beach day, but days like this give us time to walk around, shop, and just see where the day takes us…

…apparently, the day took us to The Mitten Brewing Co. haha

Trav had a beer, and we split a pizza. Another lunch, another pizza! I guess we didn’t plan out our lunches very well, but the pizza hit the spot.

We walked around a bit more and then headed back to the hotel. Since it was kind of rainy, we just relaxed and then Trav went for a run.

Another fun aspect of this hotel is that they deliver a little dessert around 5:30! These cheesecake squares hit the spot!

We got ready for our evening. We did have a reservation for a nice steak dinner in Holland, but we canceled it once we realized we were pretty full from lunch. We still drove about twenty minutes to Holland…another town we wanted to check out.

Downtown Holland seemed to be the biggest downtown we saw. We walked around for a bit and then drove around too…

Too bad the tulips weren’t in bloom with the pretty windmill.

We drove past a couple of beaches

So pretty!

…then, it was around 8:00, so we headed back to Saugatuck. We drove back a different way and Trav spotted The Southerner which was one restaurant he’d had on this list. There was a little bit of a wait, but it was worth it. We got to sit on the water, have a drink, and we both had a light dinner.

Then, we headed back to the hotel. I started packing up a bit before bed.

For Saturday’s breakfast, I had eggs, toast, fresh fruit and apple juice.

We had a little bit of time, so I walked for about twenty minutes to get some steps in. I loved seeing these Adirondack chairs that looked like the shape of Michigan.

The water looked pretty too!

Then, it was time to pack up and leave. We drove around the small town of Douglas, and I spotted the library.

We usually just get up and leave when we’re on vacay, but this time, we took our time. We stopped back in St Joseph once more to have lunch. We walked around…

…and walked through another farmer’s market.

Trav went and got us some sandwiches and drinks while I stopped for a crepe.

The campfire crepe was the perfect way to end our vacay.

So, that’s a look at our little trip. Now that we’ve been there, we definitely want to go back; I see why people “summer” a little farther north!

Let me know if you have any questions about our trip.

Posted in Travel

Michigan Recap Part 2

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I hope your week is off to a great start. I’m still recovering from our busy weekend in Louisville. Our nephew got married on Friday and then the reception was on Saturday. So, we had two busy and full days. I will share more about all that later!

Anyway, I shared part 1 of our trip to Michigan last week, and today I’m sharing part 2.

I’d left off on mid-day Thursday when we left South Haven and drove about a half an hour to Saugatuck. We’d heard the Saugatuck was a bit more “artsy,” and I’d say the by the paint palette as we entered the cute town was saying the same thing!

We stayed at the Hotel Saugatuck, and it was so cute. We arrived a couple of hours before we could check in, but we stopped in to let them know if the room was ready a little earlier, that would be great.

After that, we drove about half a mile into town, parked the car and started walking around.

How cute?!

I spotted so many pretty flowers, especially hydrangeas that had me oohhing and ahhing…

We settled on Scooters Pizza, and each got a slice of pizza.

Then, we walked around more. Cuteness at every corner…

You know I found the book store!

I thought this chalkboard was so cute…

We walked around a bit more, and then we were able to check into hotel about an hour early. Our room was “Oval Beach,” and it was so cute.

The hotel has a view of the Kalamazoo River, and we spent lots of time in this cute sun room.

One thing I loved about this place was that they let you choose your breakfast the night before, and then a delivery time between 8-10. For our first morning, I chose the hazelnut waffles and have zero regrets!

We unpacked and then took a quick nap. Trav needed to do some work and wasn’t super motivated to go to the beach, but I was. We’d driven past Douglas Beach, so I headed that way for a couple of hours. Look at this view…

All the steps were fine on the way down, but they were a beast on the way up! At least they were shaded.

There were probably twenty people on the beach, and the weather was perfect. I actually got pretty hot! I almost got in the water, but just got in to my knees to cool off a bit.

I spent two hours reading which was perfect.

As I drove back to the hotel, I spotted these deer…

I had just enough time to shower and get ready for our 7:00 reservation at Coast. Travis was very excited about eating here.

I meant to take a picture of the six course tasting menu…this is the nine course, but it was all so good.

We sat outside, and it was lovely.

This was my first course…it was actually my favorite, and I don’t typically love tuna. This was the tuna crudo, and it was so refreshing.

The other courses:

  • Australian beef tartare
  • Risotto
  • Salmon
  • Beef tenderloin
  • Creme Brulee (if creme brulee is on the menu, I will order it!)

They gave us bread in the beginning and suggested Trav’s course come out with my fourth course. He ordered the lamb from the menu. I had a couple of bites, and it was delish.

We left there pretty full, and it was a great dining experience.

After that, we walked over to the Butler for a drink.

Then, it was back to the hotel!

The next morning, we woke up to some rain which was actually so nice and soothing. Our breakfast arrived…

The little juice jars were too cute.

We had about an hour to eat before starting our day.

I hope to wrap up our trip in a blog post tomorrow, but this was our first day in Saugatuck, and it didn’t disappoint.

Posted in Travel

Michigan Recap Part 1

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday!

Today, I’m sharing part one of our trip to the Lake Michigan area.

