Big Lake Outfitters

(15 reviews)

This is a great first stop coming into Saugatuck. Parking in the area is easy and you can walk all…read morethroughout the main strip starting from The Old Boat House. The bar has a good variety and you can rent the retro boats directly from here. They provide everything- buy drinks and snacks from them and they pack a cooler with ice to store them. They have Bluetooth radios to borrow if you need one. Following the water from Lake Michigan to the boat harbor takes the full 90 minutes of the baseline rental going at the top allowable speed. It is a great way to spend an afternoon and see the sights. If you are not looking for a rental- there is a great back patio to enjoy food and drink and take in the sights of boaters. There is lots of sun shade as well.

This was such a fun experience! We had a group of nine and rented a donut boat for two hours. The…read morestaff were friendly and knowledgeable. They made us feel welcome! The staff prepare a cooler for you that you can fill w drinks and snacks purchased from their shop. They had a great selection of beer, wine, prosecco, sodas, juices etc. They also had ice cream. The staff was helpful in explaining how to work the boat and gave us a speaker for music. Our group had a blast! We went in the evening and stayed out until around sunset. The donut boat was easy to operate. You sit in a circle with a circle table in the middle. Everyone in our group had so much fun! The circle set up was great for talking, laughing and socializing! I would love to rent one of the adorable retro boats next time! This is a must do in Saugatuck!

Sweetwater Sailing of Saugatuck

(8 reviews)

Well, Capt. Mort is still goin' strong it looks like. This review is for 35 yrs ago when he took…read moreour 3 boys and 3 adults out to sea! I was a beautiful day but when we got out the wind died. He stopped and let us dive in because it was sooo hot. It was a beautiful day years ago. -good to see it's been a good life!

We LOVED our experience with Sweetwater Sailing and Captain Mort! It was hands down the highlight…read moreof our trip. We were 5 friends on our annual trip and we had the best time sailing with Mort. Everything was well communicated, him and his wife were super sweet, and the boat was beautiful. I found Sweetwater through some extensive internet research and I was so pleased when I did because not only were their prices some of the most affordable but the reviews were some of the best. We will absolutely sail with them again when we return to saugatuck and we have been recommending them to everyone. Thanks for an amazing sail, Mort!

TFD Adventure

4.0

Super chill atmosphere on the sunset cruise with great vibes and a captain who was accommodating of…read moreall guests. A big bonus was being allowed to bring your own drinks and snacks on board as you took in a relaxed evening on the water. The boat was comfortable and everyone had room to spread out. Will definitely book again when back in Saugatuck.

Basic. Slowly travel across the wide part of the river on a pontoon boat. Get to the mouth of Lake…read moreMichigan, go out a bit on the lake weather permitting. Uncomfortable stools to sit on for 90 minutes. Listen not to any kind of tour information but loud samesame cheesy country music. Tight seating among your fellow captive audience members.

Saugatuck Wooden Boat

(4 reviews)

The service was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed the ride and would recommend…read more The donut boats are fun for adults and children in the area is very scenic and interesting

Chris is a great captain and local. His beautiful boat is a treat for an afternoon or evening…read moreexperience. As someone with some boating under her belt, this is a worthy treat when visiting this part of the world.

Unsalted Boat Rentals

(6 reviews)

Had a great time renting a boat from Unsalted Boat Rentals. Weather was great. Staff was very nice.read more

We rented an Economy Pontoon from Unsalted Boat rentals - we had a great experience!…read more I made the reservation and paid through their website. We showed up to the location at our reserved time and a young guy was there to help us load on to the boat and gave us the informative run down. We didn't have any issues, the boat was clean and well maintained.

Saugatuck Yacht Club

Great club with a great feel. Awesome sailing program!…read moreGreat facilities with a friendly membership.

Great friendly place to keep your boat. Nice that it is within walking distance to downtown…read moreSaugatuck. Also next to a nice new restaurant called the Southerner. In the basin it is nice and calm (wind protected and no current) so it makes for easy docking!

Sailing With Julie

A great sailing experience! My family of 5 booked a sunset cruise with Captain Tom aboard the…read moreJulianna, and we enjoyed the entire trip. Tom is easy to get along with, knowledgeable about sailing on Lake Michigan and the nearby waterways, and is happy to answer your questions. He will teach you the basics of how to pilot the ship and adjust the sails, and you get to view an amazing sunset. This is the perfect way to spend an evening.

Thank you, Captain Tim, for a day our family will never forget! Right off the bat he was very nice…read moreand welcoming. And told us about the history of Saugatuck. We got to jump off the boat into the water, which was very fun! He let us sail the boat. Captain Tim was very nice, and the boat was well kept! 5 stars a great experience

Harbor Duck

2.4

(14 reviews)

We tried to call multiple times prior to driving over to see about tickets and times. They never…read moreanswered and never called back after we left a message. When I arrived at the window, the employee inside was in the phone. The window was open and there were other customers outside waiting. Once off the phone, he flippantly said, "we are done for the day." and walked off. It was 12:20pm on a Monday during the summer season. No signage, no explanation, etc. I doubt we would be back.

