Whispering Waves, South Haven, MI
How far is Whispering Waves from the beach and downtown South Haven?
Whispering Waves is a 15 to 20 minute walk from the Lake Michigan beach via the Blue Stairs at the Kids Corner beach access and a 5 minute walk from downtown South Haven, about 2 hours from Chicago.
The house is not on the water. It sits on Broadway Street in South Haven, so the beach and downtown are both a walk, and most groups park once and leave the car in the driveway for the week.
Downtown South Haven has the Phoenix Street shops, ice cream, the farmers market at the Huron Street Pavilion on Saturdays from May through October, and dockside dining on the Black River.
The South Haven Lighthouse and pier walk is the sunset stop everyone makes. South Beach has swimming, kayak rentals, and volleyball, and North Beach is quieter with softer sand. The Kids Corner Playground sits on the bluffs above the lake, connected to the beach access. The Kal Haven Trail, 34 miles of crushed limestone from South Haven to Kalamazoo, starts in town and is flat and shaded for kids on bikes.
Wineries are within 30 minutes, and Warner Vineyards, Cogdal Vineyards, and 12 Corners have tasting rooms downtown. Blueberry farms are 10 to 15 minutes away, and Timber Ridge and Bittersweet ski areas are 20 to 25 minutes in winter.
Getting here: South Haven is about 2 hours from Chicago, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids via I 196, and about 3 hours from Indianapolis. GPS to the address is accurate, and Uber and Lyft run in South Haven.
Groceries: Meijer on Blue Star Highway is about a 10 minute drive. Bronson South Haven Hospital is a 3 minute drive.