Vacation Part I: South Haven & St. Joseph

We recently returned from our beach vacation to Michigan--and it was fantastic! Last year we went, sight unseen, to South Haven on a whim and stayed just about 24 hours total. We had a wonderful time and knew we wanted to come back again when we could spend more time here, as well as visit other beach towns nearby. So this year we planned a five day trip the week between Memorial Day and Charlotte's birthday. It's an excellent time to go, since it's the very last week in this area that's still considered "low season." From what we've heard, once "high season" hits it can get pretty crazy.

It's about a 4.5 hour drive from our house and we made it in 5--just two quick stops! Unbelievable. Last year that drive took close to 9 hours since we had to stop so much to let Charlotte out to blow off steam. A year made a world of difference in how tolerant and patient she is with road trips.

We stayed at a little old cottage two blocks from the beach in South Haven. The place was really cute and clean--and old. It stands out since so many of the older homes in the area have been renovated or knocked down with new homes rebuilt. Charlotte had her own little room with bunk beds, plus there was a large eat-in kitchen so we didn't have to eat every single meal out. That did not stop us from getting donuts at The Golden Brown Bakery every single morning, however.

South Haven is a really charming town that is completely walkable. The beach is in easy walking distance to the downtown area, which is large enough to have plenty of shops and restaurants but still small enough to get around the whole place by foot without a problem. The beach is large, super clean, and (since we went in low season) mostly empty.

Just south of South Haven (about 10 miles?) is a town called St. Joseph. They have a gorgeous beach called Silver Beach, which is home to a carousel, giant splash pad, and a children's museum. We skipped the museum but spent time at the beach and splash pad, both of which got an A+ rating in Charlotte's book.

The joy coming from that little girl when the fountains came on was just about the best thing to witness. She was so excited, until she got so cold (it was kind of a chilly day) that she finally gave up and came over to me, shivering, asking if I'd "hold me like a tiny baby in my towel, please mama?"

And since there are about 3,000 photos in this post alone, I'll be back with Part II soon...

~Stacy