The Star
of Saugatuck & Chain Ferry Saugatuck Michigan has one of the
oldest hand-cranked chain ferries in America. It operates
only in the summer and is takes visitors across the Kalamazoo
River by an operator hand-cranking it along a chain that
stretches across the river. Saugatuck
has had a ferry crossing on the river since 1838 and it's
the last of its kind on the Great Lakes. The Star of Saugatuck
is an old fashioned stern wheeler that shuttles passengers
on tours of the river and along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Passengers can see cottages, extravagant homes, forests,
wetlands and a panorama of dunes.
Leave
the tension and stress behind when coming to Saugatuck
Michigan, one of the best four-season
vacation, visitor and tourist towns on the shoreline
of Lake Michigan. Saugatuck and the neighboring Village
of Douglas are pure vintage, small town America full
of tree lined streets, great old homes, unique shops,
casual and fine
dining and truly great art
galleries.
Just
a short drive from Chicago, Detroit
and many cities in the Midwest, the area
is one of the oldest resort and tourist communities
on the Sunset Coast of Lake Michigan. Located on Lake
Michigan and the Kalamazoo River, Saugatuck
and Douglas,
Michigan, are nestled between the steep, rolling dunes
that border Lake Michigan on the west and lush orchard
country and farmlands to the east. The area has been
a popular vacation, resort and cottage destination
since the 1880s for Chicago and Midwest residents.
Today,
the two communities provide a host of year-round attractions,
annual events, great dining
and shopping, outdoor fun and cozy, intimate Bed
and Breakfast retreats for visitors.
Oval
Beach at Saugatuck Michigan
The beautiful Oval Beach and park on Lake Michigan
in Saugatuck has been rated by Conde Nast’s
Traveler Magazine as one of the 25 best summer
shorelines in the world. The wide, sandy Oval
Beach of Saugatuck, has also been ranked by MTV
as one of the top five most beautiful beaches
in the United States.
Downtown
Saugatuck Michigan
For
the shopper,
Saugatuck and Douglas offer a mix of 19th century
architecture and 21st century merchandise. There are
clothing,
gift, antique
and home
accessory shops scattered throughout the downtown
areas. The shops of Saugatuck/Douglas celebrate quality,
variety and personality. Visitors can find something
for every taste from collectible Christmas ornaments
and memorabilia to art
and fine quality home accessories.
Downtown
Saugatuck
has more than 60 shops and restaurants
to visit along its tree-lined boulevards. Whether
you like gourmet
dining, International, or good old American fare,
you can find it in downtown Saugatuck,
Michigan. There are also cafes
and bistros to tempt your pallet with freshly made
coffee drinks, pastries and light deli lunches.
Take
a walk along the dockside
in Saugatuck
to view the big pleasure boats
at mooring and discover the areas waterside shops,
galleries
and restaurants. Bring a picnic lunch and sit by
the river and idle the day away, or spend an afternoon
in the grand Victorian gazebo in Wicks Park overlooking
the harbor.
In
between shopping excursions,
ride the hand-cranked ferry across the Kalamazoo
River, rent a canoe, charter a boat or tour the harbor
on board an old-fashioned, sternwheeler paddle boat.
Saugatuck
Michigan
also offers a number of scenic city parks, gardens
and street sculpture. It’s fun just to walk
the city streets, see the old homes and window shop.
The
quaint and picturesque Village of Douglas
sits inland on the Kalamazoo River just a short drive
or bike ride from downtown Saugatuck. One of the oldest
villages in the state, Douglas has become a hot spot
of local galleries,
shops and restaurants.
Set around a big village square,
this small town offers visitors a chance to leisurely
stroll through shops, galleries and boutiques full
of fun things for the home and cottage. The village
is also the setting for some of the finest restaurants
along the Sunset Coast of Lake Michigan. Visitors
can also find a great latte
or even a traditional English “high tea”
in downtown Douglas.
Lost
City of Singapore The
city of Singapore - a sister city to Saugatuck,
Michigan - was a thriving lumber and shipping
town at the mouth of the the Kalamazoo River in
the mid-1800s. But, as trees that supported the
economy were cut down and shipped across the Midwest,
the prosperity of the city declined. Without the
trees to protect the town the blowing, restless
sands of the Lake Michigan shoreline gradually
buried the lakefront boom town. Today it lives
only in legend as the “Lost City of Singapore.”
area
is one of the oldest resort and tourist communities
on the Sunset Coast of Lake Michigan. Located on Lake
Michigan and the Kalamazoo River, 
Saugatuck,
Michigan. There are also 
square,
this small town offers visitors a chance to leisurely
stroll through shops, galleries and boutiques full
of fun things for the home and cottage. The village
is also the setting for some of the finest 