Frankfort, Michigan / Marinas and Town

August 2018

We usually stay at the Municipal Marina in Frankfort. This trip, we stayed at two different marinas (one being the municipal), and we learned about a third one.

Sunset from beach in Frankfort, Michigan

Frankfort Municipal Marina

We pulled up to the marina dock after we launched our boat to see about a slip for the night. This marina takes transient reservations, and they usually have a few slips open for people who do not make a reservation. The last two times we have stayed here, we were initially told they did not think they had anything, and then after some conversation, we got a slip both times. The next morning, when we asked what time we needed to be out, we were told, "11ish," as the marina was going to be full on Saturday. We stayed in the area another night after we left this marina, and the slip where we had stayed the first night was open the entire time (along with a couple of others). I am not sure why this marina always gives the impression there are no available slips. The cost for our 25' boat was $40.

Jacobson's Marina

This marina is located next door to the municipal marina, and it has a hot tub and pool. Friends of ours really like the marina, so we tried it for the first time. The hot tub and pool were nice; however, the cost for one night was $63. Not only that, we had to fight for a boat slip. Apparently, the mentality here is the same as at the municipal marina. Following is our experience.

Jacobson's Marina

We stopped in the marina office on foot in the morning on the day of our arrival. We told the person working that we wanted to find out the details of our slip assignment, and that we would be arriving later that day, as we were going out boating for a few hours. He looked up our reservation and then told us we were going to be on the far wall. I told him I was not happy about that for several reasons: I had made and paid for a boat slip reservation several months in advance ($63!); wall docks are generally higher than boat slips and we have a cuddy boat, which sits lower in the water than larger boats; it is about a half mile walk from the wall to the facilities, and we do not have an onboard head (porta-pottie only). Additionally, my broken wrist was in a brace making it difficult for me to climb up to get off our boat. He then told me the marina was full, but that he could possibly talk with the owner to see if there was anything he could do. After this, he requested payment from me! I told him I had already paid several months ago. Fortunately, he found the payment so I did not need to look for the email or payment info on my phone. 

The person working wanted us to look at the slip first, so we walked by it. After seeing how far away it is, and it is right in front of the fish cleaning station, I called him to say that we definitely wanted a boat slip, if possible. He called me back about half an hour later, and we were assigned a very nice boat slip along Waterfront Drive. The reason I compared their attitude to that at the municipal marina, is because even though we had been told the marina was full, there were empty boat slips that night; one being the boat slip next to us on the same dock.  

Coming in the channel
Click on photo to enlarge it

Marina at Harbor Lights Resort

As many times as we have been to Frankfort, Michigan, this is the first time I realized that the Marina at Harbor Lights Resort takes transient boaters. We saw their sign on the channel wall when we were headed back in, and this is where we plan to stay next time we are in Frankfort! I am not sure if the hotel/resort amenities are available to boaters, although I would think they are since the marina name has "resort" in their name. The transient cost on their website for our size boat is $33.

Stormcloud Brewing Hot Pretzel Bites and IPA

Stormcloud Brewing Company

We visited the brewery in town three times, as they have some great coupons in the Michigan Brewvine Passport. We used coupons for BOGO pretzel bites, and 50% discounts on a sampler and a growler refill. Everything was excellent, although having two orders of Pretzel Bites were a bit too much for us. The portion size is generous enough to easily share. We were disappointed they did not have their Dark 'n Stormy on tap.

Stormcloud Brewing Sampler

Stormcloud Brewing has outside seating at tables, and there are chairs on the lawn. They often have music outside and other special events. This brewery is always quite busy, and we always have a great experience. After our stay, I learned about the new Stormcloud Brewing Production and Tasting Facility that opened May 2018. It has an outdoor beer garden, and is currently only open on Saturdays from 2:00 to 8:00 PM. It is located on the east side of town, less than a mile walk from the municipal marina.

Special Events and Recreation

We visited during the Frankfort Collector Car Show and Art Fair. Cars were displayed in Frankfort Mineral Springs Park, and the Art Fair was a few blocks up the road in the park off Crystal Ave. Do not wait until the last minute, if you want to visit the art fair. We walked up there on Saturday afternoon about an hour before it was supposed to end, and many vendors were already packing up.

Just about everything in Frankfort is within walking distance of any of the marinas: the beach, shopping, dining, farmer's market, and more. Bestie Valley Trailway starts at the park in front of the municipal marina. It is paved and scenic. We did not have our bikes this trip, so we merely walked the trail.

You can find more information about the area by clicking on the labels below. Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post.