Spring 2022 | DiSCOVEriES
This page: Biking is a great way to see Lake Michigan and the surrounding sites. Opposite page: Saugatuck Village Hall is just one of the many architurally charming buildings around this west Michigan community.
Art Coast Getaways Saugatuck and Douglas lure boaters, beachgoers, and artists to their charming waterfront paradise
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in prime slip spaces, draw admirers along the downtown waterfronts as the river continues on to Lake Michigan. “Visitors can enjoy so many of the outdoor and indoor activities in our charming coastal towns (in the spring) before the summer crowds start to heat up,” advises Lisa Mize, executive director of the Saugatuck Douglas Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. In summer, she says the communities swell with tourists, day trippers, artists, and cottage owners who flock to the area for its distinctive shopping, waterfront dining, and laid-back beach days.
Adds James Brandess, a painter and downtown art gallery owner since 1994: “Part of the appeal of Saugatuck and the uniqueness of Saugatuck is its location. The river runs right through the center of the town.” Reminiscent of a picturesque New England coastal town, the SaugatuckDouglas area has been the setting of many books and the inspiration for many paintings. Each town retains its own unique character and together they’re called the Art Coast of Michigan because of their array of artistic offerings. Brandess finds inspiration for his
PHOTOS BY CRAIG WATSON
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or boaters, cruising the Kalamazoo River and heading out to Lake Michigan provides one of the best ways to experience the charms of Saugatuck and neighboring Douglas. On shore, visitors will find plenty to see and do because these southwest Michigan communities combine to create a beach-lover’s oasis, a shopper’s delight, an artist’s paradise, and a hiker’s hideaway. The towns, situated on the river — which opens up to Kalamazoo Lake, separating the two — enjoy a vibrant boating scene. Large yachts, for example, docked
By Marla R. Miller
MiCHigAn BLUE
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