We went on the "Wine on the Water" boat cruise on Saturday afternoon. It was very well run and…read moreorganized. The wine lady brought some great wine and explained them very well. I loved the views from the boat, our group preferred the upper deck. I am definitely telling others to take this tour or another like it when they visit Saugatuck!

Star of Saugatuck is the local version of a short pleasure cruise familiar in many river towns …read more Here, you put a two-deck sightseeing vessel on the Kalamazoo River, run people up and down looking at sights, and, if the weather is good, you wow them with a spin on Lake Michigan. The staff seems very competent, and our trip - with seats reserved in a shaded portion of the upper deck - was very good. A couple factors contributed to making the experience less satisfying than I preferred. First - and admittedly knowing nothing about the costs of this business model - I notice that pricing seemed significantly higher compared to similar cruises in other places I've visited. Second, and a real downer for suburbanite John H., Saugatuck street parking on a summer weekend is a nightmare comparable to a large city. You might prefer to find the interurban shuttle or arrange a dropoff to ease the stress. After all, a boat ride like this is supposed to fun, right?

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.

First time in Saugatuck and we were looking for some things to do on the water. I saw the ad for…read moreRetro Boats, so we decided to make a reservation. We chose "Ruby" and a time for 11:30 am. The reservation process was very easy and we were even able to take our little dog on the boat with us! The 3 of us enjoyed a nice, relaxing ride with pretty scenery and beautiful weather. The employees are friendly and helpful and gave us easy to follow instructions. The ride takes about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish. The boat does not go much over 5 mph and is pretty easy to maneuver. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a fun, leisurely way to spend an hour or two. We even saw a few turtles!

What a wonderful way to explore the opening to the Kalamazoo River from Lake Michigan! We rented…read moreRuby the retro boat yesterday to tool around in at 4mph. The boat itself is a beauty and so eye catching. It was my husband's birthday so we brought along our daughter and her boyfriend to help us celebrate. We could've purchased from their wide variety of beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) but we were too excited to get the show on the road. The young lady provided us with instructions on where we could boat around and what the general etiquette is on the lake. Everything went off without a hitch and we got the boat back right on time. The people running the facility were very helpful and friendly. We did get an adult beverage before our launch. They have a wonderful bar area you can sit and watch the boats go by while you wait for your turn! Overall a wonderful experience!

It was a pretty cool experience to be on a sail boat on Lake Michigan. The boarding was easy, the…read morecrew was knowledgeable and friendly. Seating is padded but no backs on the seats. You could stand if you wanted and help raise the sails if you wanted to. They provide us with a bottle of water or soda and a bag of chips. However, you could also take your own snacks onto the boat including liquor if you so desired. It was a 2 hours sailing trip and we left and returned within that time frame. The boat held about 20 folks and our tour was full but still plenty of room to not feel crowded. It was nice to sail out of the harbor through a canal lined with homes as we reached Lake Michigan. That part of the trip took about 20-25 minutes each way leaving about an hour to be on the lake. Once we were on the lake is when the crew with the help of various patrons raised the sails. However, we had very little wind so we really never sailed. Which for me made the trip a little boring. It would have been nice actually feel like you were sailing as a posed to just siting on the water drifting. We were maybe a mile off shore and the boat captain did tell us some history of a city that was discovered buried under the sand dunes in that area. The parking is close with bathrooms between the parking lot and the dock. So very easily accessible. Parking was free.

We probably lucked out and had the best possible conditions last night for a late-summer sunset…read moresail: calm waters but enough wind to allow us to truly sail. Also, it was a very warm night so the breeze and cooler temps on the lake were pretty perfect. The crew was exceptional and was willing to engage in conversation if that's what you were looking for, but this is not really a tour... more of an experience and an opportunity to see the beauty of Lake Michigan and the Michigan shore. I would recommend this to anyone who can handle a little bit of adventure on the water.

Looking for something fun to do while in Saugatuck or Douglas? Take a ride on a Duck!…read more Ride a WWII amphibious transport truck through the towns and harbour between them. Funny insight and a witty captain make for a fun ride. Plan ahead and bring cash as that is all they take for payment.

It looked like great fun and wanted to do it with our daughter. Per the published info, the ticket…read morewindow opens at 10. Tours go every hour. #Methinksnot. First visit to the window I was told tours may or may not go based on demand. Please come back at 12. Well, there were not enough people at 12, but there was a larger group booked at 1. Please come back at 1. At 1 o'clock the large group decided they may or may not go. Since the phones at the ticket window don't work, I leave my # with the guy at the window and he will call me from his cell to confirm so I don't have to waste a third trip. He calls me a little later to tell me the tour is set and ready to go at 2 and would we like to go? I confirm and am told to be back at the window at 2. At 1:58, we see the "Duck" pull away as I step to the ticket window. Different guy is sitting there, had no clue we were coming. Sorry, no can't do, this ride is gone. I am sure the experience on this attraction is great, judging by the feedback from others. Customer service and reliability to actually experience it? Nonexistent.

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.

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!

We booked this for a bachelorette party and were supposed to leave at 8, when captain Sam didn't…read moreshow up by 8:30 we called and no one would answer. We finally got ahold of him and he said he wasn't told he was supposed to be there (which was a lie). He then showed up at 9 and we were pulled over by DNR at 9:30 and forced to go back because they couldn't provide proof of registration. Our captain Sam "forgot" to mention he had gotten pulled over by the same cops YESTERDAY. When we got back the cop who pulled us over informed us that they have pulled them over multiple times and they are fully aware that they are doing this illegally and on a watch list. We tried to confront Sam after talking to the cops and he ran to his car and left the property. We are currently trying to get a refund and they are not cooperating. DO NOT GIVE THEM SERVICE.

I had a corporate team outing lined up weeks in advance. At 2:30 AM the night before our event, I…read morereceived a text message saying that they had an issue with the coast guard and may not be able to keep our reservation. So, you didn't know this at least a day or two before?! They offered to process a refund, which I'd expect to be their minimum offering to fix the situation. I had to frantically call other boat rentals in town and line up a Plan B. I never heard from them until well after our event was supposed to start. They did provide a refund. I would never suggest this business.

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

From the owner: Aboard the sailing vessel "Julianna", it's your gateway to memorable sailing adventures on the…read moreenchanting Lake Michigan. We're anchored in Douglas, MI, ready to share our love for these waters with both seasoned sailors and budding adventurers. Our experienced Captain Tim, a sailing enthusiast since his teenage years, helms our journey. His passion for Lake Michigan's beauty and serenity has shaped our mission: to make the thrill and tranquility of sailing accessible to all. At Sailing with Julie, we offer more than a boat ride. We provide an experience filled with adventure, relaxation, and awe-inspiring views. So, come join us and let Captain Tim guide you through the captivating waters of Lake Michigan. Your adventure is just a sail away with Sailing with Julie. We can't wait to share our passion for sailing with you.

On our recent trip to Saugatuck, we decided to rent a pontoon boat to check out the city from a…read moredifferent perspective. We rented the larger of the two boats and had plenty of room for our party of 10. Gas comes included in the price of the rental and the boat was in great shape. Only suggestion would to be modernize it some to allow for plugging in USB charging cables, etc.

We had a great time here! It was the best time ever! We came for a bachelorette party and it was…read morethe best part of the weekend. The boat rentals were very efficient and the view was amazing! Martin helped us, he was amazing- he was so polite to us, even as the crazy bachelorette party was being crazy and probably obnoxious. We would come here again for sure, and definitely say hey to the friendly employees like Martin we encountered there. Definitely recommend!