What's Going on in the Area?

  The thought of changing out of my bathing suit and putting on shoes to explore the area rarely evokes action.  Many of our guests and I prefer to while away our time at the lake but, there are those occassional rainy days when you might as well get out and do something.  Here are some area features that might have some interest.

The Village of Paw Paw - It's a small town built on the banks of the Paw Paw River.  The river has been dammed to form Maple Lake.  Maple Lake's public swimming access is on Maple Island, located about 2 miles north of town on M-40.  There is a footbridge to get to the island.

There are about two wineries left in town, the best ones anyway.  They are Warner's and St. Julien.  They are right next to each other so you don't have to move a car.  There are also some interesting dining opportunities near the wineries.

Golf - Lake Cora is ten minutes away.  The rates are reasonable.  It's a bit hilly but short.  Heritage Glen is about 15 minutes away and offers some nice promotional deals.  But a bit pricey without the deals.  Ridgeview is about 20 minutes away.  Cheshire Hills is about 30 minutes away, as are many courses in Kalamazoo.

The Air Zoo - Kalamazoo has an outstanding aviation museum.  They have one of the very few SR-71 spy airplanes plus a bunch of other treasures.  If it's raining, this is a no brainer.

Lake Michigan - South Haven, the closest Lake Michigan access point is about 30 minutes away.  Go north to M-43 then head west to South Haven.  Saugatuck is about 15 minutes north of South Haven and Holland is another 10.  Saugatuck is very quaint and Holland is pretty Dutch.

Cereal City - Before industrial espionage became popular, both Kellogg's and Post Cereal would give tours through their factories.  The smell of roasting Corn Flakes is a fond memory.  Now, they serve you Fruit Loops on top of ice cream and let you wander amongst Tony Tiger and friends.  This is in Battle Creek, about 50 minutes away.

Baseball - There are two minor league baseball teams in the area.  One is in Grand Rapids and the other is in Battle Creek.  (The link to the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays is currently unavailable.)  Each is about an hour away.