This trip came about because Trav and I both haven’t been to the Lake Michigan area although we’ve heard wonderful things about it. There are so many small lake towns, each unique in their own way, that when we’ve thought about going in the past, we weren’t really sure where to start. Also, I’d heard that it’s better to go in July as the water is warmer, and typically we do June vacations.

Anyway, with our 20th wedding anniversary, Trav suggested that we plan a trip in Michigan for a few days. We knew it would be an easy drive, and we chose a time frame when one of the kids (Hayden) would be at camp, so it was just Hadley who we needed to find coverage for a few days. Trav’s mom stayed with her two days, and then she stayed with a friend the other two nights. She was busy with work and volleyball, but she had some down time too.

Anyway, like with most of our vacations, Trav did all the planning. The running joke on our trip was how his “friend” Chat GPT really did most of the planning. I guess he asked Chat GPT for town and hotel suggestions and went from there.

Also, typically when just the two of us have gone away, we’re only gone three nights, and we wish we have one more day. This time, being gone four nights was perfect, and the six hours drive gave us time to feel like we had five pretty full days.

South Haven

Last Tuesday, we left around 10:00, and drove to Indy. We stopped for lunch and then finished the rest of the drive, arriving at our Bed and Breakfast in South Haven just before 4:00.

For the first two nights, we stayed at The Carriage House Bed and Breakfast, and it was so cute.

Our room was the Victoria, and it was precious.

This was the view from the balcony, and it was just perfect.

One thing I loved about our room was that it did have it’s own entrance. Later, we learned, that our room used to be the cook’s quarters, so that’s why it had its own entrance, and the large bathroom used to include a kitchen!

Anyway, we unpacked our car, and then went for a walk. One of the small beaches was right across the street. It was a foggy afternoon, but the view was still oh so pretty.

After that, we walked back to the B&B and drove across the bridge to the other side of South Haven. Of course, Trav spotted a brewery, Harbor Light Brewery, on the main street, so we made a pit stop there. Then, we walked around a bit more and went to Black River Tavern for dinner.

After our meal, we walked to lighthouse and then back up Main Street. It was nice to get some steps in after dinner.

After that, we got in the car and drove back to our B&B. Then, we walked back to the beach to catch the last few minutes of the sun setting.

By that time, it was 9:30, and I was ready for a shower and my PJs.

It was a lovely first day getting the lay of the South Haven land.

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning, I woke up to this pretty water view. It was so nice to wake up and have some time before breakfast.

On vacation, Travis tends to get up early and go for a run while I sleep in. When he came back, he told me we needed to hurry up because everyone else was already at breakfast. haha

At this B&B, breakfast was served at 9:00. We found a spot with a view of the water. We had Julia Child’s blueberry clafoutis, and Trav had to ask me who Julia Child was. The nerve! They also served us bacon, roasted potatoes, watermelon with mint, and a cherry scone. It was a great meal.

Then, we walked a trail that Travis had found near the B&B. I think it’s a trail that spans over 30 miles, but we just walked two miles!

It was a great way to get our steps in that morning.

There was a market near the B&B, so Trav went and picked up sandwiches, and we headed to the main beach (south beach, I believe) near the B&B.

It was a lovely afternoon, and we were there for almost four hours.

Reading, sand and sunshine…name a better trio!

After the beach, we took a nap and then showered. Since we wanted to see a few beach towns, we drove to St Joseph for dinner at Clementine’s. There’s also a Clementine’s in South Haven, but it had a long wait the night before.

The onion rings are apparently a must a Clementine’s, and we would agree!

After that, Trav said we “had to find” the carousel that he’d read about. We drove down to Silver Beach near the downtown area, parked and walked around. Trav thought the carousel would be outside, so he was bummed…but he also told me I had to take a picture of it. haha

We walked up the stairs, and that’s how we found the downtown area. Looking back, this scene reminded me of when we’ve gone to Del Mar, California…I guess just seeing the water in the distance and the sailboats.

We walked around downtown…

…and of course we got some ice cream!

Then, we headed back to South Haven just in time for sunset. We walked over the drawbridge, and it was just such a nice evening.

I loved the quaint feeling of this town with the flowers on the bridge.

Then, we headed to the beach for sunset…which was stunning!

After that, it was time for bed!

Thursday:

Again, Trav went for a run, and I slept hard! I got out of bed just in time to head to breakfast. Thursday’s menu was quiche, grapefruit salad, another scone, and a delicious Panna Cotta for dessert!

Once we were back in our room, I enjoyed one more cup of coffee while watching the boats pass by.

Then, it was about 10:30 which meant time to pack up and say goodbye to the cute bed and breakfast.

We found a spot to park downtown, and decided to walk around a bit, looking in quite a few shops.

South Haven is just so cute.

Trav suggested we grab a drink, so we sat outside for about an hour watching the boats pass by.

Including…this one that I joked looked like the pirate ship from Goonies.

Cuteness at every corner…

Around 2:00, it was time to leave South Haven and head to Saugatuck.

I hope you enjoyed this little recap! Have you ever been to Michigan? Considering it’s only about six hours from us, I can’t believe we haven’t been sooner.

I’ll share part two of our trip soon!