This guide to South Haven, Michigan is for kids, written by kids. Kids love going on vacation, whether it is to the beach, or up to the mountains. Sometimes on these vacations though, the kids don’t have much of a say in what they are going to do. The parents choose the activities for them. Well, this article will include the perspective of two kids who really enjoy their trips to Michigan. They will be sharing their 15 favorite things to do so you can make the most of your family vacation.
Hi, my name is Audrey. I am 11 years old. I love Michigan. I have been going there my whole life. I love coming with my family and spending time with my cousins. I love swimming and shopping there and I think it is the perfect vacation spot.
Hello! My name is Ella and I am 14 years old. I have been going to Michigan every year since before I was even born and I have made so many memories here. I hope to make many more each year.
1. Make a Splash at Lake Arvesta
Challenge yourself on Lake Arvesta’s inflatable obstacle course or take it a step further by turning it into a big game of tag with kids you meet there, or your own family and friends. You can even jump into the water off of high spots. In addition, they have two water slides, a long one and a short one. Hold onto your pants as you go down, the slides are much faster than you expect. If you follow the directions and close your eyes, it will be much more fun. They have a kid's area for younger kids under five. There will be no older kids in that part of the water park. Lake Arvesta has a smaller lake next to it you can kayak on if you get tired on the inflatables. They also have a zipline that you can wakeboard on. If you are not quite ready for that, they have knee boarding also. It is a fun experience for all ages and a super fun place to go! Click here for more reviews of Lake Arvesta!
2. Soak in the Sun at South Beach
Kids love going to the beach more than anything because it gives them a sense of freedom and they can be creative and messy while playing in the sand. There are so many things to do on the beach such as enjoying the playsets, swimming in the lake, and building sandcastles. The playground include a variety of different monkey bars, swings, slides, and more. The lake can be fun or relaxing, depending on how you want to take it in. If there are big waves, you can jump around, play, and boogie board on them. If there are no waves, you can lay back on a floatie or just on your back and calmly chill in the water. The lake is very cold when you first hop in, but as you move around, you will get used to it. Another place kids can have fun is in the sand. There are many different ways you can play in the sand. You can lay down on a towel and take a nap, or you can climb around on a sand dune and be adventurous. One thing I like to do on the sand dunes is play war with sticks. My cousins and I have a lot of fun playing war and getting all dirty before hopping back in the water to swim. Make sure to pay attention to the flags on the beach. The green flag means it is okay to swim, but always be careful in the water and never swim next to the pier. The yellow flag means be extra careful and if there's a red flag, don't get in the water (read more about beach safety here)! Click here to read more about the top beaches in South Haven!
Kids’ Corner is a great place to take kids to burn off some energy. Near South Beach, it’s a playground with slides, swings, monkey bars, and more. It even has a special part of the park for little kids. Plus there’s a bunch of grass around the park so you can bring your dog to play too.
Friends Good Will splash pad is super fun if you are younger. We don't recommend this activity for kids over 11. Friends Good Will is a splash pad down by the lake near South Beach and the Black River Channel. This splash pad is based off of a ship that you can go on, which gives a pirate experience on Lake Michigan. This ship is a pirate ship so you might see some pirates if you decide to go on the ship. More information on the Friends Good Will ship here.
Man’s best friend is a dog. Kid’s best friend is a toy. Just imagine how much they love going to a store full of them! Toy stores are a big memory I have from when I was younger because of the fun times I had with my grandma when she took me there. The two main toy stores downtown South Haven are Oh my Darlings and Harbor Toy Company. Oh my Darlings has more dolls, candy, and board games, while Harbor Toy Company has marbles, rocks, stuffed animals, and a bunch of tiny trinkets. They are both on Phoenix Street, but on different sides of the street. The toy stores are fun even if you are just looking around. I really enjoy going to them still as a 14-year-old, and I know my 11-year-old sister and 16-year-old cousin still really enjoy it. Even my grandpa enjoys going!
After you go to the toy store, you’ll want to stop in at Sweet Haven, the candy store right next door. Sweet Haven has super delicious candy. They have everything from chocolate to gummies; hard candy to soft candy. They even have taffy and fudge as well. There is a wall of different varieties of jelly beans for any craving. Sweet Haven also has gum for minty fresh breath or for a sweet treat. There are also many drinks of your choice like sodas and energy drinks. Sweet Haven is a great place to grab a sweet treat and to have fun.
The Saugatuck Dune Ride experience is super fun. Even though it's a 20-minute drive north on the highway from downtown South Haven, it is totally worth the trip. On the dune ride, the driver drives an oldish dune buggy vehicle around on the sand dunes. There are a few jump scares and some fast trips down a hill, but you also get to see some very pretty scenery like old lakes and forests. During the trip, the driver will stop about 6 times to give some background knowledge about an area and crack some dad jokes in the 45-minute ride. One of the stops is even on top of a very large sand dune and we are allowed to get out and walk around or take pictures. For my family, the dune rides never get old. We go almost every year in the summer and have a blast every time. We recommend buying tickets ahead of time to make sure you have a spot on the dune buggy! Click here for more reviews of the Saugatuck Dune Ride!
