South Haven, Michigan (after the ice melts)

[plinko]

I was in the Midwest last April for a few days and ended up meeting a friend in South Haven, Michigan. Despite living in Michigan for a few years I really hadn't spent much time on the western shore.

South Haven isn't a big town (less than 4,000 people), but is noted as being a great harbor city on Lake Michigan and home to the lighthouse that shows up in photos every winter that is frozen solid:


source

Well, by mid-April, it is no longer frozen. In fact, this is when the harbor starts to operate each year and my friend is one of the crew of the Michigan Maritime Museum's Friends Good Will, a tall masted sloop replica of a ship that used to sail the Great Lakes in 1810.

As it was a training day, I unfortunately didn't get to sail, but I did manage to snap a few photos of the ship, the harbor, the small downtown, and of course, the notorious lighthouse...


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3099 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3101 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3102 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

I wish you could see Chicago from here, but it's more directly in line with the Illinois/Wisconsin border:

230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3103 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3104 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3105 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3106 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3108 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3112 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3116 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3118 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3119 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3120 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3122 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3123 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3128 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3136 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


230421-0424 GREAT LAKES 3138 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

[OhioGuy]

I stayed for a few days with my family in South Haven in summer 2021. It's a great place to spend some time in the summer enjoying beautiful Lake Michigan!

[sopas ej]

Very cool pictures!

And very interesting information about the lighthouse. I never even thought of a frozen lighthouse.

[mrnyc]

haha yeah -- its nice to see the lighthouse not iced up.

i dont think i have ever spent time over there, it's always been up in the nw of the mitt.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures!

[DetroitSky]

I don't think I've seen photos of South Haven in the off season. It's so quiet! I have a lot of great memories visiting SH in the summer, though.

[geomorph]

Thank you for the photos!