Want a quiet, peaceful beach on Lake Michigan? One that has picnic tables, a ramped deck on top of…read morethe dune (thank you, city of South Haven, for providing handicap accessibility), and best of all in this town, a restroom with changing areas that stays open past dusk? Enter Packard Park - it's 2 parks north of North Beach, is free, and is the quietest beach in town. You'll head down a short dune and then find the big lake. People bring chairs or towels. The entrance to the water is sandy, and the bottom is firmer than that of South Beach, by the pier. You can see the pier in the distance, just south. Up by the parking lot, you'll see several picnic tables, a grill, and a restroom. The women's has two toilet stalls and two changing stalls - WITH DOORS! thank you. The park is open until 10. Often, when we swim at dusk, we get out of the water too late to change in the North or South Beach bathrooms. NO worries of that here. No lifeguard. Plenty of parking, and a grassy area for kids to run around on if you're cooking dinner before (or after) swimming.

The park itself does not offer much. It has little shade but it does offer sunset views and…read morebenches. There are plenty of other viewing spots at the neighboring beaches.

Love the disc golf course and pickle ball courts. Me and my friend have been here a couple times…read moreit's been great!

I love like Arvesta and they had really good pizza and the kids meals are very cheap and they…read morelow-key COME with ice cream which is so peak. I also made friends with a pet fly and his name is Jimmy if you go try to find him. I also love the fact that you can jump off the giant marshmallows! Bellyflopping HURTS! Ow

This campground is perfect for families or solo campers getting away for a couple days or even a…read moreweek or two. Its a big campground, ive met people here that book a year in advance and make it a yearly family reunion. Most campers are couples/ families. Remember to book as soon as possible this place is popular! A campsite is around $50 with electric and dont forget to get a sticker for Michigan state parks, it is required. This price is super reasonable for all you get and its dog friendly! Sites vary in size, but lots of options. The campground is super clean and well maintained (yes, even the bathrooms and showers.) I came across this gem of a campground a few years ago and I have been returning yearly. Van Buren is only about 10 minutes from South Haven so you can enjoy both vibes! They have their own gorgeous beach just a few minutes walk from your campsite and on the way there is a beautiful walk with a big and clean bathhouse right next to the beach and free life vests for all the little kids. Did i mention this campground is dog friendly!? I love bringing my furry family member here. The grounds are calm, quiet and the people are super nice. The staff is never too far away keeping an eye on things. I always feel safe here. There is a daily activity sheet and the campground host is very accessible and they have a little area right before you drive into the camp with information pamphlets and little things to look at. Hiking, biking, dunes, vollyball, beach, dunes & close to south Haven and a beautiful place to chill out at the end of the day at your campsite or RV with a nice fire and good friends. Van Buren Campground exceeded all my expectations and I hope it does the same for you.

Great beach for rock hunting fossils and colorful stones, especially lightening stones. Water is…read morecrystal clear!

Best park! I love that this year there are lifeguards (or maybe that was normal and I've never…read morenoticed?). Nice sand, a nice area to swim before you run into boats and you can borrow life vests. I like the flag warning system as well. The lifeguards were moving around swiftly to change them when the weather turned quickly which was nice. Bathrooms near the splash pad and a spot to buy food and ice cream is a nice touch. Also, if the kids tire of the water, there's a playground in the sand near the sidewalk. Perfect!

South Beach was just ok for us. The beach itself is nice and spacious, so it never felt…read moreovercrowded, which we appreciated. There was quite a bit of seaweed near the pier though, and that made the water less enjoyable than we were hoping. Safety is obviously important, and I completely understand the rules around rip currents and only allowing Coast Guard-approved flotation devices. My only suggestion would be to do a better job communicating that before people get into the water. A sign near the parking lot or beach entrance explaining the current conditions and flotation rules would've been really helpful. We didn't find out until we were already in the water, and it would've saved some frustration. One thing I did really like was the little beach shop and cafe. They were both super cute and made it easy to grab a snack or pick up anything you forgot, which was a nice touch. The staff clearly cared about keeping everyone safe, which I appreciate, but it also made us feel like we were being watched the whole time instead of being able to relax. We ended up heading over to the splash pad.

North Beach is a little harder to get to than South Beach, which is easily accessible from the main…read morestrip of downtown. The entrance to the beach area is a tiny little side road that goes through the beach neighborhood houses. If you can navigate to it, it's totally worth the visit. The beach area is massive, and has small swings and a play area for kids, volleyball nets, and a standalone ice cream shop. Since it's across the canal, there are generally a lot less people on this side as well, and also several vacation rentals that sit right on the edge of the beach. I love riding my bike down here and watching the sunset .

