Gateway to Michigan’s Harbor Country

Discovered by Chicagoans decades ago, the once-sleepy city of New Buffalo, Michigan, now has all that a trendy destination needs: Celebrity sightings, Victorian-era buildings in the downtown housing artisan home goods, contemporary clothing and modern American handicrafts, as well as farm-to-table restaurants.

But New Buffalo — the first in a string of charismatic Lake Michigan beach towns strung along its eastern shore — has retained its small-town charm.

“Our downtown is close to the marina, making it easy to dock your boat and walk the block or so into town,” says Jim Oselka, general manager of Oselka’s Snug Harbor, which was founded by his grandfather Paul Oselka in 1957. Initially, Snug Harbor had 200 or so slips; the number is now up to 1,000, and there are transient slips available. Jet ski and boat rentals with or without captains are available.

Not only is Snug Harbor close to the downtown but it’s also close to New Buffalo Beach and Lakefront Park with its 800 feet of Lake Michigan beach frontage, concession stands, foot showers, boat ramp and lifeguards on duty during the day. Also conveniently close is the Municipal Marina west of the Whittaker Street Bridge, which has 30 slips available to guests for transient use.

“New Buffalo and the surrounding area has something for everyone no matter the time of year or the weather,” says Kimberlee Wendt, executive director of Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce, which covers eight of the small villages and towns comprising what is known as Harbor Country. “We have new restaurants and shops opening as well as long-time favorites that have been part of the community. Our beach is beautiful, and there are lots of options for watersports rentals. And boaters can opt to stay on land as there are many places to stay nearby to what New Buffalo has to offer that doesn’t require a car.”

Marina Grand Resort, located on New Buffalo Harbor, features such amenities as an indoor and outdoor pool, fitness room, rooftop deck for views and catching the breeze, and the Terrace Room, a from-scratch Italian restaurant. There’s even a Ben & Jerry’s hotline that delivers your favorite flavors from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Want ice cream later than that? Well, you’ll have to go pick it up.

Take it aboard

The best of Southwest Michigan — tagged in the early 1900s as the “Fruit Belt” because of its abundance of farms, vineyards and orchards — can be found at Mick Klüg Farm, an urban farm market with produce sourced from the 270-acre Mick Klüg Farm, a third-generation family farm founded in the 1930s. Sisters-in-law Abby Klüg Schilling and Bae Schilling, run the market, which is located behind Starbucks on Whitaker Street in the city’s downtown. Urban-country chic in design, there’s a cute outdoor patio for enjoying ciders, smoothies and lots of edibles for boaters to take aboard.

“We strive to have everything one might need for a day trip, overnight or weekend: Breakfast, quality nibbles and quick meals,” says Bae Schilling. “In addition to farm-fresh fruit and vegetables, we have fresh cut flowers, charcuterie items, pickled items, quick meals (like fresh pasta kits and tomato soups), as well as breakfast meats, eggs, cheeses, jams, honey, syrup, biscuit mix, granola, yogurt and more. It’s everything needed to make a boating experience delightful, delicious and easy.”

A hoppin’ place

Long a farming tradition in Southwest Michigan, the number of hop farms has surged as more and more breweries open. The two breweries in New Buffalo out of the 14 breweries in Southwest Michigan both have an interesting setting.

Billed as the “world’s first Brewery Pizzeria Napoletana in a Civil War era iconic church,” Beer Church Brewing Co. also boasts the largest outdoor bar in Michigan as well. Quaff one of its brews such as a Crème Brûlée Blonde Ale or a hard seltzer (think Frizzante Duro made with cranberry puree) and consider signing up for a private pizza-making party in one of the two wood-fire pizza kitchens. After all, who doesn’t want to drink beer and eat pizza in a church built in 1861? Ghost Isle Brewing may seem like an odd name for a restaurant and microbrewery, but the land has been in the Sima family for almost 75 years and generations of children listened to ghost stories about the place where they frequently played. Whether the stories are true or not, the major spirits found here are its beer and hard ciders. Sip a beer and enjoy the locally sourced food as well as the expansive views of the 156-acre Galien River Marsh.