I feel like this is the perfect beach for a small town…read more It was not overly busy on a Sunday around 11am, but it was overcast and only about 70 degrees. The water was still freezing so we only put our feet in. I loved the fountain and the carousel. There are lots of benches and observation points. Plus, parking was quick and easy. There was also surprisingly clean public restrooms as well.

This is my childhood beach location. There's so much that has changed here over the years, but all…read morenecessary upgrades. There's a handicap accessible playground and more seating to eat at the little beach food shop. Walking the pier allows you to see a great view of the shoreline, but be careful on windy and wavy days as the water comes up over the pier . In the peak summer months, I would recommend parking up on top of the bluff and walking down the steps right by Silver Beach Pizza, so you can save yourself from the cluster of cars trying to get down to beach parking. Also, St. Joe city is changing parking and routing near Silver Beach so be aware of traffic shifts. All in all, a great beach for families, but 4/5 stars because some other beaches are less touristy, which locals like myself much prefer.

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.

Paid parking at a beach that you really cannot access the water on is ridiculous. St Joe beaches…read moreare very lacking compared to the county Silver Beach. I wonder where all of the ticket money at $40 each fine is going towards. The Lions beach as others have mentioned had eroded terribly so it's tough to get toddlers or older people to the water. When we went the water was very rocky so you needed water shoes.

Five stars for the playground areas. My kids loved the yellow tire swing, the steep slide, and the…read moreobstacle course. There was also a large elastic spider web, for lack of a better description; though this did not get as much usage as the rest of the play area. There are benches allover for great views of the sunset. The only downsides are paying to park and you can't really get into the water since there isn't direct access.

The beach was very clean and lots of parking! Really enjoyed…read morethe water and area! Gotta pay for parking but it wasn't bad. $5.00 for 3 hrs or $10 for all day.

I have a newly interest in now as a friend who invited us to come and explore at JKP. Not too far…read morefrom Chicago which was only 90 minutes away with no fee to enter and low cost in parking with plenty of fun here. I was able to ride my bike around, walk on the beach and get lite snacks in the concession stand. There are even free fixed grills where you can grill here, which I have to try that next time I am here. We ended up spending at least 6 hours here and was so relaxing. I would greatly recommend this park to anyone.

After Memorial Day the Lighthouse is open for tours (just $5/person). If you want a souvenir…read moreticket, just ask and they will stamp the date for you. Once inside, there is a museum with pictures and historical facts. A couple of souvenirs to purchase on the first floor. The volunteers - one to every floor had plenty of information about the lighthouse and St. Joseph. We were able to climb to top and walk on the outside. It was amazing - I loved it!

Beautiful to look at but the parking is an issue. It feels like they don't really want tourists. We…read morewere there 25 minutes and received 2 tickets. On for parking (which we had paid for parking so was given incorrectly) and one for parking over the line (said we took 2 parking places). There were only 3 cars in the lot in the time we were there.

A beautiful park nussled up right next to the Saint Joseph River.  Being super close to my home, I…read moreoften take sunset photos here.  My nephew can play on the play equipment while him mom and I chat.  It's a relaxing spot to stop and simply enjoy the view.  Today being an extremely snowy day I decided to venture over here to enjoy the snow and just be silly with my husband.  We ended up having a snowball fight which is always fun.

Beautiful! Walking at su set you get such amazing views. The walk to the lighthouse isn't far and…read moreby this time it's not too busy. Such a great place for pictures and just to relax.

My review is for the parking. The lot was so small and we couldn't even stop. The have 1 lot and…read morethere isn't a lot of spots.

New playground equipment with rubber fill, fully fenced dog park with water fountains, benches, bag…read morestations everything you need! The grass has kept the dog park more dry than when it was all wood chips. Great park!

Stopped by this park with my best friend and her dog. My dogs and her dogs are basically best…read morefriends and they got to spend about 40 minutes running around this park like the snow dogs they are. They had so much fun even though our hands were starting to get cold by the end of our visit. Her dog is Young and she had never seen her run so much. Are dogs. Slept great last night as a result of visiting this fairly spacious area. We will definitely be coming back to allow our dogs to release their energy and run around.

The city is really neat and slow paced. The parking here is absolutely ridiculous! A ticket ranges…read morebetween $20 and $40. I had an annual pass for Silver Beach, oddly there is a different annual permit for Lions Beach. Before getting the ticket I had no idea Silver Beach was county, the other beaches were city. Over the week I was here I watched tickets constantly being handed out around the little shops where tourists would go to. If us tourist bring in the cash to the city, why would we want to come back to somewhere that is wanting to ticket us constantly? There is free parking in the city, no free parking near the beaches

I have lived in the Saint Joseph, Michigan area my whole life (I moved to Benton Harbor in my 20s)…read moreand I honestly love it.  Other than the horrific winters we have between January and March, the weather is pretty decent.  Each season is treated like its a majestic time and many events are set up by 'St. Joseph Today'.  In the winter, the chili tour, Beer Fest, and Ice Festival are the spotlight events.  If you're looking to do some things not planned by the city, the carousel makes a great indoor activity and so does the Curious Kids museum if you have children.  Taking a trolley ride is also a fun option that I'd suggest doing at least once.  The trolley isn't just during the summer, meaning you can take a trolley ride in the fall to watch the leaves change or even in the winter (until December 7th this year).  Numberous shops downtown offer hot chocolate, my favorite being The South Bend Chocolate Factory. In the spring there is a wine & cheese walk that I am excited to attend this year and also a living mannequin display, both events being in March.  If it's still cold, the two indoor activities I mentioned before are open year around.  If it's warm, walking around downtown is a great activity. In the summer there are lots of events.  My favorites are the antiques on the bluff, farmers market, the artisan fair and chalk the block.  If none of the events strike your fancy, the beach is a wonderful place to go.  There are lots of ice cream shops around town and wonderful restaurants for a quick bite. In the fall I enjoy going downtown to trick-or-treat at the businesses with my nephew.  The air is usually still warm for a good walk through November.  Long story short, I shop in this city, work in this city, grew up in this city and went to school in this city.  I'll always love this city.

This is probably the best active play park in the area. Always clean and cared for. Great picnic…read morearea and playground equipment to wear out any kid. No mud, bark or ground up rubber to worry about either. We love this park.