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Beautiful landmark and great photo opportunities here on the beach in South Haven Michigan.
A South Haven landmark for over 100 years. It is easily accessible . The walk is not too long and surrounded by the beach and water. The lighthouse is located on Lake Michigan at the entrance of the Black River to Lake Michigan. There is something majestic about lighthouses and their history.
Popped into South Haven on a end of March weekday around lunchtime and walked to and from the South Haven Lighthouse into downtown South Haven and back. The layout of the walk to the lighthouse and back is nearly identical to the one at Grand Haven where you have some parking options you can pull into as you're heading towards the beach with a walkway leading all the way to the lighthouse from these parking options, then a bigger parking lot at the beach, with the lighthouse to the right of the beach area. I'm not sure how much parking would've cost if we just pulled into the beach parking lot, but we pulled into one of the side spots before getting to the beach parking lot and had to pay via an app for parking. I'm assuming that the pricing was different in the off season than during the summer months, so we had to pay for a full day of parking, which cost $10. We weren't planning to stay for the full day, only a couple hours, so we hemmed and hawed over this for a bit, but ultimately paid it and I think it was worth it given how much we were able to explore, but it's just something to note and consider for when you visit! :) Granted, everything is just on a smaller scale here than at Grand Haven, the parking, the beach, the walkways, and even the lighthouse, but it is all still enjoyable! End of March weather this year was warm enough that there was no snow left and barely any ice. I saw a few remnants of bigger ice/snow chunks on their last leg in the middle of the walkways to the light house and a small line of it along the shoreline, but other than that, it was basically all gone. The walk to the lighthouse was enjoyable, albeit a little precarious given the windy weather, causing the waves to crest over and onto one side of the walk way and the wind to carry the spray across the entire walkway as well. There were no railings either and the walk way was more narrow than Grand Haven's, so it just made me a little bit nervous! There were also a couple places along the walk way that had broken cement or just a whole cement slab missing, so you definitely wanted to watch your step as you walked so as not to fall into one of these spots and twist/break your ankle. All in all though, it was very enjoyable and this lighthouse is a lot closer situated to the downtown area, so it was very easy to spend a couple hours exploring the lighthouse and downtown together! We had dogs with us, so we couldn't go onto the beach, where the dogs are not allowed, but they were allowed on the walkway to the lighthouse and in many stores downtown, so overall I'd say South Haven is very dog friendly! Loved our little trip into South Haven and how deserted it was, while also being open, cute, and welcoming during the off season! :)
If you are looking for something to see while visiting South Haven, the lighthouse is one of those things. Being on the small side, and not being able to go inside, it is a rather quick visit. One spends more time walking out to the lighthouse than visiting the structure itself. That being said, it is a nice walk that gives a view of the beach from out on the water. Make sure to stop and read all the plaques starting back near the snack shack. They will give you information about the history of the lighthouse, as well as it's current historical status. (I uploaded pictures of the signs as well.)
Winter is not a good time to visit but This spot has been on mind quite sometime and finally decided tO tick it of my list as we are headed to kalamazoo and it is just 45 min from there. The boards says paid parking but there are no vending machine or no staff, probably they would collect during summer. The first lighthouse was made of wood and was built in 1871. The second was made of steel; it was built in 1903 and is still in use today. You can walk all the way to the 2 light houses which is pretty good. The color of water differs like blue,green andd black which gives a good background for pics. Pros: ------- Beautiful Beach Kids Play area 2 min to SOuth haven main street Good for photoshoots Cons: ------- None to me Note: The water was high and close to the walkway, but not rushing over.
Coolest lighthouse along Big Blue. Great landmark for when out on the lake. Come walk the piers and see it.
Wife and I went to South Haven for a 3 day getaway trip. No trip to South Haven is complete without a visit too the South Haven Lighthouse! Perfect day to watch the sunset!
The lighthouse and lake were beautiful! The beaches were very clean and not crowed. I would highly recommend a visit.
This is s gorgeous view. We were able to walk up to the lighthouse and speak with a fisherman prior to the rain setting in. It was neat seeing the lighthouse on the live cam but to see it in person, hearing the waves lap against the pier, while watching the ducks disappear.... Amazing!