I do not recommend this. There was no history on this tour like I have gotten on others like…read morePittsburgh, etc... it's just a ride. And it's not very long for what we paid. You can only pay cash or check and there was an 8 year old that sold us the tickets. Is that even legal. We called ahead and they were very rude on the phone. You can't even reserve tickets online. We also took a Dunes ride while we were in town and I would tell you to take that instead.

Oval Beach

4.4

(109 reviews)

My favorite beach in Michigan…read more I've been to: Douglas Beach (wonderful neighborhood beach nearby) West Side County Beach (a bit south of Oval and lots of rocks to collect) as well as North and South Beach in South Haven, and a few other neighborhood ones there. Oval wins for me for a lot of reasons. Great, abundant parking ($15 per car for the day, $75 for the season as of 2026). Good restrooms, snack bar, but most importantly, lots of space on the beach to spread out and enjoy. Vibes are immaculate here. We had several days on our trip where this was it. We set up a beach tent, packed sandwiches, and had a blast. The waves were big a few days which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's kind of a roll of the dice whether the water is fine or a bit too chilly, but it's fun nevertheless. So, to sum it all up. SUN. WAVES. EASY. BEAUTIFUL. I will dream of the time spent here, especially come mid-February when we'd give nearly anything for a nice weather day.

Oval Beach is STUNNING and I'd love to give it 5 stars, but two things keep me from doing that…read more Primarily this is because the beach is not totally accessible to all visitors. We came here with my mother and she has MS, which affects her legs. The only way down to the beach were fairly steep sand dune paths that were incredibly difficult for even able bodied individuals to navigate. We tried finding stairs but came up empty, so that's a big deterrent here. The other is a more petty one, but it's parking. There seems to be a great amount of parking available here, especially on weekdays BUT it comes at a cost of $15, which seems more than we paid at other beaches. The beach itself is crisp and clean, with beautiful sand and shoreline, and some of the cleanest water we saw while on our visit to the lake. As a family with kids, this would be a great beach to visit, but you do need to factor in the difficulties of getting down to it, especially with your groups ability level and your beach gear in tow.

Hidden Pointe

4.1

(24 reviews)

Staff very friendly. Mini Golf fun if you're traveling with friends or family. If you're looking…read morefor good Go-Karts, stop here, they're cheap but you get a good time out of it! I would come back here.

Hidden Pointe is a fun place to go hang out with friends, family, etc. the go karts are fun and…read morethe golf course is great. I recommend going to Hidden Pointe to have fun.

Pirate's Landing Mini Golf

4.0

(5 reviews)

Super cute mini golf - it's nicely taken care of, holes are small but they do the job…read more Friendly staff - and you can even get ice cream! This is not a spot that 'takes the ball' in the last hole. The groups moved swiftly when we were there so there was no waiting for us. Great spot! Parking can be tight.

We had a great time with a large group. Several of the holes are very unique with jumps and one…read morewhere you can use water features to get advantages.

Douglas Beach

(7 reviews)

Nice spot. Limited parking. The stairs aren't as bad as they look. Small beach bc most is private…read morebeach.

Everyone pretty much has the same opinion about this: a beautiful, "neighborhood" beach that has…read moreextremely limited parking. Ideal if you're staying around it, I'm sure. We arrived on a day with intense wildfire smoke, the kind where the air quality was the worst in the entire world that day and you could feel it. We'd held the girls inside most of the day, but finally snapped in the evening and told them we wanted to catch the sunset here. Fortunately we were earlier enough to slide right into a spot (tried to come back two other times and had no such luck). After being cooped up in the AirBnB, we said screw it and all got in and swam around for a bit. It was glorious. The only unique thing is there are a lot of rocks to step on/bang into within the first 10 feet or so of the water. If you go out a little further, it shifts back to soft sand. It's such a cool visual both ways; the great lake, of course looking west, and then the towering stairs and cliffside neighborhood over to the east. Up top, there's a foot rinse for knocking off sand and a public restroom. I love this spot, and really the only knock is if you don't luck out on parking there's almost no alternative to getting here.

Big Lake Outfitters - boating - Updated August 2026

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Unsalted Boat Rentals

(6 reviews)

Had a great time renting a boat from Unsalted Boat Rentals. Weather was great. Staff was very nice.read more

We rented an Economy Pontoon from Unsalted Boat rentals - we had a great experience!…read more I made the reservation and paid through their website. We showed up to the location at our reserved time and a young guy was there to help us load on to the boat and gave us the informative run down. We didn't have any issues, the boat was clean and well maintained.

