Three Perfect Days

In pure homage to United’s wonderful Hemispheres feature (I’ve been a reader for years), I wanted to re-imagine what they would say if they were to paint a picture of 2 days on the Art Coast of Michigan.  This article also builds off a wonderful piece in Chicago Magazine, by Nina Kokotas Hahn. So, here goes!

Set along the shores of Lake Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo River, just over the rolling dunes from one of Michigan’s most revered beaches, Saugatuck is more than another lakeside retreat. It’s the anchor of the so-called Art Coast—an area that plein air painters from Chicago established as an art colony at the turn of the century. We can’t think of a more intimate way to while away a weekend than picnicking amid the scenery that inspires the art.

Day 1

The gorgeous setting of Lake Trail Lodge is the perfect backdrop as you dine al fresca on the gourmet meal you prepared in the Viking appliance-equipped kitchen—the perfect precursor to a balmy day at prized Oval Beach.  If you’re staying instead at Sunset View Cottage, the kitchen is equally as stocked as at LTL, albeit with a backdrop of Lake Michigan you see as you’re rinsing your farm-fresh produce.

Take a quick drive around the lake to drop and flop on the sweeping golden sands fringed by forested dunes. (Go-getters can park down the road and climb more than 300 steps to cross sandy Mount Baldhead to the beach.)  Sunset View Cottage’s access to the lake and beach is more convenient, but still as challenging, as you traverse 65 steps to the deck below:

Pro Tip: You’ll need provisions for your difficult day of lounging. Try the Southerner, a riverside joint in town where James Beard–nominated Matt Millar whips up Creole-style rémoulade-topped fried whitefish sandwiches and buckets of Nashville fried chicken for a delicious grab-and-go option.

Tempting as it is to dawdle till twilight, regroup back at LTL with a dip in your private pool before an alfresco dinner–or retreat back to SVC to catch the sunset (note bene: in Santorini, Greece– world famous sunsets draw nightly audiences who clap and cheer the setting sun!):

 

After your siesta, head out just a few miles away via BlueStar country HWY to neighboring village of Douglas. Snag a table on the patio at Everyday People Cafe, and knock out some white-wine-drenched mussels. If you’re staying at LTL, an early reservation will let you catch the legendary Oval Beach sunset. (Bring a blanket.)

On the way “home”, you witness the magic of a Saugatuck evening:

 

Upon your return, a freshly-made S’more (or a glass of wine!), awaits on the screened-in porch (or the perfect antitode to the inviting-but-hot firepit!).

From top: Jeff Blandford Gallery; fried chicken at the Southerner. Photos: (LTL, SVC, and gallery) Christian Giannelli Photography; (The Southerner) Courtesy of The Southerner

Day 2

Hike two and a half miles through the dunes and protected wetlands in the little-known 173-acre Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. Sandy peaks offer views of Holland’s Big Red Lighthouse and Ox-Bow Lagoon (the old Saugatuck Channel).

Head back to town and shop gallery-strewn Butler Street for a piece of art that speaks to you. Maybe it’s an impressionist-style oil painting from James Brandess Studios & Gallery that captures Saugatuck’s coastal scenery, or a midcentury-mod ceramic vase from the sleek Jeff Blandford Gallery. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, the 36-ounce tomahawk steak for two at the white-tablecloth Bowdies Chop House should do the trick. Then, from the boardwalk that hugs the river, take in the sailboats moored in the harbor, where sunburned boaters sip cocktails as if to cue up another spectacular sunset.

Stay: Lake Trail Lodge, a lavishly appointed modern lodge in a sanctuary-like setting with private pool.  Sunset View Cottage, a comfortable, maritime-themed cottage directly on Lake Michigan.

While You’re There: Browse artwork, bid at live auctions, see glassblowing demonstrations, and sip wine on open-studio nights at Ox-Bow, Saugatuck’s long-standing creative mecca, founded by artists from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.