Completely satisfied Friday!

I hope you’ve had a terrific week!

Slightly little bit of a bummer over right here–you understand how my mother was supposed to return go to this week? Properly, with the massive snow storm hitting Portland, she isn’t going to make it anymore. 😭 I’m actually bummed, however she’s hopefully going to have the ability to come after we get again from Florida! Fortunately, I’m nonetheless excessive off the recollections we made final weekend in Michigan to maintain my spirits up! It was the very best time and Neal’s thirty fifth birthday was the proper excuse to get again.

If you happen to’ve examine our adventures tenting in Michigan, and my Fields of Michigan overview, you already know that our love for Michigan runs deep. We’ve visited many occasions in summer time and fall, as Michigan is understood for its stunning seashores and charming seaside cities, however we had by no means visited in winter!

We determined that Fennville/Saugatuck space was the proper mini getaway to have fun Neal’s birthday–only a brief drive from Chicago (about 3 hours!) however couldn’t have felt farther from the town! There are too many nice locations to call within the state of Michigan, however Southwest Michigan is the place we’ve spent most of our time. It’s the best metropolis escape and the proper fast street journey from Chicago. We loaded up the automobile, dropped June with my in-laws in Indiana, and headed north for a two night time keep.

If you happen to’re trying to plan your personal weekend getaway, right here’s a bit recap of our favourite issues to do and see!

Cozy cabin rental in Fennville, Michigan:

We booked this this cute AirBnB for the weekend and I really feel prefer it was destiny!

I really saved it to my favorites in 2020 within the peak of the pandemic once I had cabin fever (actually). We by no means ended up with the ability to come keep at that time, and once I was brainstorming concepts for Neal’s birthday, I remembered “that cute Michigan cabin on AirBnB I feel I saved someplace…” and fortunately, it was out there! I feel it was destiny! It was precisely what we had been in search of: cheap, cozy, quirky, unfussy however charming, with a scorching tub overlooking the river! It felt tremendous distant, however was a brief drive to all the things we wished to do. The perfect of each worlds!

Fennville is a small city simply exterior of Saugatuck, which is a superb place to remain in the event you’re trying to be a bit extra into nature, away from the motion of Saugatuck. It’s additionally a really brief drive to my favourite vineyard, Modales (extra on that beneath!) and Advantage Cider, which can also be a must-visit!

All of the knives had been actually uninteresting so I ended up cooking with Neal’s pocket knife. 😂 Between that and the lovable unique (tiny!) range, it kinda felt like tenting, however far more comfy.

We stayed in and cooked the primary night time (made Grossy’s Vodka Sawce which turned out nice regardless of not having a whisk or a correct pan to make the sauce in) I additionally stuffed our personal blue olives to make martinis and so they had been SO good!

Modales vineyard:

The Midwest isn’t precisely recognized for its fantastic wines, however Modales is altering all of that. It’s a totally purposeful winery and tasting room, the place they develop their grapes and make their small batch wines with minimal intervention. This was our second time visiting and it was a lot enjoyable to return again! We did a tasting and had been so blown away by how good the wine was that we joined as members of their wine membership! Heads up: it will get actually busy, even in winter! We didn’t make reservations and had been stunned at how busy it was in February (we couldn’t even discover a spot within the car parking zone!) So I extremely suggest reserving upfront in the event you can, or making ready to attend. If you happen to get Pat to steer your tasting, you’re in for a deal with! Our favourite wines had been the Cremant, the Pinot Blanc, and the El Suelo.

Go for a hike in Saugatuck Dunes State Park:

We went on such a reasonably stroll via Saugatuck Dunes State Park! The loop path has a bit little bit of all the things, from forest, to an exquisite stretch of seaside. A number of steep contains, however general pretty simple. Simply sufficient to get your coronary heart fee elevated however not TOO a lot! The best quantity of exercise to comply with a leisurely breakfast!

Discover downtown Saugatuck:

Saugatuck is such a captivating little city with a number of enjoyable outlets, eating places, and bars! Whereas it’s a little sleepy within the winter with some locations closed for the season, there’s nonetheless lots to see and do, and it’s good to go to with out having to take care of swarms of vacationers! After our hike, we headed right here to spend a pair hours perusing the lovable outlets and exploring city.

We stopped in and did a bit olive oil and vinegar tasting at the Olive Mill which was so cute and charming, and their merchandise had been SO scrumptious it was unimaginable to decide on which to purchase! We ended up with a tuscan herb olive oil, roasted onion olive oil, and their conventional balsamic vinegar which was all to die for!

We additionally picked up some puzzles for June on the Teeny Tiny Toy store and I picked up the cutest Saugatuck crewneck sweatshirt at Landsharks.

We additionally stopped in for a cup of soup at Wicks Park bar and grill, which is a enjoyable cozy bar scene (I imagine they’ve stay music within the evenings, too!) A number of readers really useful Phil’s too, which hopefully we are able to get to subsequent time!

In order for you a bit train and an exquisite view of Saugatuck, you possibly can climb the MANY, many stairs at Mt. Baldy, which may be very near downtown. (I can’t say that’s my private concept of enjoyable, however the view may be price it.) There may be an outdated radar tower on the prime that was put in place throughout WWII and is likely one of the few within the nation nonetheless standing! (Fairly cool!) We additionally did the path all the way down to the seaside, however be warned it’s a steep sandy incline on the best way again. 😂 (Unsure I’d try this over once more.)

Dinner at Salt of the Earth in Fennville:

On the second night time of our weekend, we had dinner at Salt of the Earth. It was our second time again, and simply as nice as we remembered! They’ve grow to be well-known as among the finest eating places in Michigan, with their hyper-local deal with farm to desk substances. The workers is simply as welcoming because the meals is, and every go to is actually a deal with. We sat on the bar this time and it didn’t disappoint. (Kathryn, the bartender was great, as was her specialty mezcal and aperol scorching chocolate.)

I hope this helps you intend your personal Michigan street journey or weekend getaway from Chicago! Can’t wait to plan our subsequent go to quickly! Oh, and comfortable birthday to my #1. 😉♥️

Additionally try: my South Haven Michigan information + Finest Day & Weekend Getaways from Chicago