Saugatuck & Douglas: Michigan's 'Art Coast'

By Beth Anne Piehl

This town is adorable. It had been years since I’d visited Saugatuck, the last occasion a day-jaunt as a teen from Grand Haven, my hometown and another of Michigan’s most beautiful west-coast, sand-between-your-toes communities.

I remembered a quaint lakeside enclave with an artful personality and tourist shops and lots and lots of boats. And while much has changed since that last visit some 20-odd years ago by now, much has remained the same, too.

Marinas bob with boats, from gleaming yachts to water-worn sloops, fishing vessels to high-performance cigarette boats that find a slower pace of life here in the Saugatuck and Douglas inlet off Lake Michigan, via the Kalamazoo River.

Saugatuck is a town where you get the feeling that anything goes: flip-flops or fedoras; bichon frises having a lunch date; soaking at spas or splashing through sprinklers. Fashionable pedestrians stroll in Prada sandals, young couples’ nautical nuptials are celebrated on marquees and diners pack eccentric eateries you just know are the result of lifelong dreams and encouragement.

In Saugatuck, you feel like they know what’s gauche and what’s graceful, and they welcome you anyway.

“Saugatuck-Douglas offers visitors a chance to enjoy history, art, outdoor recreation and spectacular natural resources. Few vacation destinations provide such an extraordinary combination of tourism opportunities all in one location,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Places, when he named the region one of the 2009 Dozen Distinctive Destinations in the U.S.

Visitors cite that bustle of the town, the constant buzz of people and events and a variety of restaurants, from an English pub to fresh seafood and French country cuisine, as luring them back, season after season.

Even on a drizzly late-summer day, the public and private marinas are full and downtown is alive with visitors weaving in and out of the many colorful storefronts, galleries and places to eat.

One of the best parts of visiting Saugatuck by boat is the vast number of slips along the town’s perimeter; all of the shopping, dining, gallery-browsing and nature-loving are just an amble away and can be done without the need for a vehicle.

It’s even better than I remembered it, so many years later.
 
Some of Michigan’s most beautiful bodies of water help to shape the Saugatuck and Douglas area. Saugatuck is located on the northern edge of Lake Kalamazoo, the town’s original moniker before losing it to the city that has that name today. Douglas is located on the southern side of the same lake, separated only by a short drive or boat ride. Both are accessible from Lake Michigan by the Kalamazoo River.

An informative ferry boat tour on the Star of Saugatuck provides insight into the formation of the city and surrounding neighborhoods, while offering stunning views of acres and acres of protected wetlands and wildlife and exclusive waterside estates. The tour ultimately ends out in Lake Michigan, offshore from the nationally acclaimed Oval Beach.

During the tour, the ship’s captain addresses the oft-seen “Singapore” connection here, particularly the highly visible Singapore Yacht Club downtown. Further information on the yacht club Web site clarifies the Oriental influence: “Beneath the sands near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River lies the site of Singapore, one of Michigan’s most famous ghost towns. Founded in the 1830s by New York land speculators, who hoped it would rival Chicago or Milwaukee as a port, Singapore was, in fact, until the 1870s a busy lumbering town with three mills, two hotels, several general stores and a renowned ‘wild-cat’ bank. It outshone its neighbor to the south, ‘The Flats,’ as Saugatuck was then called. When the supply of timber was exhausted, the mills closed, and the once bustling waterfront grew quiet. The people left, with most of them settling in Saugatuck. Gradually, Lake Michigan’s shifting sands buried Singapore.”

To learn more about Saugatuck’s history, a summertime walking tour is available. The Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society conducts the 75-minute walking tours, which start from the information booth across from Saugatuck City Hall, downtown. Call (269) 857-2985 for information.

 

The Art Coast of Michigan

The Saugatuck/Douglas area has been dubbed “The Art Coast of Michigan” because of its emphasis on the creative. More than 30 galleries feature clothing, jewelry, paintings, sculptures, pottery and mastery of every medium.

In the village of Douglas, a collection of boutiques, galleries complement Saugatuck’s larger downtown. The charm of the 19th century speaks from storefronts and buildings at every turn.

For more information, visit the Blue Coast Artists, a juried group of artists working together to promote the region’s art talents and diversity, online at www.bluecoastartists.com.

 

Hooked!

Fishing around the Saugatuck area has long been a lure for boaters, with some of the best king and coho salmon, steelhead, lake trout and brown trout on Lake Michigan found in these waters.

The Saugatuck Area Charterboat Association exists to promote sport fishing on Lake Michigan for the greater Saugatuck, Douglas and Holland area — nicknamed the “Cape Cod of the Midwest” by many who cast a line here. Visit the charter boat association online at www.saugatuckareacharters.com, or call (269) 857-1701 for more information about local charters.

Water World

While you’re here, be sure to check out:

• The Saugatuck Chain Ferry
• Big Lake Outfitters, for boat, moped and bike rentals and charter fishing
• Harbor Duck Adventures Co., an amphibious touring water taxi (harborducks.com)
• Running Rivers Kayak Rental, Douglas
• Star of Saugatuck Boat Cruises (snacks and spirits available on board)
• Waterfront Film Festival (in June, www.waterfrontfilm.org)

Slip in:

Marinas and dockage around Saugatuck/Douglas:

• Shore Harbor Marina, Douglas, (616) 218-5857
• Tower Marina/Saugatuck Yacht Service, 216 St. Peter’s Dr., Douglas, (269) 857-2151; www.towermarine.com; two marinas, full service department, transient mooring and launching ramp.
• Coral Gables Marina, 220 Water St., (269) 857-2162, www.coral-gables.com; Banquets, business meetings, private parties, receptions, dockage.
• Landings Marina, 726 Water St., (269) 857-4550; www.landingsofsaugatuck.com; accommodations and dockage.
• Sergeant Marina, 31 Butler St., (269) 857-2873, www.sergeantmarinacondos.com; gas/diesel, seasonal/transient dockage, pumpouts, bathrooms, showers, ice.
• Singapore Yacht Club, private. www.singaporeyachtclub.com

 

 

Michigan Boating 2010 » Saugatuck & Douglas: Michigan's Art Coast