Saugatuck

Ive been. I was in my early 20s and was definately out of my element. Its an older white crowd. I only brought up the race thing because me and my friend, whos also black, were fetishized pretty bluntly one night by a couple of guys and called niggers the next night because we didnt agree to a threesome with white guy who harrassed us all night. Needless to say we almost beat that guys ass but fortunately he was thrown out of the bar. Having said that I did meet my future best friend there so it wasnt all all a wash.

It’s not nearly as gay as it used to be.

Fond memories. My heart iwas lost somewhere between the bar and the beach. My cherry that was lost in a hammock grew into a hedge of rosebuds. Every one deserves to be swept off their feet by Prince Charming at least once. He made me into more of a man in our brief time than my father did in eighteen years. I would have been a dashing ,young widower.to his gallant corpse, Some footfalls leave deep tracks.

Um, ok......

But has anyone been there recently? Stayed in a property there? Know it well?

The Dunes, of course.

It's not as much like Provincetown as you would expect from its reputation as Chicago's Provincetown (let alone Fire Island). But you can get decent food and coffee there, and the tchotchke trade is also robust. Charming and pleasant (as are western Michigan lake towns generally). Take the chain ferry across the river and hike over the forest dune to Oval Beach. Just don't expect to be away from straight people ever (except at the Dunes).

After looking around a bit it looks like you really have to rent a house in Saugatuck itself and those are usually weekly, so I think we may stay farther south (St Joes) and make a day trip there. We know a hotel in St Joe's we really like.

But definitely want to check out Saugatuck and Douglas. Maybe make a quick side trip to Kalamazoo, too.

My partner and I spent 5 days there last summer (2017). Since this was the first time there for both of us, I can give you some info/observations from Saugatuck newbies.

Saugatuck and Douglas are right next to each other. If you stay in one, you can easily get to the other with a 5 minute drive. Consider them the same place, honestly.

AirBNB rentals are plentiful. Some are downtown (or near the center of town). These are great if you want to walk to dinner, for ice cream or fudge, etc., but can also be a bit noisy because of people/families walking past and ambient noise from some of the restaurants that have outdoor music. Speaking of families, yes, Saugatuck/Douglas is billed as a gay destination, but we found that there were a ton of families. No one really batted an eye at the two of us walking around together, but I will say that we did get some looks laying on beach blankets together (completely innocently and wearing bathing suits) from some of the people walking by. (My bf looks great in a speedo, so maybe that was the reason ;) As someone else posted, it's not Provincetown or Fire Island, for sure, but for being in Michigan, it's relatively gay-friendly. There is a place called The Dunes Resort that is the center of the gay universe in Saugatuck. It’s directly on the main road very close to downtown Saugatuck. To be quite honest, we didn’t go there because it looked a little cheesy based on what we saw online and in person when we drove by a few times. We’re not fans of the bar/club scene though, but if you are or you go with a group of guys, you might enjoy it. There’s also a large, old arts center nearby, which is why Saugatuck has developed into a laid back, friend-of-the-gays community.

Downtown Saugatuck is a few blocks square with the places you'd expect in a vacation town -- restaurants, some bars, some shops, etc. On Culver Street, there's a great shop called A Step Away (or it was next door to A Step Away). The owner is fantastic, and he and his partner have great, fun items in their store. Go down into the lower level of the shop where even more fun beachy treasures await.

If you're into a bit of exercise before and after laying out at the beach, do the Mt. Baldhead Park Trail to get to Oval Beach. It starts with a 300-stair climb up a wooden staircase, then a nice walk through woods, then a light hike through sand dunes (and ultimately down a 100 foot steep dune) to get to the beach. Be warned - you have to repeat this trek in reverse when you leave. Getting up the 100 foot sand dune is a challenge! We did this two days in a row; the first day was torture, the second day was more fun. Pack your crap accordingly. The staircase is tough if you’re carrying chairs, etc. There’s no fee for parking in the small lot at the bottom of the staircase nor is there to walk onto the beach. When you descend the large dune, you’ll be brought to a main parking lot for the beach. Unless you enjoy the noise made by lots of people, walk to the edge of the water, turn right, and walk up the narrow beach to find quieter space (a 1/4 mile up perhaps). Some smaller dunes will be behind you, which makes for a good stroll. We didn’t feel comfortable fooling around in the dunes though; an occasional kid wandered through, and it’s not as private or heavily gay as you might want. Maybe further up the beach you’d find that?

Downtown Douglas is a smaller version of Saugatuck. Go for dinner at the Wild Dog Grille, which has a very pleasant outdoor patio. Their Frites (Truffle-scented, skin-on fries dusted in Asiago & Parsley) are amazing.

The beaches are all really decent….soft sand, some are fairly quiet and private, others are more active depending on what you’re looking for. Even in August, the Lake Michigan water was chilly, but refreshing, and it’s salt- and shark-free, as they say there. The water is very shallow at Oval Beach so you can walk out quiet far.

Do not miss the sunsets over the water!

Would I go back to Saugatuck? Yes.

Enjoy! Post back here if you go.

OP, if I remember correctly, many of the AirBNBs let you choose how many days you want to stay. We weren't limited to weekly blocks of time. Just an FYI. Maybe search under "flexible dates".

Also, many of the houses (cottages, really) are close together, so although they may look very private in the listing photos, they may not be in reality.

[quote]But definitely want to check out Saugatuck and Douglas. Maybe make a quick side trip to Kalamazoo, too.

I'd suggest a side trip to Grand Rapids, instead -- it's closer and it offers much more to see and do.

There used to be a gay nude beach adjacent to Saugatuck's Oval Beach, but it's long gone. Douglas Dunes is indeed cheesy but it's worth a stop just to say you did it.