Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in South Haven (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: South Haven Light, Friends Good Will, and Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum. Also, be sure to include Michigan Flywheelers Museum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in South Haven (Michigan).
Table of Contents
South Haven Light
Lighthouse in Van Buren County, Michigan. The South Haven South Pierhead Light is a lighthouse in Michigan, at the entrance to the Black River on Lake Michigan. The station was lit in 1872, and is still operational. The tower is a shortened version of the Muskegon South Pierhead Light, and replaced an 1872 wooden tower. The catwalk is original and still links the tower to shore: it is one of only four that survive in the State of Michigan.[1]
Address: South Pier, 49090 South Haven
Friends Good Will
Friends Good Will is a working American reproduction of the historical Friends Good Will, a merchant square-rigged topsail sloop that was overtaken by the events of the War of 1812. The British captured her in a ruse of war shortly after they captured Fort Mackinac, and renamed her HMS Little Belt. In British service she was armed with a 9-pounder pivot gun and two 6-pounder guns. The Americans recaptured her during the Battle of Lake Erie. She then served in the US Navy before the British destroyed her at the end of December 1813.
The current vessel was built in 2004, at Scarano Boat Building, Inc. in Albany, New York, and was sailed by volunteers through Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan to the Michigan Maritime Museum, in South Haven, Michigan where she brings the area's history to life through educational tours, day sails, and school field trips. She can also be found visiting ports throughout the Great Lakes for maritime festivals and American Sail Training Association races.
During Michigan winters, Friends Good Will remains at the Michigan Maritime Museum. Her lines, spars, and sails are removed each October during the downrigging process, and inspected, repaired and/or replaced during ongoing winter maintenance by the volunteers of the ship's company. The following April, the ship's company removes the vessel's cover and performs her uprigging over the course of two weekends.
USS Providence, John Paul Jones' first command as a captain, was a similar square topsail sloop.[2]
Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum
Museum in South Haven, Michigan. The Liberty Hyde Bailey Birthplace, now the Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum, is a farmhouse located at 903 Bailey Avenue in South Haven, Michigan, and is significant as the birthplace and childhood home of horticulturist Liberty Hyde Bailey. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1963 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[3]
Address: 903 S Bailey Ave, 49090-9701 South Haven
Michigan Flywheelers Museum
Specialty museum, Museum
Address: 06285 68th Street, South Haven
Van Buren State Park
State park in Van Buren County, Michigan. Van Buren State Park is a 400-acre state park on Lake Michigan four miles south of South Haven, Michigan, United States. The park, which is maintained and operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, is located in the southwest corner of South Haven Township and the northwest corner of Covert Township, just north of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. The Van Buren County–owned North Point Conservation Area is located directly north of the park. The park has forested sand dunes, camping, and a swimming beach.[4]
Address: 23960 Ruggles Rd, 49090-9492 South Haven