Help me choose - MI, B&B getaway!
 

Please help - haven't stayed in MI prior and have no clue as to what to pick.

I'd like to surprise my boyfriend for his B-day (which conveniently falls on Memorial Day weekend) and book a nice getaway for us. Thinking South Haven, Saugatuck/Douglas, Union Pier. Something 2.5 hrs of driving from Chicago, tops.

Here are my choices so far:
Sherwood Woods Inn, Douglas
Lake Shore Resort, Saugatuck
Chestnut House, St. Joseph
Duneland Inn, Union Pier

I like: nice sandy beach, forest-y grounds, peace and quiet, in room Jacuzzi, great food, spic-n-span clean, unique stuff.

I like to avoid: crowds, screaming kids, crowds with screaming kids, anything "family"-friendly/campy, noise, lines.

Please help: location and B&B suggestions in SE Michigan? are any of my picks good? My b/f and I both traveled extensively and are a bit picky, but very reasonable.

n.

Can't help you with the B&B choices but I would make a decision quickly. Memorial Day week-end is the unofficial start of summer in Michigan and places fill quickly.

You'll have fun wherever you pick.

Thank you for reply, Suzie!

I picked Yelton Manor B&B, which has the best reviews and is supposed to be closest to the beach... can't wait.

Could someone tell me please if end of May-early June in SW Michigan are normally pretty sunny? if *hope not* it were to rain - what's there to do, if anything - outside of your room?

Also, when in lake Michigan around SH/Saugatuck swimmable (pretty sure it ain't May, but I'd like to know in case we want to return :)

n

Living 25 miles north of, I can speak knowledgeably of the weather. Yes, sunny, except that for some reason it always manages to rain sometime on Memorial Day. Sunny the day before, summy the day after. Always. How can that be? I think it will be nice, even though it lacks forest.

Nadyam, give you a couple of suggestions for your trip up to MI. It appears you live around Chicago. Hope I'm not reading your message incorrectly.

Take either the Toll Road or #94 (probably the Toll Road would be much quicker, especially on a major holiday weekend) to the Chesterton, Indiana exit. Then go NB on #49 up to US #12 EB (not #20). This is a lovely stretch of road right below the Indiana Dunes National Park. In fact, if you wanted to stop and hike a bit, you are right at an entrance there.

Continue on EB #12 through Michigan City, IN right up into Michigan. Stop at New Buffalo for a short visit. Then head up the Red Arrow Highway; there are plenty of little shops along the way to poke around in.

Warren Woods Preserve is a wonderful place to stop on your way up to South Haven. I think it's just the forest-y area you would like. The Harbor Country website has a virtual tour of Warren Woods to give you an idea of it. Also, you and your boyfriend have to go up Warren Dunes at least once in your lifetimes.

Strongly recommend the Red Arrow Roadhouse for a meal.

There are several wineries on the way up to South Haven - there's a couple of websites online that give you the information on the ones in that immediate area.

Lastly, Saugatuck...get there EARLY. It's much easier to get a parking space and the crowds start getting heavier about noonish-1 pm. By that time, you'll probably have seen most of what you want and can continue your explorations in Michigan.

Have a great time there.

Nadyam, what I meant earlier was...when I mentioned the lovely stretch of road just south of the Indiana Dunes National Park, I was referring to EB #12. Sorry for any confusion.

Thanks all for great advice!

Tomboy - :D always rains on Memorial day... too funny. But it seems like I can say same for Chicago.
At any rate, I changed my reservation for Independence day weekend instead! longer wait for better weather...

Tomboy, can you swim in lake around South Haven in July? and, does it rain on 4th of July normally (hope not).

The lack of woods is ok... I notice that wooded lake areas tend to have mosquitoes or those tiny black flies that bite like heck. Yelton Manor is supposed to be the best in B&B in Michigan and one of best in the county.

Exiledprincess - thanks for the Dunes and wineries tip - we'll definitely be stopping to check out both while driving to South Haven.

Nadya

Nadyan, you'll love Yelton Manor-it's a great place, right across from the beach and South Haven is a great town. They usually have a festival over the 4th-check out Southhaven.org. The water will be chilly but the brave venture in! For a picnic on the beach, check out the store one block off the main street (turn left at Clementines and then right for wine and cheese!) Can't remember the name of it though but you can't miss it.

I just remembered the store's name is Ambrosia-a great gourmet shop with a good wine and cheese collection. If you tell them you're going to the beach, they'll open the wine for you.

I've been to all these places and they are fun. They won't be as crowded on Memorial Day weekend as they will be mid-summer or on the 4th of July weekend.

