Cross Country Trip (Day 47) – Grand Haven, MI

Destinations, Our Travels - 2016 Cross Country

The Lighthouses, the Beach, the Grand River, Lake Michigan, and of course...the Musical Fountain!

While Grand Haven is my home, loaded with old friends and memories, it’s something completely different for other people, and something I thought was worth writing about. For them, it’s their summer playground. It’s the escape for many people from Western Michigan and all the way down to Chicago.

Fay enjoying a cruise past the pier and lighthouses, and out into Lake Michigan.

Fay enjoying a cruise past the pier and lighthouses, and out into Lake Michigan.

It has your typical small town tourist necessities...a quaint downtown, cottages, condos, restaurants, ice cream shops and lots of out-of-towners. But beyond that it has a couple of very special attractions, and it’s all based upon the Grand River meeting Lake Michigan.

  • Lake Michigan, the Grand River and a great beach - It’s “the” place to enjoy the summer in Michigan, whether you are a boater or just love the beach.
  • A historic pier with two light houses
  • A wonderful boardwalk along the river from downtown to the pier
  • The channel where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan for boaters to play in
  • The Musical Fountain - the world’s largest when built in 1962

This is a fantastic place to hangout in the summer. If you love the beach and like to camp nearby, there’s even a state park with camping right on Lake Michigan, just steps away from the famous pier.

Grand Haven State Park on Lake Michigan. Note the campers on the right.

Grand Haven State Park on Lake Michigan. Note the campers on the right.

At the end of the day, being on the west coast of Michigan, you’re likely to see some of the best sunsets around. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a boat, you may find yourself watching one from out in Lake Michigan, but if not, they still look fantastic from the beach.

Watching a sunset while cruising the channel.

Watching a sunset while cruising the channel.

After the sun has set and the day comes to an end, Grand Haven has something unique to offer. It has the Musical Fountain. This was built back when I was a kid to be the world’s largest, and

Grand Haven's Musical Fountain

Grand Haven's Musical Fountain

I know that everyone loves their hometown, and I know that I may be a bit prejudice, but I really believe that Grand Haven is something special. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are traveling through Western Michigan.

Sunday, June 19 - Grand Haven, Michigan

Sunday, June 19 - Grand Haven, Michigan

Denny Johnson

Denny Johnson

After having spent most of our adult life in Orlando, my wife Fay and I moved to Knoxville, TN in 2020. We are loving the change of seasons and being near the mountains. Plus, this part of the country is loaded with great places to camp. 
 
We camped years ago with a pop-up camper, but got serious about it when we purchased our Casita in 2014. There was a lot to learn as we started traveling with it, and a lot of conflicting opinions on line. That's when I decided that creating a website would be a good retirement project. I started tinyTowable.com to share things we've learned along the way that have worked well for us in hopes that the information would be of help to others.
 
However, since moving to Tennessee, I've gotten involved with new hobbies (you can check some out on my personal website at https://www.softrite.com) and we haven't camped very much. So, at the end of 2023, I made the tough decision to stop updating this website.
 
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