Weekend in south haven

We spent this weekend along the coast of Lake Michigan in South Haven, Michigan. It was our first visit to the state other than the Detroit Airport. It was a part Mothers Day trip for Jane, and part wedding anniversary trip for the two of us. Our 35th anniversary is tomorrow 5/14.

We left Friday early afternoon and drove up rt. 30 to rt. 31. It was an easy 150-mile drive and took about 2 1/2 hours. South Haven itself is a quaint little town of around 4,000 -- I'm guessing that might be during the off-season (which this still is). We were there all day Saturday and left to come back home late this morning.

We rented a vrbo cottage on Lake Shore Drive in South Haven. It was right across from Packard Park. The property had a large house, a 2-bedroom cottage, and our 1-bedroom. They were all kind of right on top of each other. Think in terms of a house crowded onto a lot with a 2-car garage and a shed. Our cottage being the shed. It was nice enough: one bedroom, one bath, kitchen and living area. The living room wasn't big enough for a full-size couch, but it was clean and "cute." The price was also very reasonable according to Jane (I didn't ask and she didn't tell me any more than that).

The weather most of the time.

Unfortunately, it was unseasonably cool and rainy the entire weekend. It was in the 40's when we arrived Friday, and other than a few breaks in the rain Saturday, we didn't spend a whole lot of time outdoors. We did walk over to the beach a couple times, and Saturday we took a walk around town. We stopped in for a wine tasting, strolled out to the lighthouse, and fortunately had an umbrella along because after stopping in town for another drink we had to walk home in the rain. It was still a nice time though.

We ate Friday night at a cool little bar and grill. Saturday we had breakfast at a diner-type place on the main street (Pheonix and Broadway are the main downtown areas with lots of little shops). We stopped at a wine bar Saturday afternoon and decided to eat supper there later in the evening. It was an Italian place and had a very nice vibe. All the servers/bartenders we had were super nice to us. Everyone seemed so pleasant. It definitely has a small-town feel that caters to travelers.

As for the beach.... well, it's not the ocean, but there seemed to be a nice public beach there. Lake Michigan kind of acts like an ocean. It was hard to tell with the weather we had what it would be like in the summer. We will likely go back someday. It's a nice distance, and drive, for weekend getaways.

So, that sums up our first trip to Michigan; and the weekend. As soon as we got back to Fort Wayne I dropped Jane off downtown so she could meet Carrie for their annual day downtown. I came home and mowed the lawn. Tomorrow is back to reality.