Hello! My name is Melissa Gregersen, and I am a wife, mom and family photographer and I LOVE the little town of South Haven, Michigan. I wanted to share some of the fun things that my family enjoys when we vacation in South Haven during the Summer months. There are so many more things that could have been on this list, but I wanted to keep it short and sweet for my readers.
Please note the businesses below did not pay me to promote them on this post, this is purely my recommendation through wonderful experiences.
1. SOUTH HAVEN FARMER’S MARKET
South Haven Farmer’s Market is one of my favorite places to visit while in South Haven when I am out there working and vacationing with my family. The market is opened on Wednesdays and Saturdays through out the Summer and offers so many home grown goodies, fruits and vegetables. Everything is LOCAL to South Haven, delicious and fresh! The aromas of fresh vegetables and fruit, fresh cut flowers and baked items as you casually walk through the market is such a wonderful memory for me….I am now eager to get out there and enjoy it again! If you didn’t know, South Haven is known for their blueberries! So so good!! 
2. ICE CREAM
Sherman’s Ice Cream is a must stop in South Haven, MI. I visit South Haven several times a week due to my photography business of photographing vacationing families on Lake Michigan and I just can not help myself and stop in at Sherman’s way more that I probably should….but heh its Summer!! This ice cream is so good, and made the old fashioned way and the taste proves it. If you are a chocolate lover, try the Chocomania. I seriously crave that ice cream!! Another favorite of mine is the Chocolate Turtle….yes I love chocolate. 😉 Our daughter’s call this place “Blue Cow” because of the two cows they have displayed on their roof! It’s for a sure a must stop place in South Haven while vacationing….actually more like a once a day stop. 😉
3. DINNER
Clementine’s is right in the heart of downtown South Haven, and a go to place for us to eat a couple times a Summer. Our favorite item on the menu hands down is their onion rings! I don’t rave about onion rings ever, but there is something about Clementine’s onion rings! Even our daughters eat them right up!! We also really like Maria’s for pizza. Pizza is a staple meal for our family and we have found that Maria’s is where we go each time and enjoy it! 
4. BIKE RIDING
There are two great trails around South Haven. The popular Kal Haven Trail that can take you all the way into Kalamazoo is a great option, just know this trail is not paved for the most part. However, we will get on the trail in South Haven and then ride several miles and just turn around and come back. It’s a beautiful ride, and our girls love riding their bikes under the covered bridge. Our family also enjoys the bike trail in South Haven called the Van Buren Trail. Since we have younger children, we find this trail works best for our family since it is paved and pretty straight. It goes right from South Haven to the Van Buren State Park. It’s approx. 5.5 miles one way so a nice 11 mile bike ride is perfect for our family and we usually ride our bikes right into South Haven and get lunch at Cafe Julia’s after we are done! 
5. MUSEUM
Michigan Maritime Museum is a wonderful little museum right in South Haven along the harbor. My husband and I went for the first time last Summer while enjoying a day there and really enjoyed learning some history about Lake Michigan and South Haven. You can also set it up to ride on the old “Friends Good Will” ship….a replica ship of one built in the early 1800s. We were planning to ride on this ship and enjoy the sunset on it, but potential stormy weather cancelled our plans last year to do so….I have heard only good things about this experience on the boat and we will for sure be trying again!! When we are enjoying the beach at South Haven, we will see the ship go in and out of the harbor. Our daughters call it the big pirate ship! 
6. Beach Days
Of course when you come to South Haven you want to enjoy the beaches. Every time I get a glimpse of Lake Michigan, it just “calms” me. There is something about a day at the beach that is so so good for the soul and create some really fun family memories too. Our favorite beach is South Beach right now due to easy parking and very close to town and we can take a short walk to the pier and get a close look at the lighthouse as we wish too. There are some public beaches on North Beach, but they are much smaller, so get there early to grab a good spot on those warm sunny weekends. 
7. FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE BEACH
When you are vacationing with your family, you are creating memories that you do not want to forget. Why not have some beautiful family photographs to document this very special time in your lives. We, my business called Gregersen Photography, LLC, offer different types of sessions for families knowing that working with little children and the beach is fun but can be challenging. 🙂 Our goal is to provide you with a fun, casual photography session in a carefree setting and provide you with photographs that we all know you will love and cherish for a lifetime. If you would like more information about the services we offer, PLEASE CLICK HERE for all the details. I have photographed and met so many wonderful families around the United States who have chose to come and vacation in our sweet little town, I truly love my job and being able to create these photographs for them!
✨Mention this blog post when booking your session for $25 off your session fee!✨
I hope this blog post was informative for you as you visit one of my favorite towns in the world….South Haven, MI. If you would like lots more information, please check out the South Haven Visitor Center’s website by clicking here or if you are in South Haven, you can visit them right downtown. When you walk in you are welcome with a smile and the cutest little cat. They are happy to share any and all information you would like to have the best visit in South Haven.
Happy Vacationing!!!!