I really love this lighthouse and the pier. It is such a majestic sight. The pier is a great place to walk for families, couples, friends and tourists. Standing on the pier looking out onto Lake Michigan, the Harbor and the beautiful city of South Haven. It is a must see when visiting the area
South Haven Lighthouse is one of the most photogaphed lighthouses in the country. It's a strange little lighthouse, at least by my Northeast perspective. It's only 35 feet tall and stands at the end of a long pier. A catwalk, preached on long legs leads out to the light. The purpose of the catwalk becomes very obvious in nasty weather. The light was first built in 1872 and rebuilt in 1903. It originally had a 5th order Fresnel Lens but I'm not sure where the lens is now. It's funny how many of these huge, priceless lens manage to disappear. I'm sure there are some that have been sitting in ancient garages for decades, covered in bird poop, just waiting to be discovered. The whole area around the light is absolutely gorgeous. A small beach is nearby for swimming and a park and playground is located on the premises. Nice place to hike or bike. The great part is that you can walk all the way out on the pier to the light. You're not allowed on the catwalk but just walking on the pier gives a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I was out here on a a calm summer day. I have seen heavy weather pictures of huge waves sweeping over the pier and hammering the lighthouse and in those conditions even walking up on the high catwalk would be a challenge. I bet it would be fun trying though. Other common motifs show the pier illuminated by it's many lights in the dark or silhouetted against the setting sun. Incredible pictures taken in the winter show the entire structure covered in thick ice. This small light has a very photographic personality and numerous artists have taken advantage of this fact. We even bought a cool photograph of huge waves sweeping over the pier and light in very nasty weather. One more lighthouse pic we have find a place for when we get home.
This place is pretty cool. Quite literally. My husband and I are from Texas where the most snow we see in a year is maybe a max of 2ins. When we got out to the Lighthouse yesterday (2/13/14), the whole beach was covered in at least a foot of snow and the Lake it self was FROZEN! From what I understand, over 80% frozen. There were several people walking around and out on the lake, many of which were locals that were just as surprised with the lake's conditions as we were. We walked out on the lake all the way down to just below the Lighthouse and even into the jetty. It was a very cool sight to see and an awesome experience. Now I can check off "Walk on Water" from my bucket list. :) P.S. - During the winter, there was no charge for parking although there were signs up that said otherwise. Maybe during the summer (peak season) there is a charge to park.
This is a great place to walk, whether you just want to get your steps in, or do you want to watch an amazing sunset. If you brave the pier during windy or inclement weather, it's also quite fun to see the waves smashing up against the wall. It does get a little packed with people on some of the perfectly warm days, but some of the best sunsets can be seen on a cooler days is when no one else is around, so choose wisely. read more
10 months ago
Beautiful landmark and great photo opportunities here on the beach in South Haven Michigan. read more
2 months ago
A South Haven landmark for over 100 years. It is easily accessible . The walk is not too long and surrounded by the beach and water. The lighthouse is located on Lake Michigan at the entrance of the Black River to Lake Michigan. There is something majestic about lighthouses and their history. read more
4 years ago
Popped into South Haven on a end of March weekday around lunchtime and walked to and from the South Haven Lighthouse into downtown South Haven and back. The layout of the walk to the lighthouse and back is nearly identical to the one at Grand Haven where you have some parking options you can pull into as you're heading towards the beach with a walkway leading all the way to the lighthouse from these parking options, then a bigger parking lot at the beach, with the lighthouse to the right of the beach area. I'm not sure how much parking would've cost if we just pulled into the beach parking lot, but we pulled into one of the side spots before getting to the beach parking lot and had to pay via an app for parking. I'm assuming that the pricing was different in the off season than during the summer months, so we had to pay for a full day of parking, which cost $10. We weren't planning to stay for the full day, only a couple hours, so we hemmed and hawed over this for a bit, but ultimately paid it and I think it was worth it given how much we were able to explore, but it's just something to note and consider for when you visit! :) Granted, everything is just on a smaller scale here than at Grand Haven, the parking, the beach, the walkways, and even the lighthouse, but it is all still enjoyable! End of March weather this year was warm enough that there was no snow left and barely any ice. I saw a few remnants of bigger ice/snow chunks on their last leg in the middle of the walkways to the light house and a small line of it along the shoreline, but other than that, it was basically all gone. The walk to the lighthouse was enjoyable, albeit a little precarious given the windy weather, causing the waves to crest over and onto one side of the walk way and the wind to carry the spray across the entire walkway as well. There were no railings either and the walk way was more