TFD Adventure

4.0

Super chill atmosphere on the sunset cruise with great vibes and a captain who was accommodating of…read moreall guests. A big bonus was being allowed to bring your own drinks and snacks on board as you took in a relaxed evening on the water. The boat was comfortable and everyone had room to spread out. Will definitely book again when back in Saugatuck.

Basic. Slowly travel across the wide part of the river on a pontoon boat. Get to the mouth of Lake…read moreMichigan, go out a bit on the lake weather permitting. Uncomfortable stools to sit on for 90 minutes. Listen not to any kind of tour information but loud samesame cheesy country music. Tight seating among your fellow captive audience members.

Soha Surf Shop

4.6

(15 reviews)

EDIT.......I raising rating to 4 stars. The rental boot WAS open Monday 7/21 and the employee…read moreworking was great (sorry I didn't get his name). Not going for 5 stars due to the response of the business reply. States that they do not open when yellow flags are flying at the beach. 7/19 we were at North Beach from 830 a.m to 3 p.m. Sunday we were there from 9 a.m. till 3:45 p.m and the flag nearest to where we were was green the entire time (near the line of the private beach). If NOAA and city communicated incorrectly, business should have a conversation with them. After we were able to rent paddle boards we did enjoy using them for the full time we rented them.

The best selection of Ray Bans, Maui Jim's, Oakleys, and Costas. A wide variety of name brand…read moreclothing, shoes, surf boards and paddle boards. The best paddle board and kayak rental location!

In The Elements Rental

(11 reviews)

What a great bike shop. Great owner (Michael) will do what it takes to make you happy. Incredible…read morerental bike selection, all in mint, like new condition. This time I rented an ebike... it was perfect. I rent bikes on every vacation (5x per year, wherever I am) and The Elements is the best I've ever used because the service is so personalized to ensure you get the exact right bike for your needs and wants. Helmet and lock came included along with a charger for my ebike. I was here in Saugatuck for a week, the weekly rates can't be beat. Terry Hunefeld, Anza Borrego Desert, San Diego County. July 2026

Michael the owner is incredibly knowledgeable and cares about his customers and their experiences!read more

Jensen Charters

4.9

(14 reviews)

This is a great Sunset Cruise in South Haven. I would recommend to others who are looking for a…read moreleisure cruise in South Haven. We enjoyed our Friday evening on the Elsie J. Thanks again!

Had such a wonderful experience with Jensen Charters for my friend's bachelorette weekend - spent…read morethe afternoon on and off the boat and it was a great experience. Recommend!

Hiatus Cruises

(4 reviews)

We keep coming back to Cliff and Myrna for group outings! We have enjoyed boating from Holland to…read moreGrand Haven and docking for dinner and ice cream at local spots. We have also gone to Saugatuck on the boat and stopped for pizza and enjoying eating on the return ride. We had so much fun talking and laughing with friends! The shoreline scenery of Lake Michigan is beautiful and you see a whole different perspective from the boat that you don't get from the beach. Cliff and Myrna are hospitable and knowledgeable hosts that make you feel so welcome and comfortable!

Cliff and Myrna are wonderful hosts which made our cruise experience wonderful with their knowledge…read moreand experience of the area. I would highly recommend cruising on the Hiatus with them if you are looking for a relaxing activity to enjoy!

Bending Limits Sportfishing Charters

We just got back from our second trip with Captain TJ and his crew. What can I say??!! Awesome…read moredoesn't describe it. These guys are top notch. Professional and friendly and most importantly, they put you on the fish. We had a group of five with three teenagers and we had a blast. Limited out!! They have great boats and gear. We always felt safe. The crew is so helpful and nice, we just won't go anywhere else. They have a great reputation and are the best in the area.

Great day catching trout and salmon with this charter in July. Expertly crewed with 10 lines in…read morethe water and steady action (landed 8 good fish). And appreciated their cooking suggestions for the catch.

Sweetwater Sailing of Saugatuck

(8 reviews)

Well, Capt. Mort is still goin' strong it looks like. This review is for 35 yrs ago when he took…read moreour 3 boys and 3 adults out to sea! I was a beautiful day but when we got out the wind died. He stopped and let us dive in because it was sooo hot. It was a beautiful day years ago. -good to see it's been a good life!

We LOVED our experience with Sweetwater Sailing and Captain Mort! It was hands down the highlight…read moreof our trip. We were 5 friends on our annual trip and we had the best time sailing with Mort. Everything was well communicated, him and his wife were super sweet, and the boat was beautiful. I found Sweetwater through some extensive internet research and I was so pleased when I did because not only were their prices some of the most affordable but the reviews were some of the best. We will absolutely sail with them again when we return to saugatuck and we have been recommending them to everyone. Thanks for an amazing sail, Mort!

Hoppenero Charters

(1 review)

Went out on Lake Michigan in search of salmon and we found them! Head a great time with some work…read moreassociates and now we have fish tales to talk about. Can't wait to go out again some time. Thanks Captain for a great outing. Highly recommend this business.

1st Choice Marine