Summer in South Haven

The Black River flows through South Haven past marinas, shops, restaurants and galleries, as well as a collection of antique boats, part of the Michigan Maritime Museum fleet. People gather on both riverbanks enjoying the best of this charmingly quaint lakeside town as the river continues on, passing by the historic South Pier Lighthouse, one of only four remaining in the state and distinctive with its original catwalk connecting the tower to the shore.

Once known as Ni-Ko-Nong, or the place of the beautiful sunsets, by Ottawa, Miami and Pottawattamie tribes who settled here in the 1700s, South Haven was still too wild for J.K. and Fanny Monroe when they traveled in 1833 by lumber cart to the small log cabin J.K. had built earlier for his new bride. J.K. had been awarded 65 acres through a land grant, but the region didn’t flourish the way he hoped, and the couple soon moved on to Lawrence, Michigan, about 20 miles southeast.

He should have stuck around. By the 1850s, South Haven was beginning to bustle, first as a lumber town supplying Chicago with wood, and then, once the land was cleared, as farmland for growing fruits such as blueberries and peaches. Steamships took fruit west across Lake Michigan and often returned with tourists wanting to get away from the summer heat of the big city.

Destination South Haven

The resort business is said to have started when Mrs. H. M. Avery opened her home to visitors in the mid-1800s, but even before that, the Forest House, built in 1853 and now being restored, was both a hotel and a place for events and meetings. Indeed, South Haven was such a hot destination that by 1902 there were more than 200 places listed in the South Haven Resort directory where people could stay, including opulent resorts, farms, hotels and private homes.

Palatial places like Baron’s Resort advertised both hot and cold running water, cabaret entertainment, a physical and social director, a concert orchestra, a solarium for men and women, a private beach, and, according to a postcard from the early 1900s, the finest dining room in Michigan. A plus for parents wanting a little relaxation without the stress of watching their own children, Baron’s offered a dining room for children as well as governesses to tend to them. The governess concept wasn’t unique to Baron’s; other resorts such as Samson’s also offered the option.

The Catskills of the Midwest

Gentile-only restrictions were still in place in Michigan up until the 1960s. According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, even in 1957, 34% of Michigan hotels discriminated against Jews. To counter that, Jewish hotels opened in South Haven, and by 1920 the city had 80 Jewish resorts earning South Haven the nickname “Catskills of the Midwest.” Guests at the 80-acre Fidelman’s, considered the gold standard of the town’s many Jewish resorts, could enjoy swimming in the large circular pool with its high dive, play tennis, golf, go for a horseback ride and sip cocktails at the Mai Kai lounge. Menus at many of the Jewish resorts featured kosher options as well as dancing in the evenings and nationally known entertainers.

Historic downtown

South Haven’s downtown, located on the southern bank of the river, is an easy walk from many of the marinas and also has tie-up options for dinghies and small boats at such riverfront restaurants as Admiral Jacks Bar & Grille, Idler Riverboat & Dockside, and Captain Lou’s.

“It’s rare to have a harbor so closely connected to the downtown,” says Griffin Graham, South Haven’s assistant city manager and harbormaster. “It makes it very convenient.”

Many of the businesses in the downtown are housed in Victorian-era commercial buildings, a picturesque blend of old and new.

Besides blueberries, South Haven is on the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, and the downtown features tasting rooms for such vineyards as 12 Corners Vineyard, Cogdal, Gravity and Warner. If artisan brews are more your thing, than there’s Three Blondes and a New Holland taproom, which features spirits as well. For those who want to visit the actual wineries, Trent Bulat, the digital media and guest relations manager for the South Haven/Van Buren County Convention and Visitors Bureau, suggests several of the tours available. Those include Happy Trail Wine Tours & Limon, Coastal Tours and Fruitful Vine. Moveportz Transportation Services also offers ways of getting around for those without a car.

Just east from the downtown, the 1856 home of Liberty Hyde Bailey, Jr., America’s “Father of Modern Horticulture,’’ is now a museum. While Bailey was growing up, the farmhouse sat on 80 acres with much of the land comprising extensive apple orchards. Now part of the city, there are both perennial and annual gardens including the Martha Warner Day Lily Garden, the Heirloom Kitchen Garden, community garden plots, a nature trail, the Bailey Farm’s smokehouse, a blacksmith shop that was built in 1868 and in use to the 1960s, and a carriage barn. The farmhouse and some of the other buildings on the property are among the oldest in South Haven.

The 1896 Citizen’s Bank, a wonderful pile of red brick with a grand golden copula crown and arched windows, is now Clementine’s, a restaurant that is equally beautifully vintage inside (think tin ceilings, stained glass and glass-domed lamps).

Comfort food cooked better than Mom would have made is what the Phoenix Street Café is all about. Julia’s is a great place for coffee, pastries and just hanging out. Taste has small plates that are good to share. Sherman’s Dairy Bar has made ice cream since 1956 and shouldn’t be missed, particularly on a hot summer’s day.

Old Harbor Village and the Shoppes of Broadway are quaint-looking trendy shops. And because this is South Haven, The Blueberry Store with its many blueberry products is a must. Don’t worry about missing it — it’s painted blue and white.

If you want to catch a show, the locally owned Michigan Theatre in downtown South Haven has been a mainstay since opening in the 1940s. “What other movie theater is there where you can get a ticket to a first-run film, popcorn and drink for $10?” Graham says, noting that it still has its original marquee.