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.

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.

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!

Currently more stairs than beach, but there's a picnic table off to the side and some roadside…read moreporta potties. Could be a good place to fly a kite, put an inflatable in the water, or just get some stairs for exercise, but the beach is quickly disappearing if you wanted a place to relax.

This place was absolutely beautiful, don't get me wrong, but I don't know that I could highly…read morerecommend it at this point. The beach has been heavily eroded and was very hard to access. There were also several tires in the water. Definitely a nice, secluded spot, but proceed with caution until repairs are made. Wouldn't recommend for dogs or small children.

Amazing nature, great hiking, so many birds and, and very peaceful. Highly recommendedread more

Beautiful trails and butterfly exhibit. Stayed a few hours waking the many trails. I was advised…read morethere's around 8mi of trails. Butterfly exhibit was nice and captured plenty of photos. A nice place to solo visit or bring family and children.

Cute wooden playground fun for pretty much all ages.  They have swings, diggers, you know- all the…read morefun stuff.  Also, if you have kids that can play on their own there are some benches for you to sit and be the kid you are at heart by taking down the Pokemon Go gym and spin the pokestop.  Just a great little spot to enjoy playing outside and use up the little ones energy.  I love wooden play equipment so I try to come out to Randall Park everytime I come out to Coloma.

Absolutely loved this park. It is large and has a lot of fun activities typical of all parks…read more(slide, swings, etc.) and some fun activities like the excavator. A great space for parents vacationing with their kids near the lake.

Large splash pad!…read more The kids loved it. Lots of jets coming up so plenty for all the kids. I also loved how at the end of the night they turn on the outside jets that basically soak the whole concrete area. Cool to see. Bathrooms and tables right by the area.

Wonderful splash pad for the kiddos. The massive fountains turn on every 15-30 mins depending on…read morethe day. While the main blasters are off, there's water spouts from the ground that my niece and nephew loved covering with their feet and running around. Heads up that it operates from the first Monday in May through the last Sunday in September, opening at 10am or noon and closing at 8pm or 9pm depending on the day. Check their website for current hours :) A wonderful spot in St Joe!

Lake Bluff Park, aka The Bluff, is home to most events that occur downtown St. Joseph. The farmers…read moremarket is extremly popular in the summer, as is the Mike Yore Memorial Car Show, Antiques on the Bluff (a summer antique market) and the artisan fair. In the fall, the main event is St Josephs fall fair. They have a fun petting zoo situation with sheep, rabbits and such. There is also a luminary festival and a trick-or-treat happening throught the downtown area, including on Lake Bluff Park. Winter means pretty lights come out and you can walk the park basking in the beautiful glow. It may be cold, but it's worth the walk at least once a season. I usually walk it when I'm already attending an event downtown St. Joe. I often go to the Chili cook off or the reigndog parade. You can also attend the fun Winter Wonderland event that starts with the lighting of the lights at the park. Not many events happen on the bluff in the spring regularly but usually people are awakening from their winter hybernation and come out to wonder the Bluff (usually for pokemon hunting). There are 2 pokemon gyms on the bluff so if you are walking around grab your phone and go to the fountain and the fireman memorial. Speaking of memorials, there are lots of them on the bluff. Don't just walk by them and not look. They are there for you to respect and admire. Long story short, any time of year the Bluff is abuzz with activity. The most active time of year is definitely the summer but there are events all year.

Beautiful little park on the shores of Lake Michigan near where the St. Joe river flows into the…read morelake - and all right at the edge of the city center. You can walk here from the wine tasting venues in the city and stroll along the riverfront. The park includes a bandshell, a war memorial, and most of the other things you expect in a park. But the real deal is the view of Lake Michigan from this bluff - go see what it looks like.