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Ryan Gerard, owner of Third Coast Surf
Shop, at the New Buffalo City Beach
Dine at the Stray
Dog in New Buffalo
Sandboarding at
Warren Dunes
Harbor Country
Beautiful beaches and friendly fishing villages are just a short drive away.
Lynne Konstantin I Arts & Life Editor
tretching along 15
glistening miles of the
eastern shore of Lake
Michigan are eight
charming hamlets
(Sawyer, Harbert, Lakeside,
Union Pier, New Buffalo,
Michiana, Grand Beach
and Three Oaks) that make
up HARBOR COUNTRY
(harborcountryorg).
Just a 32-hour drive from
Metro Detroit, the Southwest
Michigan coastline, billed
as "Eight Great Towns, One
Great Lake," combines to offer
everything from picturesque
fishing villages and white-
sand beaches to sleek luxury
resorts and high-rolling casi-
nos (hit the slots and a taste
of opulence at the FOUR
WINDS CASINO RESORT;
fourwindscasino.com ).
IS
To start, make your base at
centrally located New Buffalo's
beach-front HARBOR GRAND
34 June 20151
RED THREAD
(harborgrand.com), a 55-room
warm and comfortable take on
the Prairie-style design of Frank
Lloyd Wright (who designed
three homes in nearby GRAND
BEACH) with luxury bedding,
spa showers, fireplaces, an indoor
pool, complimentary bike rent-
als and 24-hour Ben & Jerry's ice
cream delivery.
While there, check out the
MARINA GRAND RESORT
(marinagrandresort.com). Mod-
ern Scandinavian design, a water-
front setting, suites with Europe-
an kitchens and soaking tubs and
a DVD library "hand-selected to
reflect a love for artistic and social
merit, and a lust for the lack of it,"
the Marina Grand provides beach
towels and chairs to experience
the silky-sand beaches.
"Harbor Country is an easy,
beautiful destination with a
tremendous variety of things to
do," says Collette Kemper, manag-
ing partner of the Toast Hotel
Group, which owns both Grand
Beach and Marina Grand. "But
at the end of the day, a success-
ful experience is one that makes
a guest feel completely relaxed,
comfortable and cared for. We're
good at that."
If you're looking for something
more intimate, there are also
loads of inns and B&Bs to choose
from, like the LAKESIDE INN
(lakesideinns.com), a favorite
spot for Al Capone and movie
stars during Prohibition. The
inn, in LAKESIDE, is housed in
a historic-landmark building dat-
ing to the 1880s and steps from
its own private beach.
Stroll the wooden walkways or
catch a wave (yes, in Michigan)
at the NEW BUFFALO PUB-
LIC BEACH. First, stop at the
THIRD COAST SURF SHOP
(thirdcoastsurfshop.com) in St.
Joseph and New Buffalo, to stock
up on rentals, lessons in stand-up
paddleboarding (and SUP yoga),
sandboarding and skimboard-
ing, tours, or drop the kids off
at the shop's Kids' Beach Camps
for surfing, sandboarding, sand
castles and soccer.
Made up of three miles of
stunning Lake Michigan shore-
line and six miles of trails and
dunes that tower 240 feet above
the water, Sawyer's 1,952-acre
WARREN DUNES STATE PARK
is open for hang gliding, sand-
boarding, picnicking and swim-
ming and offers more than 300
campsites. While you're there,
climb the dunes (including paral-
lel dunes, blowouts and para-
bolic) of MOUNT RANDALL,
near Three Oaks, for unparalleled
views of both the lake and the
countryside.
Harbor Country also offers
plenty of shabby-chic and an-
tiques shops along the quaint
towns' tree-lined streets, elegant
restaurants and comfort-food
diners plus summertime events.