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Holland State Park

3.9 (100 reviews)

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Fatima G.

We loved our first camping visit to Holland State park for 4 nights and 3 days. The state park is conveniently located beside Lake Macatawa and is a quick 6-7 min walk and enjoy the lake on a good weather day. The park was very well maintained, restrooms clean and spotless, showers well managed. Campers are super friendly and a lot of kids making it a very family friendly location. Staff were very helpful and to the point. There's a variety of camp hosts events happening every week and good trails inside the state park. Beware of ticks if you have pets on the trails as a precautionary measure.

Elizabeth B.

What a beautiful area, we stopped in on our road trip, got free public parking and walked the boardwalk to the beach/sand line and back - loved seeing Big Red, the Sailboats, Kayakers, and more. Such a beautiful day. Friendly people and culture! Worthy of a stop!

Holland State Park beach
Katy C.

It was a sunny day in October and I wanted to have a picnic at the beach. Nate and I loaded up the car and hit the road from Grand Rapids and headed towards Holland State Park. There were quite a few families there, enjoying the sunshine and views of the lake and lighthouse, and playing on the playground. It was quite windy and a bit chilly, but we enjoyed walking along the shore and dipping our toes in the water. There were people swimming on October 17! The water wasn't ice cold yet, but definitely not warm. Nate and I ended up eating our lunch in the car since it was so windy, but there are several nice picnic tables available here. The parking lot was a little small so I imagine it gets pretty packed in the summer. The biggest bummer was that in October 2021 the restrooms were already closed for the season. Luckily there's a gas station nearby, but something to be aware of. It was fun to see the lighthouse, known as "Big Red," although it looked like it could use a new coat of paint. We weren't able to walk out to the lighthouse since it was on the opposite side of the channel and I'm not actually sure if you can get to it. I'd love to come back to this beach in the summer. There is a campground at this state park too.

Diane B.

Beautiful beach and area off of Lake Michigan told hubby next year I would love to return and stay more then 1 day - very clean beach

Katie D.

I loved my ice cream the sky was clear, the water was cold, and everyone just seemed so happy to be outside. If I lived closer, I would be visiting this beach on a regular basis.

Danielle P.

This is another awesome state park that we recently visited on the western side of Michigan. It has alot to enjoy for the entire family, and a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. We stopped by for the afternoon to just enjoy the weather, and lay about on the beach. There is a huge parking lot on site, and they can accommodate small and large vehicles. This state park is like 142 acres and there is plenty to do for the entire family.

The infamous lighthouse!
Shelby Z.

From a tourist's perspective, Holland State Park seems to be the 'main' beach of Holland. And it is beautiful! The whole surrounding area is incredibly walkable, and I think that is the best part. Of course, you have the large beach, Macatawa Bay, shops, restaurants.. You can even climb Mt. Pisgah! One thing to lookout for over the weekend is the parking. It. is. insane. When we came on a Saturday, the line to park took almost an hour to get through. Not sure if that was just changes with covid or they need a new system.. This beach is an absolute must if you are visiting Holland. It is also home to the Big Red lighthouse!

Amethyst W.

It's so beautiful and relaxing here, and it's the perfect weather this sunny day in May. The walk throughout was so nice. It's clean and peaceful here. Parking is plentiful. I felt safe and calm just being near the water and just sitting to people and scene watching. Worth the stop!

Maria L.

When visiting Holland, stopping by Holland State Park to visit the big red lighthouse is a must. There is a small beach to enjoy on a warm day, watch the sunset or have a picnic.

Big Red with my little Blue!
Amanda L.

Love this state park so much! They have a massive beach (that isn't dog friendly) and plenty of pathways (that are dog friendly). You can get pretty close to the awesome & absolutely ICONIC Big Red Lighthouse, which I really appreciate and love to see! :) I haven't explored much else here too, but looking at the maps a bit, there are definitely a lot of trails you can walk as well throughout the park that look interesting and a change from laying on the beach if that's not really your style. I look forward to coming back one day soon and exploring these paths myself!

