The dog days of summer are upon us, but a little heat won’t stop the fun in our communities! This August, spend time at a variety of festivals, explore county fairs, and sing your heart out at some summer concerts all across Southwest Michigan’s beautiful lakeshore! Here’s a closer look at the August calendar of events and some other activities across the Lakeshore:
National Blueberry Festival | Downtown South Haven | August 12th-15th | Times Vary
If you’re looking for a whole weekend full of fun, then the National Blueberry Festival in South Haven is the perfect place! Starting August 12th and running until August 15th, you can find everything from a pie eating contest, 5K run/walk, farm day, kid zone rides and more. On top of these exciting events, you can also of course find some of the best local blueberries in Michigan. To learn more details about each of the events, you can check out the website by clicking here!
Do you need a place to stay for the Blueberry Festival? Check out some of the incredible Jaqua rentals available in South Haven!
International Festival of Holland | Holland Civic Center Place | August 21st | All Day
The International Festival of Holland is the perfect place to experience different cultures around the world without leaving Michigan! On Saturday, August 21st from 11:30am to 9:00pm, you can come out to the Holland Civic Center and enjoy tons of live music, performers, global gifts and delicacies for all to enjoy at this fun, free and family-friendly event. To see the full festival schedule, visit the website here!
Karaoke at The Dunes | The Dunes Resort in Douglas | August 12th | 9 pm-1 am
On August 12th from 9pm to 1am, The Dunes Resort is hosting Karaoke on The Dunes! The resort is taking precautions to make sure the environment is fun and safe for everyone. The area will be set up so all singers are 6 feet apart from each other, the DJ and all other guests that come out to enjoy the event. If you think you have the chops, come out and belt some of your favorites at the Dunes Resort!
Kids Camp | Saugatuck Center of the Arts | August 19th | 1 pm-4pm
The Saugatuck Center of the Arts invites you to come and check out the behind the scenes work that goes into putting on a professional musical! Joined by the Mason Street Warehouse alumni, campers will get insight into how professionals design and create a stage production from props and costumes, to set design and more! To purchase your tickets, click here!
The Outpost Marketplace |South Haven, MI | 2nd Saturday/month (May-September) 3pm-7 pm
Every second Saturday May through September, come out to The Outpost Marketplace! Located in South Haven at the Kal-Haven Outpost, there will be food, live music and local Michigan-made goods to check out at this awesome farmer’s market. The Marketplace welcomes families and pets to enjoy all the fun and excitement. To see a full list of the vendors, food trucks and live entertainment, as well as a map for parking and location, visit the Kal-Haven Outpost website by clicking here!
Fall is in the air, and the lakeshore is finally starting to cool down from a hot and busy summer. But lucky for us, that fun is just getting started out here at Lake Michigan. If you’re looking for some fun and exciting events to attend near the lakeshore this month, then look no further! Here’s a closer look at the September calendar of events and some other activities across the Lake Michigan Shoreline:
2021 Fall Fest | Lake Bluff Park, St. Joseph | September 18th | 9am-3pm
The 2021 Fall Fest, located in St.Joseph, MI, offers a whole day of fun activities on the lake. On September 18th, start your day off with a farmers market by the lake, rotary pumpkin raffle and the big balloon walk. Finish the day with fun activities like arts and crafts, interactive games and dropping by the critter barn to pet the cute barn animals.
Looking for more information? Click here!
5th Annual Birds and Brews | Saugatuck | September 23rd | 6pm – 8pm
Not only is it impossible to not have fun at Birds and Brews, it’s ill-EAGLE… see what we did there? Stop on by the Saugatuck Brewing Company September 23rd at 6pm to enjoy an amazing presentation for an amazing cause. Learn about five different birds of prey, while enjoying five of Saugatuck Brewing Company’s handcrafted brews. All the proceeds will be donated to the Outdoor Discovery Center to further the education of and the treatment of our local water sources.