You ask many weather questions. Michigan is very much cooler by the big lake (Michigan)- at least 4 or 5 degrees cooler much of the time. And if you are a FL/Gulf/swimming pool person etc. you will find it cool to too cold for swimming. Also, I am inland from there by a county and have been in Michigan for the last 5 Memorial Days (right in your designated area) and it has never been swimming weather. Boating, yes. Swimming, no. We can do the jetskis with a wet suit.

I actually went swimming in Michigan but not in the big lake but in Big Fish (600 acres) last weekend, April 16-17, 2005. It is recorded for posterity. But our lake is much, much quicker to warm than Lake Michigan is.

Actually, as nice as this area is- the area North of it on Lake Michigan is nicer, IMHO. The last few years I have sent students (19 to 23 years old) off with some specific directions to Mears etc. and the sand dunes you can ride on with your car or rented jeep/buggy and they have told me that Saugatuck is for the "old folks" and they bypass that area totally now. Of course, they are looking for adrenaline rush fun, so shopping and crowds is not what they were looking for in the first place- but they didn't really realize that fact, themselves. Do you like artsy/crafts/antique/clothes shopping?

The alternate route and other advice you have been given is excellent, and there is so much to do inland- if you cared to- that you just won't be bored. During some three week period in July there will also be blueberry picking and many other festivals going on.

Wise move. July 4th, on the other hand, is always sunny. Why?
No problem with mosquitoes or black flies in South Haven.
The lake temperature should be up to 65 F by then.
Saugatuck/Douglas will be only 15 minutes north. Wine-tasting places 30-45 minutes south (and one, 12 minutes east).

Oh, what helpful tips, thanks all again!!

swalter518 - I will check out the Ambrosia; the picnic with wine/cheese sounds lovely.

tomboy, thanks for the re-assurance about the weather and the lack of insects :) I feel better now having to wait until July...

jj5 - I DID switch our reservation to Independence day/4th of July... since we have a better chance of getting our feet wet then - 65 degrees is not too bad, for water. (Ok, it's a bit cold, but our desire to take a swim would be in direct correlation to amount of that Ambrosia wine consumed at the picnic).

I do like little shops, etc; but we like to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Plan on walking a lot. Maybe do some jogging. Would be thrilled to do some blueberry picking. Elaine the wonderful host of Yelton, told me about the lakeside fireworks on the 2nd and parade on the 4th. Also, it would be nice go on a short hike and maybe see some deer and neat birds? we are wildlife-deprived here in Chicago. My b/f would finally would get some use out of his fancy binoculars there.

I poked around some MI beach directories and it tells me that beach across from Yelton Manor is named Packard Park... by North Shore/Dyckman street. Can't find any pictures of it, but I trust it to be as nice as people say it is.

Oh yes - we love to eat as well. Can anyone please recommend a good restaurant for dinner in So Haven or Saugatuck area? Steak or similar, maybe with an outdoor seating?

Thanks again for all the help!

nadya

Chequers in Saugatuck is where I always dine when I'm in town. Get the fish and chips. No outdoor seating, though.

Being at Yelton, it will be great to just walk the beach etc. and enjoy that lovely establishment. If the weather is very, very hot- the swim will feel great and you won't feel the water temperature as chilly for more than a couple of minutes. Mosquitos are much worse in August onwards, but that close to Lake Michigan they are less and in June non-existent. Bring something with DEET in it to use regardless.

Do know that these places (Saugatuck especially) are extremely crowded with families and large groups on the 4th of July weekend- but I've been to the fireworks etc. and you'll have a great time. And whatever you do, do not forget to view at least one Lake Michigan sunset. Try not to be inside eating or whatever when it's happening.
They are spectacular.

And also, I don't know what time you are driving in exactly- but on 4th of July weekend the traffic on 80-94 can get discouraging- and with construction expanded from Chicago this year- mind-boggling to the unaware. So do have some good current maps handy. There are alternates that may have to be used (Ridge Road- Rte. 30 are two of them). And if you are coming from Chicago proper (downtown) you might not feel it quite as much, but then again you may.
This also includes the entire 3 or 4 days before the holiday and the couple of days after.

If it's deer you want, deer you get.
Just north of Saugatuck perhaps 3 miles, there is Saugatuck Dunes State Park (quite undeveloped). Adjacent to it is acreage that used to be a state prison (between maybe 1970 & 1995, when the state torn it down). Close to twilight, deer can be seen wandering the meadows. It's typical W.Mich.sand dune forest (not beautiful, just serene).If that's along the lines of your interest, I could give you closer direction, altho maybe you could find it on mapquest or such.
Also, if you'd like to pick blueberries, perhaps you'd like to pick cherries. There's an orchard south of Jamestown (southwest of Grand Rapids) which has both sweet and tart cherries u-pick (chestnuts in the fall). If interested in where, advise.
I second Chequers (pub-type food)or Toulouse (up-scale French-type food); there's also Chaps, in Douglas, Mich (Saugatuck's sister city acroos the river).

