Saugatuck

Saugatuck and Douglas are small adjacent resort towns in West Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan, and at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. They are mostly a summer resort area popular with locals and Chicago residents, and have a lively arts scene and many out of the ordinary shops and restaurants. They offer a peculiar mixture of traditional small-town midwestern values and progressive alternative-lifestyle tolerance.

Understand
Saugatuck is known to be a popular destination among the midwest's LGBT community

Get in
Saugatuck is off I-196, south of Holland.

Do
Stroll the art galleries, visit the eclectic shops and restaurants and walk along the Lake Michigan beach to watch the sunsets. Oval Beach – which is in Saugatuck, but accessible by driving through Douglas – was once featured by MTV as one of the "top five" beaches in the country.

Every June since 1999, Saugatuck has hosted the Waterfront Film Festival, a showcase of independent filmmaking, featuring a selection of movies ranging from (relatively) big-budget productions with well-known star or two to obscure shoestring-budget shorts, including many regional and a few worldwide debuts.


 * A Christmas Carol, Saugatuck, Tickets: +1 269-857-1701. 2 weeks in December.

Eat

 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org
 * Providence Farms, +1 269-857-1215. Organic beef, lamb, pork, chicken & turkey. Pick up at the Green market on Fridays in Saugatuck info@providencefarms.org

In Douglas

 * Costa Azul (formerly Jo Jo's), 107 Blue Star Highway, Douglas, +1 269-857-1523, Authentic, family-owned and -operated Mexican restaurant.
 * Costa Azul (formerly Jo Jo's), 107 Blue Star Highway, Douglas, +1 269-857-1523, Authentic, family-owned and -operated Mexican restaurant.
 * Costa Azul (formerly Jo Jo's), 107 Blue Star Highway, Douglas, +1 269-857-1523, Authentic, family-owned and -operated Mexican restaurant.
 * Costa Azul (formerly Jo Jo's), 107 Blue Star Highway, Douglas, +1 269-857-1523, Authentic, family-owned and -operated Mexican restaurant.

Go next
The lakeshore city of Holland lies a short distance to the north.