We read up on some beach possibilities and Saugatuck and had a hard decision to make. We could do the famous Oval Beach, which is ranked one of the best beaches in the country, but it would be very crowded. Or, we could hike a little under a mile on a trail and get to a very secluded section of Lake Michigan. We opted to hike and have our seclusion. Now, considering we had four beach chairs, a bag, a cooler, and a bag of beach toys, this was no easy hike. Especially with a 3 and 5 year old. But, they were troopers!
We made the right choice with the secluded beach! As we made it through the clearing pictured above, the only other people on the beach were leaving after hiking. We had the entire beach, as far as the eye could see, to ourselves! Now, let me blow up the blog with a million pictures from the beach!
The pictures don't even do it justice. It was one of those moments as I walked through the clearing and my kids were already off and running down the beach and into the water where I literally stopped in my tracks, dropped all the crap I was carrying, and just took it all in. And then I picked up my camera. But, seriously, Lake Michigan in all it's glory on such a beautiful day was exactly what we needed!
We played in the sun and sand for hours and ate a picnic lunch. By the time we were ready to leave and get out of the sun, others had joined us on the beach. We decided to head over to the Saugatuck Brewing Company to grab a "snack" and some beers, change our clothes, and rest a bit before we had our sand dunes ride at 3:30pm. We let the boys use the iPads and recharge, while Scott and I sampled the beers. Yum!
Then it was time to head down the road for our sand dunes ride! I was so excited for this! And a little nervous with the boys riding along too with just a seat belt, but it was totally fine. And such a thrill whipping around corners and going down hills!
We pulled over at the very top of the dunes to walk around and explore, take pictures, and look out at Lake Michigan out in the distance. It was so beautiful, but the sand was so freaking hot!
After our ride ended, we went into town to stroll down Butler street with all the shops and to grab dinner and ice cream before driving to our hotel in Holland. The kids were on a hunt for a great souvenir and surprisingly, we found what they liked at the Saugatuck Drug Store on Butler Street. Lots of cute knick-knacks! Dinner was at The Butler, which overlooked the Marina and Lake. It was a nice dinner and we grabbed ice cream as we walked back to our car. Cinnamon Roll ice cream? Yes, please!
At this point the kids were itching to get to our hotel and go swimming in the pool, so we said our goodbyes to Saugatuck! I loved this town and the beach was truly something! I see a trip back in our future...
Next up? Holland!
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