Find out more information here.
10th Annual Lakeshore Harvest Ride | South Haven or Douglas | Sept. 18th |
Do you enjoy the smell of fresh apple cider? What about the crisp September air blowing through your hair? On September 18th come down to the 10th Annual Lakeshore Harvest Ride and enjoy riding through 20 miles of non-motorized paved backroads of Southwest Michigan. Along the way, drop by all of the amazing wineries, cider mills, orchards and farms filling the area. The ride is the main event for funding of the Blue Star Highway, which provides our community with a safe, environmentally friendly and economically efficient way of travel.
The event will take place on September 18th. To learn more about this event click here.
St. Joseph County Fair | St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, Centerville | September 19th-25th
Searching for the perfect event to end your summer? How does biting into a fresh Elephant ear while listening to Diamond Rio in concert sound? If it sounds like the perfect send off, then the St.Joseph County Fair is for you! Offering an enormous amount of family friendly events, this fair is sure to please everyone. From tractor pulls and monster trucks, to amusement rides and petting zoos this fair has it all! From September 19th to the 25th, enjoy the multitude of fun events that the fair has to offer!
If you would like to view the entire schedule or find out more information click here.
Wine on the Water – Themed Cruise | Saugatuck | September 25th | 3pm
The Star of Saugatuck is offering a themed cruise for a one day event. On September 25th at 3pm, partake in one of the most magical afternoons that Southwest Michigan has to offer. Relax into the evening as you sip on high quality wine and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lake Michigan and the surrounding lakeshore. Listen as Catherine from Vintage Wine Company guides you through a plethora of different wines.If wine is not your preference, enjoy the full service bar that is also available on board.
If you would like to find out more click here.
The fall season is upon us here in Michigan and that means it’s time to start watching the leaves change colors. Each and every year this spectacle of nature provides us with stunning scenes around our great state. So, in order to help people find those perfect spots, we’ve decided to put together a list of areas in South Haven and Saugatuck/Douglas that are perfect for seeing the wonderful fall colors.
Kal-Haven Trail
One of the first places to mention fall colors would be the Kal-Haven trail, a trail that runs all the way from Kalamazoo to South Haven and can be accessed by numerous places in between. The fall season provides the perfect temperatures and climate for outdoor activities and the Kal-Haven trail is excellent for walking, running, or bike riding. The trail is masked by trees and will provide you with every color in the fall color spectrum.
Lake Arvesta Farms
Not only is Lake Arvesta Farms complete with plenty of outdoor space to match the fall mood, but they’re also hosting a Fall Fest, complete with a cornhole tournament and live music on October 15. So this area and event would make for the perfect stop on your fall color adventure. Can’t make it to the Fall Fest? That’s okay! Lake Arveseta Farms is a large park with plenty of activities to try on any other given day as well.
Mount Baldhead
Mount Baldhead is situated between the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan with a trail connecting the two sides. With downtown Saugatuck on one side and Oval Beach on the other, this location provides excellent access to the beach and Saugatuck’s fine dining and shopping options.
When it comes to the scenery, Mount Baldhead not only provides familiar and sprawling Lake Michigan dunes, but it combines those with a heavily wooded area that will provide a wide array of colors to appreciate when the leaves start to turn.
Douglas Beach
Douglas Beach offers up tree lines stretching out to either side of the water. Once the colors start changing this will be a lovely place to spend a morning, afternoon, or evening. Additionally, because it’s located on Michigan’s west coast, this beach offers perfect views of the sunset to wind down your night with.
Schultz Park
Schultz Park is another Douglas area attraction that has a 20-acre nature preserve, perfect for exploring and taking in the fall colors. This park has amenities including a boat launch, picnic pavilions, restrooms, a playground, and a dog park as well.
With all of these different locations providing the sought-after vantage point for fall color viewing, be sure to check out our rental listings in the South Haven and Saugatuck/Douglas areas by clicking here.