Last night in Michigan

While in the southern west side of Michigan, we had to make sure we visited one of John’s childhood friends. Chad is a park ranger for the Palisades Park and lives there year round with his wife and son. To be honest with you, I’ve never really seen a private park rangers home inside a gated housing area. It was literally like something out of a movie. Chad, and Fisher, took us all around on the golf cart for a tour. The park had beautiful, older homes, all spaced out in the woods. We saw their soda shop and area where they all gather for activities. The entire park sits along side of Lake MI and Chad has built a gorgeous boardwalk the entire length of the park. Chad also has to keep the clay courts in tact every single day! He does so much work there, but it’s beautiful. Most people only live there over the summer, so he said it is pretty quite over the winter, but it allows him time to get all the projects done.

That evening we ate dinner with Chad and his family in South Haven, which is just about 10 minutes from his park. After dinner John and i fished and watched one last MI sunset at South Beach. Is it me or does it feel like every sunset just gets better and better?

South Haven, MI

By far my favorite western Michigan city! It has a beautiful boardwalk with shops, an Inn, restaurants, a my favorite coffee shop. We ate at Southaven brew pub. They had a menu labeled with gluten free options, which always makes my life a little easier!

After lunch and exploring the boardwalk, we headed towards the water. The marina is absolutely gorgeous. The park area was filled with people enjoying sunshine and many were having picnics. The entire vibe was so relaxing! At the end of the river they had a splash pad for kids and a shop with tourist shirts and accessories.

We walked up and down the streets and explored every shop. They had several antique stores and we really enjoyed walking through those. It brought up so many fun memories of our childhoods. This city had so much to offer!

That evening we watched the sunset at the lighthouse. Wow i honestly don’t know if i have ever seen a sunset so gorgeous. The beach and pier were packed with families, friends and photographers. I sure am glad i get to explore life with my wonderful husband!

Saugatuck, MI

What a cute small town on Lake Michigan! Very artsy area! We walked along the lake and stopped at an outdoor art exhibit and around the farmers market. We also walked their downtown area and went in all the adorable shops!

I found Mary Poppins

My husband found an area to hike. He heard the views at the top were amazing BUT you had to climb 200 steep stairs to get there. I thought he was nuts but of course I’m always down for an adventure. The stairs were intense but after a few quick breaks, we made it!!! The views were stunning and I’m so glad we did the hike up!

Honeymoon night 1

Chapter 2 of the most amazing week…

After we unpacked and explored the grounds, we headed into town. It was less then a mile from the Whaleback Inn and it was a gorgeous drive down the M22 along the lake. The town has less then 500 people and its off season, so it was quiet. Not much is open during the evening and the streets are pretty quiet. The local bank is just an old house. The city does not have a grocery store, but just a tiny market. It has a cute coffee shop, an art gallery, a few clothing stores and a post office.

We found a cute restaurant right along the water that connects Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan. We were sat near the window that overlooked the waterfall that connected the two.

John had crab and shrimp chowder and a bacon cheeseburger, I had a grilled chicken sandwich.

The decor around the restaurant was vintage and there was so much to see!

After dinner we walked around the old Fishtown. It was all closed up, but the old buildings were beautiful. We knew we had to come back during the day to check it all out.

On the way home we saw a rainbow 🌈