I had intended to add, the orchard would be about 40 minutes from Felton manor. That would be lots better than a 6 hour drive to Traverse City.

tomboy, I don't wait to hyjack a thread but please tell me about your cherry picking place that is s of Jamestown and sw of Grand Rapids. It has to be within a 20 minute or so ride from me (near Marcellus, MI). What is the name of it? Please!

I have two favorite blueberry picking places and some for apples/peach etc. but nary a good one for CHERRIES. Don't like the one I tried. And my dad just adores chestnuts, thinks he is back in Germany when he gets them. THANK YOU, thank YOU!

You can Google driving directions:
Herb DeKein Orchard
1887 32nd Ave
Hudsonville, MI 49426
(616) 896-8453
By the way, they've a machine that pits the tart cherries for you, at a small cost. They also sell some dried cherries. ENJOY!

Oh Thank You, tomboy. I am going to do the online directions right now. This is so close that I bet we do it again and again.

See what great things you learn on Fodors! So many small towns and farms etc. - that I can't find ALL of these good things by myself.

Glad I could help. Perhaps you could advise what to do with chestnuts. I bought them once, then didn't know what to do with them. Made some insipid turkey stuffing,as I recall.
We had so much fun picking cherries we did 4 lbs of the sweet (20 of the tart). Then we couldn't figure out what to do with the sweet (4# is a lot to eat before they get moldy). Wound up making some cherry sauce for pork roast and freezing it

My mom and dad have a mid-city Chicago tart cherry tree and we make pies. GREAT pies. But I would pick both tart and sweet. Pies and many lbs. of the other, sweet, would be gone. We picked 33 lbs. of blueberries last year and about 1/2 were used fresh by my extended family (large) at my house in Michigan- so you see what big mouths we have. And I don't even want to highlight all the ones that got swallowed out in the field.(My 8 year old grandson had a blue mouth.) But I did freeze for later pies in 1/2lb.separate plastic bags after rinsing and they were just as good as the fresh when the pies were "done"- maybe a little more juicy and better actually- for pie or pancake use. I would pit and do the same with the cherries.

My dad is 86. He takes the chestnut and a very very sharp knife (small pointed) and makes a crossed X through the outside hulk of the chestnut. Be very careful as it is like shelling clams, you can cut yourself easily. Then after being pierced in this way, are put on a cookie sheet and into a moderate oven until you can smell and observe that they are done (they pop a bit open and the aroma is delicious.)It takes about 45 minutes or a little longer, I think. You don't want them burnt. Then you shell them and eat them warm. UMMMMMM!
They are sold all over Europe by vendors with carts (chestnuts roasting on braziers) in winter, and they also warm your hands at the same time while you walk/eat. Enjoy!

tomboy and JJ5, thank you once again!

I do realize the 4th of July will be crowded... It's the only way for us to stay 3 nights vs 2. if it gets too much, we can drive until we see something secluded - like that deer park near Saugatuck. Glad we'd be able to swim in July, we shall bring the deet just in case.

Cherry picking would rock - thanks for the info! As well as for restaurant tips.

Traffic on the other hand... I didn't think of traffic.
wow, you are certainly right. Does anyone know what's a good strategy to avoid the worst of it? If we wait until about 7 or 8pm on Friday to depart Chicago, would that work better? than leaving at 5 or 6pm?
Also, if we return early on Monday the 4th - or really late? is really late better?

This weekend getaway doesn't look as blissful all of a sudden... I don't drive far to work so I forget how terrible the driving in Chicagoland can be. ouch.

Leaving late makes little difference on any Friday. Just get a good map and designate for yourself, Ridge Rd. / Rte 30/ Sauk trail routes- just in case you get into a standstill.

Before you leave go to
www.visitchicagosouthland.com/home.cfm

and on that web page you will find a Chicago / Indiana traffic web cam. It will give you coded colors to tell you how the traffic is moving and where the backups are and also you will get a real live visual of Bormann etc. and out to I-65 interchange at 4 points and in either direction.

It will be worth it. But do know that we live within eyeballing I-80 and Rte. 96 (LaGrange Rd) and we have never made it in 2-1/2 hours on a Holiday weekend. Once you get to I-65 you are home free- so plan some alternates to that point.

And just in case you don't know, you will be paying tolls and the I-Pass, IMHO is a necessity. You can get one at Jewel.

thanks JJ5!

www.visitchicagosouthland.com/home.cfm
is a real gem and should give us some guidance re alternative routes...
My b/f has an Ipass, so tolls should be no problem.

Well, if the traffic is slow moving, I hope it will be a pleasant, scenic drive.

A few more q-ns:
If we were to arrive to South Haven around 10pm, are there any places (aside from McDonalds and BK, hopefully) to get a bite, that will be open? we may not have a chance to have dinner earlier.