8. Frosty Fun for Everyone
One very fun winter activity is going ice skating at the pavilion! You can bring your own skates for a quick and easy start but don’t worry if you don’t own skates as they have some you can rent. The ice rink is in the downtown area and is not a permanent setup. In the summer it is a parking lot and farmer's market but in the winter the city freezes the water into a winter wonderland fun. If you are up for the freezing air and slippery sport, ice skating is the activity to do. In my opinion, ice skating is the best part of going to South Haven in the winter. Just make sure you bring warm clothes! Update: Find the 2024-2025 ice rink's schedule here!
9. Pump it up at the Pump Track
A pump track is an area made to have fun on your bike. It isn’t very large and not many people know about it, but when I went I had lots of fun. From downtown South Haven, the pump track is about a 5-10 minute bike ride, depending on how fast you go, and is located next to the fire station. The pump track is a long track filled with bumps and swerves that make a fun ride all throughout it. Make sure you get enough speed when going up the bumps though as you may fall off. Overall the pump track is a very fun experience for you and your family or friends, and I definitely recommend it.
Don’t forget the restaurants! There are many restaurants for kids and families downtown South Haven. Our personal favorites are Clementines, Su Casa, and Cafe Julia. Clementines is based in an old bank and has many styles of food. The main types of food are burgers, chicken, soups, salads, and noodles. Clementines also has a huge pile of fried onion rings that are delicious. Also, they have the best root beer floats. Su Casa is a Mexican-style restaurant which has amazing rice and quesadillas. I would recommend getting the kids quesadilla with rice and beans and mixing the rice and beans, it’s delicious. Cafe Julia is an amazing cafe with delicious food and drinks. There are sandwiches, cakes, muffins, cookies, and lots of different coffee drinks. All of these restaurants are my sister and my favorites, and I think if you visit South Haven you should go to those restaurants.
11. Spend Your Afternoons at the Sand Dunes
The sand dunes are a good activity for getting exercise and having fun at the same time. The dunes could be small or big, short or tall, flat or steep. One of the sand dunes my family really likes is one at Van Buren State Park. It is very steep and the sand gets really hot in the summer, but once you finish climbing up there is a beautiful view of Lake Michigan and a fun dune on the other side to run down. Just be careful going down! Along with the very large sand dune, there are some smaller ones across the beach.
12. Rock out at the Rocket Arcade
The Rocket Arcade is a fun place to play games in the winter or on a rainy day. You can buy sodas to drink when you are playing or grab a bag of chips. I like going to the arcade when I am bored to hang out with my cousins and have a good laugh. The arcade is located downtown on Broadway Street and has many different types of games inside. There are claw machines, pinball machines, air hockey tables, and many other typical arcade games like driving simulators and shooting games. I would recommend going to the arcade if you have fun gaming and need something to do on a cold or rainy day.
The Kal-Haven Trail is a long path stretching for 34.5 miles (56 km). It goes all the way from South Haven Michigan to Kalamazoo, Michigan. The trail goes through many trees and forests and is a beautiful area to get exercise. You can walk, jog, run, skate, or bike along it and go for as long as you want. I rode my bike through the trail with my dad, uncle, and cousins before dinner once in the summer and it was so fun, the only thing bringing me home was hunger. Click here for more hiking and biking trails!
As you know, almost every kid loves to eat ice cream. In South Haven there are a ton of delicious ice cream shops. There are 4 main ice cream shops in and around downtown South Haven, one being Kilwins in the center of downtown. It has many flavors of fudge and ice cream for anyone’s enjoyment. Another shop downtown is South Pier Creamery which is delicious and conveniently located near the toy store. Sherman's is just 10 minutes out of the downtown area. Sherman’s has very delicious ice cream and also has banana splits and different sundaes for your choosing. These shops have very great ice cream, but our favorite shop is down by the pier on South Beach. This shop is a small building called South Beach Cafe with both sweet and savory treats. We like to go down during the sunset to watch that and enjoy our ice cream. Some of these ice cream shops are not open during the winter, so the summer is the right time to go visit! I love ice cream from anywhere and it tastes even better when I get it in South Haven with my family.
15. Take a Peek at the Greenery in the South Haven Scenery
The scenery in South Haven is gorgeous all around. The beach is beautiful, the downtown is beautiful, and each individual house has its own beauty. The town of South Haven looks amazing in every season, whether it is summer, and everything is bright and colorful, or whether it is winter, and all the colors bring out each other's beauty. South Haven is a super cute town all throughout the year and will make your trip memorable and amazing no matter what time of year you come. When we visit South Haven, we always stay at Anchor Point Premier Vacations!