narrow than Grand Haven's, so it just made me a little bit nervous! There were also a couple places along the walk way that had broken cement or just a whole cement slab missing, so you definitely wanted to watch your step as you walked so as not to fall into one of these spots and twist/break your ankle. All in all though, it was very enjoyable and this lighthouse is a lot closer situated to the downtown area, so it was very easy to spend a couple hours exploring the lighthouse and downtown together! We had dogs with us, so we couldn't go onto the beach, where the dogs are not allowed, but they were allowed on the walkway to the lighthouse and in many stores downtown, so overall I'd say South Haven is very dog friendly! Loved our little trip into South Haven and how deserted it was, while also being open, cute, and welcoming during the off season! :) read more
If you are looking for something to see while visiting South Haven, the lighthouse is one of those things. Being on the small side, and not being able to go inside, it is a rather quick visit. One spends more time walking out to the lighthouse than visiting the structure itself. That being said, it is a nice walk that gives a view of the beach from out on the water. Make sure to stop and read all the plaques starting back near the snack shack. They will give you information about the history of the lighthouse, as well as it's current historical status. (I uploaded pictures of the signs as well.) read more
Winter is not a good time to visit but This spot has been on mind quite sometime and finally decided tO tick it of my list as we are headed to kalamazoo and it is just 45 min from there. The boards says paid parking but there are no vending machine or no staff, probably they would collect during summer. The first lighthouse was made of wood and was built in 1871. The second was made of steel; it was built in 1903 and is still in use today. You can walk all the way to the 2 light houses which is pretty good. The color of water differs like blue,green andd black which gives a good background for pics. Pros: ------- Beautiful Beach Kids Play area 2 min to SOuth haven main street Good for photoshoots Cons: ------- None to me Note: The water was high and close to the walkway, but not rushing over. read more
6 years ago
Coolest lighthouse along Big Blue. Great landmark for when out on the lake. Come walk the piers and see it. read more
5 years ago
Wife and I went to South Haven for a 3 day getaway trip. No trip to South Haven is complete without a visit too the South Haven Lighthouse! Perfect day to watch the sunset! read more
4 years ago
The lighthouse and lake were beautiful! The beaches were very clean and not crowed. I would highly recommend a visit. read more
4 years ago
This is s gorgeous view. We were able to walk up to the lighthouse and speak with a fisherman prior to the rain setting in. It was neat seeing the lighthouse on the live cam but to see it in person, hearing the waves lap against the pier, while watching the ducks disappear.... Amazing! read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
I really love this lighthouse and the pier. It is such a majestic sight. The pier is a great place to walk for families, couples, friends and tourists. Standing on the pier looking out onto Lake Michigan, the Harbor and the beautiful city of South Haven. It is a must see when visiting the area read more
6 years ago
17 years ago
South Haven Lighthouse is one of the most photogaphed lighthouses in the country. It's a strange little lighthouse, at least by my Northeast perspective. It's only 35 feet tall and stands at the end of a long pier. A catwalk, preached on long legs leads out to the light. The purpose of the catwalk becomes very obvious in nasty weather. The light was first built in 1872 and rebuilt in 1903. It originally had a 5th order Fresnel Lens but I'm not sure where the lens is now. It's funny how many of these huge, priceless lens manage to disappear. I'm sure there are some that have been sitting in ancient garages for decades, covered in bird poop, just waiting to be discovered. The whole area around the light is absolutely gorgeous. A small beach is nearby for swimming and a park and playground is located on the premises. Nice place to hike or bike. The great part is that you can walk all the way out on the pier to the light. You're not allowed on the catwalk but just walking on the pier gives a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I was out here on a a calm summer day. I have seen heavy weather pictures of huge waves sweeping over the pier and hammering the lighthouse and in those conditions even walking up on the high catwalk would be a challenge. I bet it would be fun trying though. Other common motifs show the pier illuminated by it's many lights in the dark or silhouetted against the setting sun. Incredible pictures taken in the winter show the entire structure covered in thick ice. This small light has a very photographic personality and numerous artists have taken advantage of this fact. We even bought a cool photograph of huge waves sweeping over the pier and light in very nasty weather. One more lighthouse pic we have find a place for when we get home. read more
13 years ago
This place is pretty cool. Quite literally. My husband and I are from Texas where the most snow we see in a year is maybe a max of 2ins. When we got out to the Lighthouse yesterday (2/13/14), the whole beach was covered in at least a foot of snow and the Lake it self was FROZEN! From what I understand, over 80% frozen. There were several people walking around and out on the lake, many of which were locals that were just as surprised with the lake's conditions as we were. We walked out on the lake all the way down to just below the Lighthouse and even into the jetty. It was a very cool sight to see and an awesome experience. Now I can check off "Walk on Water" from my bucket list. :) P.S. - During the winter, there was no charge for parking although there were signs up that said otherwise. Maybe during the summer (peak season) there is a charge to park. read more
