Friday, September 23, 2016

Little Overnight Getaway - Holland/Saugatuck

Where has September gone? This month has flown by. I want to be more mindful next month, and not let another month just disappear out from under me like this one did. I did have some good times this September, and a few more planned before the month is out, including our mini-trip last weekend to the west side of Michigan.

The Holland/Saugatuck area is only about a 3 hour drive, tops from our house, and when Billy and I were thinking about vacations this year, we wanted our maiden voyage as a family to be easy. We weren't sure how little man would travel, how he would sleep somewhere unfamiliar, etc. So, we decided our main goal was to get his feet in the sand and in the waters of Lake Michigan, and went from there. We chose to only stay one night just to "test the waters" of vacationing, and I am pleased to say that Wyatt did wonderfully! I was a weirdo, but that is a different story. Lol.


We aimed for Holland first. We bumped around, shopping in and out of the stores, and then ate lunch at the New Holland Brewery. The food and beer were good, the dessert was not. If you go, I recommend skipping dessert and just going to Kilwin's across the street. I had the Ritter Pils, Billy had Ichabod, their pumpkin ale, and Wyatt had white milk. 



 So I fell in love with Cuckoo clocks and German Weather Houses on this trip. These were very expensive - I even kept my hands behind my back to stop myself from reaching out to touch the little squirrels and deer and gnomes that decorated these vignettes, just in case. I felt like I was in an episode of Grimm, and kept looking for Monroe!



Apples - the most perfect fruit of them all.


We weren't sure how to handle feeding Wyatt on the road, and this little chair was perfect! This rest area, was oddly restful. It was quiet, peaceful, and quite pretty, with giant fir trees. Wyatt enjoyed eating his pancakes there - and then throwing them on the ground too.




The whole purpose of our trip- Wyatt was not super pleased and kind of really hated it. Lol. There is always next year!

The first two are in Saugatuck, from the Mount Baldhead area. The weather and river were amazingly beautiful. I could have just hung out and watched the rhythms of life on the water for hours.


And of course I shopped some more. I am not a huge shopper, but it was vacation. I'm more less time spent in stores the better, but Saugatuck has such unique and fun shops that it was fun. We bought Wyatt some tiny moccasins that were hand-painted, I also went into the Polka-Dot Mitten, where I wanted everything! I am sharing the business card because AED's really are so important, and all schools should have them ready and available, in a location that can help everyone. Someone I have known my whole life had a sudden cardiac arrest at 35 while teaching in her class. She is alive today because another teacher thought fast and used the AED. 

Because, seriously - so cute.

So our first trip with just the three of us went really well! The only hiccup was our room. I had reserved a room through VRBO.com and while it looked charming online, I just didn't care for it when we got there. The people were nice, it just wasn't my expectation. So, that resulted in us searching for a last minute hotel room, which was not easy! Other than that, smooth sailing. I feel we are road ready for next summer - we are planning a much longer trip with my brother, his wife, and my niece, hitting a lot of Northern Michigan hotspots - Mackinac, Traverse City, Old Mission Peninsula..I am looking forward to it!


5 comments:

  1. I'm glad this first test run went well. That clock store looks so neat. Wyatt's new moccies are cute.

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    1. Thanks Stephanie! We had a great time, although it was quick! I love those little shoes too.

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  2. I like downtown Holland, lots of nice shopping. They have a really nice Christmas setup too. And Saugatuck- yeah it's beautiful there. We used to go there a lot but after a while the shops were all super familiar, now we just kinda go for the water or hanging out by the river. They have some great beaches. If you ever make it back there Marro's has great pizza. :)

    Your trip next year sounds fun! I think you guys will like Old Mission Peninsula. It's always one of my favorite day trips- stunning views, wineries if you're into that, the park at the end of the peninsula. Plus quirky little places to stop along the back roads.

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    1. I can see how if you live near there, the novelty would be gone. It's not really a place to shop all the time. We saw that Marro's place! I actually took a picture of the sign because I thought it looked cool. Lol. We were planning at stopping at Bell's on the way home but Wyatt had hit his limit and we had to just keep going.

      Old Mission looks pretty cool! I am excited to see something new up north. :)

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  3. Isn't it amazing how many fun, unique things we have here in Michigan? And how many of them we never think to do or visit? No matter where you are in Michigan, you are never more than 85 miles away from one of the Great Lakes. I should really take advantage of that more! It sounds like you guys had a fun trip. Glad things went well for Wyatt's first big adventure. I hope you enjoy Traverse City area next year. That's about my favorite place in the whole state. The Old Mission Peninsula is beautiful and fun to explore (and covered in wineries!). :)

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I love hearing from people, don't be shy! I would love to hear what you think! I always reply back, although it takes me a bit longer these days due to the little guy.