Also - how does that cherry/blueberry picking thing works? Do you pay per pound of picked item? Or pay per hour? I'd love to go, blueberry-ing particularly.

If there is any blueberry farm you may think of, next to So Haven/Saugatuck, can you please let me know.

nadya

It's a ball. You get a pail, and all I have been to do provide pails, at least. And you pick on your own. The bushes are differing sizes and sometimes they will limit you to a section or row, and sometimes you are free to roam. You pay either by the lb for those you pick (some places will let you fill your own containers, some will only package the picked fruit into theirs). Or/And you also have the option of buying already picked fruit.

Some years are better than others, but the fruit is easy to pick. It just rolls off into your hands in bunches. Sometimes you drop quite a bit. They don't seem to care as plants are so plentiful that an entire bush often never gets picked "clean". It is not like apples etc. - you do not need to climb.

Where I pick now (only blocks from the I-94 Exit #60 Paw Paw) the bushes are not yet more than 6 feet tall. I do not have to pick over my head or up to my face ever, if I don't want to. I could stoop for some great handfuls at times, but not if I prefer not to. The end of the season is harder to pick than the beginning. July 4 is at the very beginning of the season, usually ready about the 12th to the end of the month. But last year we picked a great amount after August 1st, but it was harder work as the bushes were spare by then. Actually, this year could be early as spring plants were /are early.

There are numerous places to pick. I see signs off Rt 94 at much closer positions to IN than Paw Paw exit. I would do a google to get some farm names / locations. Berrien Springs rings a bell. Northern IN also has large tracts off Rt 30 that are blueberry picking territory.

If you are serious about bringing a lot home- flatter and larger containers are much preferred over deep and narrow containers. The weigh of the blueberries will crush some underneath if you transport them in depth.

Oh yes, important. You want your hands free. Leave purses etc. somewhere else or locked up in the trunk of your car. Some places provide ropes/ twine etc. to tie the pail handle to a length around your neck. You can pick twice as fast and more acurately not holding anything. Last year, even though it was late in the season- 2 of us picked 33 lbs. in about an hour. Wear sunscreen because these fields are not shaded.

Nadyam,
If you are coming from the city or north, take the Skyway, that way you'll bypass a majority of the nightmare traffic mess that runs from the Bishop Ford through about Exit 15 in Indiana. Even if the Skyway is still under construction it's worth it. As for South Haven restuarants, Hannahs is great for a burger/sandwiches- great onion rings, but don't go really hungry at noon or 6ish as the waits can be awhile. We like to have drinks at 3 Pelicans on the deck or the boat across the river (Outriggers maybe? someone else remember the name?) you can't miss it though and they are both great spots to sit and boat/people watch.

Thank you - now I'm familiarized with berry picking (it sounds like a blast), and I'll know to take Skyway and to eat at Hannahs.
Do hope there will be SOMETHIGN for us to pick in the beginning of July... the kind of fruit is not as important as the process ;) looks like warm early spring may help.

this really should be fun; looking forward to checking out So Haven and surrounding areas!

nadya

Ditto for cherry-picking. Rope, pail, cherries, all that for only IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT only $1.25/lb./maybe?
Last year, if my memory is even somewhat accurate, we picked 4# of sweet and 19# of tart cherries in about an hour. The fruit is abundant, and low enough not to need a ladder.

I echo the sentiments about Yelton Manor B&B. It's absolutely wonderful. The gardens are spectacular and the hospitality is first rate. I too consider it the best B&B in the Midwest, at least.
Have a great time...I'll be jealous!!!!

Nadyam, although I haven't stopped in South Haven recently, I thought that the only Hannah's was in New Buffalo and not South Haven.

Hannahs is not in South Haven. If I were you I would simply wait until you are at The Yelton Manor and let them point out all the restaurants and things to do. They will have maps and menus too. The innkeepers there are into great service and they will have it all.

Cherries are out of season by then, by the way, but blueberries will be great.

Sorry, my brain cramp! I meant Clementines. We were at Hannahs a few weeks back and apparently I had Hannahs on the brain! Cherries usually appear late June/early July so they may still be in season--last year cherry season ended mid July in the South Haven area. Blueberries start early July as well so you should hit both.

Goodie - we may have a shot at blueberries and cherries both! that would be nice.

Yes- Clementines is in S Haven from what I've been told, and yes, the best thing for me is to wait until we are actually there, and ask our hosts where to eat/go, etc.

I also found some info on Glenbrook Dining room/Grill, which has a good dinner menu online (Saugatuck?).

All should be fine. My main concern is that the water in the lake will be warm enough to swim a bit (we are major fans of sand and water).

thanks all for helping, once again!

There's a Clearbrook Country Club in Saugatuck with a public dining room. I
haven't eaten there in years, but the last time I did they had a special of venison roast that was luscious.