14 years ago
Bulldogs + beach + lake = heaven. Took our bullies to the beach approx 2 times per day on our visit to South Haven. They loved the early morning and late night strolls. Our oldest especially liked the swimming lessons on the sand bar. But as far as beaches go it was great but a little rocky. Also a decent amount of seaweed in places. However the scenery and condition of the beach is great and would head back. read more
5 years ago
12 years ago
14 years ago
Loved walking out to the pier to see this lighthouse. Of course, we didn't walk too far because it is winter and it was windy and freezing! You've seen this lighthouse in a million photos, so it is neat to see it in person. Loved watching the waves crash into the pier. This is obviously a must see when you are visiting South Haven! read more
6 years ago
10 years ago
I love that place so relax and beutiful sun set. The water is clear you can swimming all day long. The beach very close to the downtown you can to get some ice cream after you swimming, it is so convenient. I will go back this place soon. If you want to relax i highly recomment this place. read more
11 years ago
Just awesome! Quick trip from Chicago for a relaxing vacay! The beach is clean and the water is crystal clear. We went on a hot July day and it wasn't too crowded. No it's not the ocean but for Michigan it's so good! read more
I have grown up visiting South Haven and have such lovely memories of this lighthouse. No matter what time of year it is, whether winter, summer, spring or fall, the pier is a wonderful place to walk and enjoy viewing the light house. Incredibly iconic and a must see when visiting! read more
11 years ago
I'm sad and let me tell you why: I looked up both South & North beach on Yelp to see where the lighthouse was and still went to North beach. As I stated in my North Beach review, we didn't know we weren't gonna be able to access the lighthouse from the North beach, so we didn't get to walk on it. We're gonna go back for that reason alone! We did set out to go to the lighthouse though. We found our way to the South end of the beach and were surprised to find out that they would be putting on a fireworks show. People were entering South beach at a rapid speed and parking was even worse on this side because of the fireworks. Blankets of families were all over the place and we marched our way into a space in the field grass on the beach. The pier was shut down from tourists because they would be releasing the fireworks from there. The summer air had turned cooler as the sun was preparing it's descent and upon learning the fireworks were still 2.5 hours away, we decided to sit on this end of the beach just long enough to watch the sun set and then leave. And we did just that. The people near us were all friendly and having a great time. There was a young man playing his guitar, seemingly all by himself and I watched him and took shadowy pictures of him holding his instrument while the sun danced downwards. South Beach had no police. It also had a shortage of younger people. This side was just as long as the North side, so it's possible that the younger crowd was closer to the pier than we were, but from where we were, this beach was the family beach and North is the Party Beach. Good note to selves. Next time, we will spend our greater time at South and then peak in on North. We watched the boats congregate and gather together for the fireworks show and listened to random conversations of people discussing the upcoming show. There was a lot of grassy areas on this end. There were virtually NONE on north beach. The grass was pointy and long and it hurt to step on. Ask me how I know o.O ???!!!! But the area we found was so wonderful and peaceful and in direct line of the sun. You can also rent paddle boards and kayaks from this side. Prices were dependent on the amount of time you keep the equipment. More children were in the water on this side and everyone just looked genuinely happy. I loved it and can't wait to return. read more
9 years ago
16 years ago
13 years ago
We didn't even notice any graffiti. It was very pretty at sunset. Worth the short walk from downtown to see. read more
9 years ago
I have memories of this public access beach and the lighthouse going back to childhood: of my parents driving us from Kalamazoo on M-43 to the beach, and of rewarding us for not drowning or otherwise embarrassing them by stopping at a now long gone A&W for hot dogs and root beer. As I have gotten older, through college years and now adulthood, this beach and lighthouse remain delightful. The walk to and from the lighthouse is a must. It's a bucket list item. Summer or winter, the beach has something to offer. We love coming down to the beach and parking during miserable weather so we can watch the crazy high waves crashing into the pier. Or coming down here just before the sun sets because what beats a sunset over water? We love coming here in the winter when the lighthouse is caked in ice and the beach is strewn with jagged towers of ice. We love that its very close to the downtown restaurants so we can scamper up to get a meal afterwards. It's clean and people mind their own business. read more
9 years ago
14 years ago
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