The Coast Guard Festival is a big deal in Grand Haven, and it shows. The festivals lasts for 10…read moredays, spanning across two weekends at the end of July and beginning of August. What's in the itinerary? It depends on the day. One of my favorites is Tuesday night's Dancing in the Street, where a large stage is set up downstage for--you guessed it--dancing in the street to a very good local cover band. This year I got to take a tour of two Coast Guard ships that were docked in the channel. My spouse was thrilled. If you're a music fan, there's nightly concerts, the majority of them being cover bands. On the second Saturday of the festival, there's fireworks, which people make sure they have a great spot for viewing as early as the morning of. The last thing I'll mention is the carnival with games, rides, and the kids who love them. Food-wise, there's a row of fair food trailers and a section of food trucks around the Elks Lodge off of Washington Street. Plus, just about all the local of the local businesses around downtown will gladly take your money. This summer New Holland Brewing Co. opened a pizza-inspired pinwheels kitchen, which appeared to be very popular with patrons of the festival. There's also plenty of opportunities for booze in the Social District as well as sweets, from ice cream to chocolates to Kilwin's fudge. I've attended the festival two years in a row, and I'll continue to come on the Dancing in the Street night. It's a great night of community and fun. I'll also try to check out the cardboard boat race, which takes place on the first Saturday of the festival. Should you come too? My vote is yes!

Lucky to have been in Grand Haven for my first Coast Guard Festival. A more patriotic atmosphere…read moreyou will have a hard time finding. The way the entire town shows their appreciation for the Coast Guard is inspiring. Flags on every home and business! Tour a ship, watch the helicopters, visit the museums, ride the rides, listen to bands and eat a ton of delicious food. Take a break from the crowds and walk along the boardwalk to the famous red lighthouse to watch the sunset. You will love every minute!

The staff is nothing but helpful and kind. You can tell they ultimately love what they do…read more Especially the managers! They remember faces and always welcome me back every time I go! Prices are a little steep though compared to other places, but they have wicked deals and sales almost every weekend which makes up for it! I'm about to go again today to get more but here is our stash! All of this for a little over a grand, with out the sales it would've been Over 4-5 grand easily!! So be smart and sign up for the texts that notify you about deals and sales!! Happy 4th! Stay safe and keep all of your fingers!!

cool worker and very compassionate thought on how they treat their customers tbe fireworks are very…read moregood too

I can't speak to the supply, apart from the fact that we called last minute for a specialty item…read more(colored smoke canister) and Beth was incredibly helpful both over the phone and in person after we drove 25mins to pick the canister up. She completely MADE our day with her kindness!! Will definitely be repeat customers after this experience!!

From the owner: Premier retailer of World Class brand fireworks. Earn free fireworks with our rewards program.read more

I feel like this is the perfect beach for a small town…read more It was not overly busy on a Sunday around 11am, but it was overcast and only about 70 degrees. The water was still freezing so we only put our feet in. I loved the fountain and the carousel. There are lots of benches and observation points. Plus, parking was quick and easy. There was also surprisingly clean public restrooms as well.

This is my childhood beach location. There's so much that has changed here over the years, but all…read morenecessary upgrades. There's a handicap accessible playground and more seating to eat at the little beach food shop. Walking the pier allows you to see a great view of the shoreline, but be careful on windy and wavy days as the water comes up over the pier . In the peak summer months, I would recommend parking up on top of the bluff and walking down the steps right by Silver Beach Pizza, so you can save yourself from the cluster of cars trying to get down to beach parking. Also, St. Joe city is changing parking and routing near Silver Beach so be aware of traffic shifts. All in all, a great beach for families, but 4/5 stars because some other beaches are less touristy, which locals like myself much prefer.

The beach there sucks, they have parts blocked off so there's very little area to swim and the…read morelifeguards will pull everyone get out of the water every 15 minutes

Hurray for a bit of good news amid an abysmal year. Tests came back for the beach staffers who were…read moreshowing potential Covid symptoms and they received the all-clear. It's freezing out today so the beach is a no-go right now, but it's wonderful to have the option available. They've got another beach campfire event, drive in movie, and drive in concert scheduled at the park this month as well. We appreciate their efforts to provide social but socially distanced events, although we hope they'll do a better job hiring local and/or talented bands for future summer concert series.

This place carries everything from sparklers to bang snaps to smoke balls/tubes to mortars, shells,…read morebottle rockets and those super shooters that go in the air about 250'. The gentleman who helped us was extremely knowledgable, recommended us some great fireworks for reasonable costs ( wasn't trying to sell us the most expensive fireworks) and had a great and friendly personality all around. He helped us out in every way he could. I don't think I've ever been helped like he had helped us. And of course the cashier, she was friendly too. Overall, I was able to get a lot of fireworks for a reasonable price and I was glad I was able to stop by here to buy some excitement! They are closed now for the season until next year I believe. I am not sure when they re-open again. Maybe in the spring? Or beginning of summer? Idk when these places decide they open up but anyways, I will definitely come here next time I am in the area!

Awesome service at Jakes!!! Employees were super friendly and helpful. Worth the trip!read more