You all know we love Michigan. As part of our amazing Michigan road trip, we spent a few days in the Saugatuck area, a first time for our family. We loved it here!  Here are 9 fun things to do with the family in Saugatuck, Douglas, and Fennville.

Disclosure: A big thanks to Saugatuck Douglas CVB and their partners for hosting us.I was not required to express a particular point of view. All opinions are my own.

Drink cider and enjoy the farm

Parents and kids can both have fun at Virtue Cider. Not only do they have hard cider, but they also serve light bites like sandwiches and cheeses. Kids can indulge in Michigan-made sodas too.

Once you’re done enjoying your drinks, go around and peruse the property. (And yes, you can bring your drinks with you!) You’ll find farm animals, ducks, geese, sheep, and our favorite – huge 600 pound pigs!

gardens

Try a flight

Not only can adults try a beer flight in an awesome Michigan-shaped flight paddle BUT kids and the entire family can enjoy a pizza flight at Mitten Brewing Co! Choose from 6 different pizzas and you get 4 slices of each. How awesome right?

Try a pie flight

Want the chance to try more flights? We tried the pie flight and wine flight at Crane’s Pie Pantry in Fennville and enjoyed it. My favorite wine was the ice wine. So good! We also brought home a bottle of the blueberry wine.

Tip: Want to go apple picking? Next door is their apple orchard!

Stop and smell…the lavender

If you’ve been following me at all, you know how much I love lavender. We visited the small but charming Summerhouse Lavender Farm.  One of the owners gave us a tour, and we learned about how lavender is distilled as well as its benefits.

Tip: You can rent their home on AirBnB! Check it out here. 

Pick fresh fruit and veggies

We found fresh blueberries from Dee’s Lakeshore Farm. Dee and family has been running it for over 40 years! Not only do they have blueberries but they also have apples and more. A great family owned business!

Tip: Dee’s Lakeshore Farm, Virtue Cider, and Summerhouse Lavender Farm are all part of Lakeshore Harvest Country, perfect for spending a day on the farm. Check out all these other spots.

Enjoy great sandwiches

We had heard great things about Farmhouse Deli from our hosts at our B&B. They couldn’t have been more spot on! The vegan bahn mi’s were all that and then some (and we’re not even vegan!) The other sandwiches were also yummy and filling. We took these sandwiches to our next adventure. (See below)

Get on a donut boat

Get on the water and on a donut boat with Retro Boat Rental. For two hours, we cruised up and down the Kalamazoo River. We scarfed down the lunch we took to go from The Farmhouse Deli and enjoyed it on the boat. (Psst. they have drink holders!) What’s even cooler is that we could dock the boat on the sand and get off and swim at the beach. Make sure to have your playlist ready – the bluetooth speaker is ready to blast your music. Such a fun time on the water!

Smiles of pure happiness on the donut boat

Tip: As their name suggests, Retro Boats also rents out neat retro boats!

Beach time

For fun in the sun you can’t go wrong with the highly rated Oval Beach. Easy access to the beach from the parking lot and bathrooms are available. Entrance fee is $10/vehicle.

Stay at a family-friendly B&B

We loved our stay at Hop & Vine Inn. And yes, my kids also adored the B&B. The breakfasts were delicious, the hosts were wonderful and friendly, the rooms were super adorable, and they had plenty to keep the kids and family busy when we weren’t exploring the area. S’mores, awesome sunrises, sand volleyball, lawn games, and a playground. What more could you want? Read all about our stay at Hop & Vine Inn here.

Other things to do

We spent two days and felt it wasn’t enough. A few other things we would have liked to do:

• Eat fried chicken at The Southerner
• Hike at Saugatuck Dunes State Park
• Check out the views at Mt. Baldhead
• See the dunes via a Dune Ride
• Check out more breweries and wineries like Saugatuck Brewing, Modales, or FennValley Vineyards
• Try the local favorite beach, Laketown Beach

Have you been to the Saugatuck/Fennville/Douglas area?