Sam and I wanted to take a long weekend trip this past Fall and in my research, I stumbled upon Saugatuck, MI. I had never heard of this town before, but it seemed to check all my boxes: easy drive from Louisville (5 hours), several things to do, and charming local spots. I wanted a place that was pretty low-key and didn’t require a ton of planning, and I’m really happy with where we landed! We drove up on a Thursday morning and left Sunday morning, so were able to soak up 2.5 days!
Where to stay
We ended up staying in Douglas, which is across the river from Saugatuck. We really enjoyed our Airbnb, but were slightly bummed at the location. During the summer, there is a chain ferry that takes people from Douglas to Saugtauck, and that chain ferry was right next to our rental. But sadly, since we visited in October, it was no longer running, so we had to drive around the river in order to get over to Saugatuck. However, we were only steps away from the Mt. Baldhead steps, which lead to the beach, so it was still a nice location in some aspects.
Day 1
We arrived around 2pm and were able to do an early check-in to our Airbnb, then headed over to Saugtauck to start exploring.
Our first stop was for a drink and snack at the BARge, a restaurant and hotel located directly on the Kalamazoo River! It was a nice day so we enjoyed sitting outside with our view of the river (and our Airbnb across the street, lol)
We had a few ideas for dinner but landed at The Butler… we cannot recommend this place enough! We admittedly ate three separate meals durig our short time here… and loved every one of them. Their menu offers a variety and their outdoor space is expansive, so it’s hard to beat. We especially loved their pizzas.
We were tired from driving so ended up back at the Airbnb to get a good nights rest for our next day!
Day 2
I always love starting my day with some activity, so we decided to hike Mount Baldhead. Like I previously mentioned, it was literally steps from our Airbnb which was great! I will go ahead and prepare you for the STAIRS… they are steep and plentiful. But a great way to get your heart rate up first thing in the morning!
We took the trail down to Oval Beach and then kind of wandered our way back through another trail. We used our maps to make sure we didn’t get lost, but enjoyed the adventure!
As a reward for our morning activity, we got ourselves ready for the day and headed to Pennyroyal Cafe & Provisions for a yummy brunch… and it was delicious! Plus, it’s such a quaint local spot with fresh food and a provisional store.
We had a winery tasting scheduled so we made the short 20 minute drive over to Fennville. There are a few wineries in the area and Virtue Cider in the same parking lot as Modales. We thoroughly enjoyed our personal tasting at the bar. Our tour guide provided us with personalized samples based on what we liked, and had plenty of local suggestions for the rest of our trip! Afterwards, we grabbed a glass of wine and headed outside to enjoy the views and sunshine.
On our way back we had to stop at the famous Crane’s Pie Pantry – I had read about this place from multiple blogs so knew we had to make a stop. This family-owned spot gives picturesque fall vibes and tasty treats. We grabbed some apple cider donuts for the road and headed back into town.
We needed a little pick-me up so grabbed coffees from the hot local spot Uncommon Coffee Roasters. Our tasting guide told us about The Cottage at Wick’s, so we were excited to check it out for some afternoon cocktails. We ended up sitting on the back patio since it was a nice day, but we the inside seemed really neat with a vintage and cozy vibe. The cocktails were delicious and we highly recommend stopping in here!
We planned to head back to Oval Beach for sunset, so grabbed some to-go pizzas from…. you guessed it, The Butler, and headed back over to Douglas. We packed up some beach chairs, towels, and a bottle of champagne to enjoy with the sunset. It was so lovely!
Day 3
We started our morning with our apple cider donuts and a stroll around our “neighborhood”, exploring some of the new houses being built over in Douglas. This definitely seems to be a booming location! Our college team was playing that day so we headed to The Butler to grab a seat at the bar and some bloody mary’s. Of course, it was all fantastic and we enjoyed our time there.
We spent the afternoon roaming around Saugatuck and popping into shops. We headed back to our Airbnb to rest a bit before our big excursion – a retro boat rental! I cannot recommend this enough… it was such a unique experience and way to see both Douglas and Saugatuck by water. It’s also pretty affordable in my opinion, with options starting at $129 for 90 minutes. We spent our ride up and down the river discussing the houses and which ones we liked. Plus, you can buy alcohol at the boat rental shop to bring on board!
We ended our evening and trip with dinner at Lady Bird. They don’t accept reservations, so it’s a first come, first serve policy. I will admit, our service was pretty poor. However, the cocktails, food, and ambience were very enjoyable!
It was time for us to head back to Louisville, but I wanted to make a pit stop in the town os South Haven on our way. I’ve read a few books based there, so wanted to see the quaint little town! We grabbed bagels and drove to the beach to enjoy them before our final drive home.
I thoroughly enjoyed our weekend getaway in Saugatuck. It was exactly what I was looking for to relax and celebrate the end of a long work project. We also had plenty of suggestions we never made it to, so you can view those here!