Summer in Muskegon, Michigan

July 2016, 7 nights over 2 different weeks and weekends

I have provided information about the Muskegon area a few different times in other blog posts. I am sharing new information in this post. The easiest way to find more information about a topic you are interested in, is to click on the label(s) at the bottom of this post (e.g. trail, lake, campground, etc.).

Smash Wine Bar and Bistro

We stopped at Smash Wine Bar and Bistro located downtown Muskegon on a Saturday for their Bloody Mary special - $5 for this delicious beverage, which came with a beer chaser. We were impressed, and definitely plan to stop here again! The excellent service matched the good quality beverage.

Smash Bar Bloody Mary photo taken
before we received the beer chaser  

There was not anyone sitting outside when we arrived, so we went downstairs and had our beverages at a table in the bar area. We later learned the patio is monitored, and we could have taken a seat at a table on the patio/sidewalk, and someone would have been out to greet us.

We did not have anything to eat this visit (other than the snacks in our drinks), as we had just eaten lunch at Se4sons Gastropub. The Smash Nacho plate looked fabulous, and I imagine that is what we will try next visit.

Se4sons Gastropub via Lakeshore Trail

We rode our bicycles on Lakeshore Trail from Fisherman's Landing to Se4sons Gastropub. I noticed a couple of new signs on the trail, which provided great information for people not familiar with the trail or downtown. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

This was an easy ride with the only hills being the ride along the road after we left the trail, and the entrance into the country club/gastropub. You will want to have good brakes when you leave!

I had noticed the Gastropub sign on Lakeshore Trail last year, and it had taken me until the end of that year to find out more about this restaurant. It is located in Muskegon Country Club, and it is open to the public. They now have a website with a menu posted and an active Facebook page. We thought the beverages were expensive, and the lunch menu was reasonably priced. Foods ordered at our table were Turkey Club with sweet potato fries (2), fish sandwich, and side salad. The service was great, and the food was excellent.

The Lakehouse Waterfront Grille

This was our first visit to The Lakehouse, other than during Happy Hour. Happy Hour on the patio has always been pleasant, and the beverages were reasonably priced. This time, we dined inside  (it was over 90°F outside!) during dinner hours.

Turkey and Brie

Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork

The food was excellent, although the cost was a bit high. The sandwiches we purchased here were a few dollars more than similar food items purchased at Se4sons Gastropub. The Turkey and Brie sandwich at Lakehouse was $14 (before the fries upgrade), and the Turkey Club at Se4ons Gastropub was $9.50 with fries included. You can view the menus and prices for both locations via the links I have provided in this post.

Fisherman's Landing

We had two more stays at Fisherman's Landing in July. In my first blog post, we had camped on an inside site, and our last two stays were on the water. We stayed on waterfront site 21, and channel site 99. The inside site we had was grassier than the water sites, although we preferred the water locations. The water sites cost $5 more per night. The locations on the water are breezier, and some people do not like the wind. One camper we spoke with on the waterfront said he was hoping to move to a different site next season. It has been over 90° in Michigan this summer, so we thought the wind was great!

Sunset from site 21

Waterfront site 21 is on Muskegon Lake. This is an excellent location for watching the sunset. The site is quite long, as it extends out to the water. The site was level. The ground cover was a mixture of grass/dirt. The fire pit location was at the end of the site, toward the water. There were two picnic tables on this site when we arrived. Our neighbors all had a table, so we assumed the extra one belonged by the water. I observed two poles by the water, as if for a volleyball net, so we carried one of the tables down toward the water.

Sunrise from site 99

View from fire pit on site 99

There is a partial lake view from channel site 99. The ground cover on this site was about the same as it had been on site 21, and the site was mostly level. We had to put down one leveling block under the driver's side camper tires. The fire pit was located at the end of the site toward the channel. It was breezy on this site, as it had been on site 21. The fresh water connection on site 99 was quite a distance away, and we had not parked on the lot line at the far end. The connection was located between sites 99 and 98. We always have plenty of hose and power line, so this did not present a problem for us.

No one was camped on site 98 when I took the sunrise photo above. After our neighbors arrived the next day, the open area in the photo was filled with their camper and vehicles.

Lake Michigan Muskegon State Park Beach

We have a 10' inflatable with a 15 HP motor, which we have taken to Lake Michigan from Fisherman's Landing a few times. The ride across Muskegon Lake and through the channel takes about ½ hour in that size of boat, depending how rough the water is. Pere Marquette Beach is located just south of the channel, and the state park beach is located on the north side. I posted information about driving, bicycling, or taking the trolley to the beach in my previous post.

Just south of state park beach

Looking north toward state park beach

On one of the calm, hot days, we decided to spend the day at the state park beach. It was not too crowded when we arrived around 11:00 a.m.; however, a few hours later, it was more full than I have ever seen it, and more boats were anchored on Lake Michigan than I have ever seen. The beach north of the channel in Muskegon is definitely a beautiful place to hang out when the temps are in the 90s.

Let me know if you have any questions or information to share!