I grew up going to both North or South Beach in South Haven and really have never thought too much…read moreabout which side I like more than the other other than sometimes it was based on crowd numbers. This trip, I had my Dad in tow, and he always loves the piers and walks out to the end, fisherman at heart. I hadn't put my toes in the warm Michigan sand or water since before moving to Florida in 2007, so I was excited about that and let my Dad wander off with my nephew while I walked along the water on the very short beach area now. I didn't care, I walked slowly along the water and let others walk around me. What I did love was that they now have boardwalks on the beach that let you get out to almost the water without having to walk on the hot yellow sand. In Clearwater, we have white sand so we can walk as slowly as we want without burning our feet. It's definitely something I love and don't miss about Michigan sand but bring up childhood memories. South Haven will always hold a special place in my heart, North and South Beach.

Yesss! Best $10 ever spent! Thank you Groupon! This was such a quick fun adventure and so easy. I…read morearrived and was helped by two young guys, just hanging out in their crate lol....I love that idea! They've got life jackets and give you some quick instruction before you head off. Paw Paw river is nestled between some nice homes and a golf course so you've got some nice views. Lots of wild life to see and a few bridges (watch your head please) If you're in the area and want a quick workout, please do this!

Really great experience and for so cheap! Joey was a real help to top it all off! Can't recommend…read moreenough bring the whole family

Nice little dog friendly beach for our pups first time at the beach! There were plenty of places to…read morepark but we got there pretty early. Short walk to the beach. It was a pretty small area and pretty packed but it was a holiday weekend when we went. Wasn't the most clean/pristine beach but we didn't expect that for a dog friendly beach. There were bathrooms up near the parking lot. Kind of a mixed sand rock beach but mostly sand. When we left, the parking lot was packed and people were lining the street, so I'd say go early if you want a parking spot.

One of the top highlights of our week stay in South Haven. This small secluded nature preserve has…read morea modest rocky beach perfect for small treasure hunting. At the beach we found geodes, lightening rocks, and sea glass. This area has a small 45ish car parking lot. It is dog friendly (dogs must be on leash and picked up after). There's a .33 mile trail that is not difficult. Park is free and a great way to spend some time in nature!

Skip and Nate were a breeze to work with and we had a great time out on the water. I called Kayak…read moreKayak to reserve two single kayaks and I received a text confirmation right away. We got to the meeting spot and our kayaks were ready for us to enjoy a morning of paddling on Pigeon River. It was $35 per kayak for a half day rental. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking to kayak in the Holland area.

This was an amazing find! Skip and Mark were amazingly easy to work with and incredibly kind. My…read moreparents and I were just looking for a fun quarantine activity to do on the 4th and were pleasantly surprised when we were told they would be available on such short notice and on the holiday no less! When we arrived they were already there and ready for us.The Pigeon River was beautiful, clean, and super relaxing. I would 10/10 recommend renting from Skip and I will definitely be a regular with these awesome folks! Thanks again guys!

Captain Jeff gave my family a great memory. Five guys went on the charter and got 6 fish; Two of…read morethe fish were salmon. He was prompt, knowledgeable and had a great honey hole. Our crew were fishing rookies and still brought back lots of fish.

Wow! If you like fishing, the professional and experienced captain and crew of the Silver King…read morewon't disappoint. We caught many pounds of King Salmon, Coho, Steelhead and Lake Trout over a period of three days. The captain used a combination of electronic equipment and common sense to find us fish. We used this charter several years ago, and when we returned to South Haven we were really happy to fish with them again!

We had a wonderful morning sailing with Fresh Coast Sailing! We originally had a fishing trip…read morebooked earlier in the week, but unfortunately it was canceled due to rain and high winds. Since our fishing guide was fully booked for the remainder of our vacation, we decided to find another way to get out on the water, and we're so glad we did. The sailboat was beautiful, and the experience was relaxing from start to finish. Captain Andy and first mate were very friendly, and we enjoyed chatting with them about South Haven and the local area. It was a great day on the lake. Overcast, but the sun poked through a few times. We even brought a bottle of champagne and orange juice to enjoy mimosas while we sailed. They were so nice to our kids and even let them help put up the sail and explained the different parts of the sailboat. The entire experience was great and a perfect way to spend a morning on the water with our family. We had a lovely time and would highly recommend Fresh Coast Sailing to anyone visiting South Haven! His boat slip is also in a great location, just below the Old Harbor Inn. We walked into town after our sail for lunch

My wife and I have been sailing with Captain Andy for years and would recommend to anyone in South…read moreHaven. He is from the area and takes the time to answer questions. You will have a great time on any of his sails.