Harish V.

What can be a better place than Beach in Summer that too after 2.5 months of staying at home.Good place to take a dip and play some games with your fam. Pros: ---- Plenty of Parking You can walk till the old light house Kids play area Restrooms Lot of food spots close by( Walkable) Looks like the main light house is accessible only by boat or through private property( Not sure. Find out Beach is crowded and none of them wearing masks.

Chelsea M.

Absolutely beautiful! This is a must! You cannot come to the area and not see this place. Picture perfect thats for sure.

I was lucky enough to capture views of surfers at holland state beach on this chilly fall day!
Jennah K.

I didn't know Michigan had a surf community but I guess there is one! I saw about 25 surfers and wave runners playing in The (ocean like) Lake Michigan waves on this chilly fall day! I'll be back. Dressing warm with a beach chair, cooler, and hot tea! Enjoy the sunshine, Jennah

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It is a beautiful park right next to the historic red lighthouse of Holland. Lots of beach and kept up well.

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I saw about 25 surfers and wave runners playing in The (ocean like) Lake Michigan waves on this chilly fall day!

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Windmill Island Gardens - August 2025

Windmill Island Gardens

3.9(156 reviews)
6.0 mi

Oh my Gosh, 5 Stars all the way! I'm so happy we came here during Tulip Festival! Was it kinda…read morepricey at $20 a person to get in, and crazy busy, yes to both! but would I do it again, yes for sure! We walked up and saw you could catch a big ol school bus to shuttle you up to the entrance for free, we hoped on and went in. I was very excited to see de Zwaan the famous Windmill imported from the Netherlands! The only one in the US, I think! It was SO beautiful! I got some great shots of the tulips and the windmill that I thought were just so pretty! Loved going up in the windmill and walking thru the tulip fields. Also don't miss walking thru the shops with authentic goods for sale including a whole cheese wall! With samples! You know some Dutch Gouda had to come home with me!

Back in July I went to De Zaanse Schans in the Netherlands and then in August I came here to…read moreWindmill Island Gardens - so I feel like I have a good way to compare the parks. The windmill is identical to what is in the Netherlands. The only difference between this windmill and the ones in the Netherlands is that each level of this windmill has different types of jobs that were done that relied on windmill power such as clog carving and flour milling. I feel like the people in costume don't really want to chat or start a discussion around the park except for one woman at the very top of the windmill who was giving out stickers and one doing the pipe organ demonstration - everyone else in costume were either chatting with each other or kind of zoned out. Outside of the windmill, there's not much to do - we watched the short informative film and the pipe organ demonstration, but that's it for activities. We were told that the park had horses in the pasture but we walked the entire park and all the paddocks were empty. There is a carousel for kids and there is a gift shop selling the exact same stuff as all of the gift shops in Amsterdam. Even though we were in Holland, Michigan, everything just says "Holland" on it - I even saw the exact clog magnet I purchased in Amsterdam for sale here! Even the paper shopping bags for small items are identical to what is available in the gift shops in Amsterdam. (The cheese is local though.) One that that was pretty cool was looking at this big miniature town that they have on display from the 1930's. If you have never been to Windmill Island Gardens, then you'll have no idea of the significance of the miniature town in Nicole Kidman's basement in the film "Holland" that she starred in. It is set in Holland Michigan and features many shots of this particular windmill. My husband and I watched it after we stumbled upon it after our visit and having been here was kind of cool while watching. Overall, I'd say you can do absolutely everything in 2 hours here, including walking the entire loop around the fields. It was fine but I'd definitely like more of the employees doing talks discussing Dutch culture, crafts, architecture, whatever. Visited: August 2025

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Windmill Island Gardens - Welcomed in heritage costume

Welcomed in heritage costume

Windmill Island Gardens - August 2025

August 2025

Windmill Island Gardens

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Holland State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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