A visit to Saugatuck

On my bucket list for this summer was a plan to take a day trip to the nearby beach towns surrounding Grand Rapids. We are lucky to live in a state that has many of them.

On Sunday, Amar and I took advantage of a gorgeous hot summer day to take a day trip to Saugatuck. We set off for the day trip around 11 a.m. The town is about 35 minutes away from Grandville and was really easy to get to.

A quick search of places to eat lunch came up with what seemed like the perfect option – fried food at The Southerner. As I was driving, Amar read off the menu: Biscuits and honey butter and fried chicken. Say no more. As we walked toward the cafe, we realized there would be a wait before we got seated. After we checked in, we grabbed a spot along a table on the patio. There were plenty of seats on the patio and a bartender behind a small bar serving beer, Bloody Mary’s and iced coffee. Amar got a beer and I got some decaf coffee. The half hour wait was pleasant and we stayed cool under leafy trees decorated in hanging bulb lights.

When our table was ready, I was pleased we were seated next to a window overlooking the private docks. The view was lovely. I enjoyed watching families and visitors stroll across the dock, pausing to take in the view and watch boats go by. For our meal, I ordered a fried chicken and honey butter biscuit sandwich. Amar got a pulled pork sandwich with pickles and coleslaw. We had rosemary home fries and a housemade order of pickles as our sides.

From the very first bite of my sandwich, I knew we were in for a real treat. The food was amazing. The biscuit was flaky and melted in my mouth. The combination of the soft biscuit, juicy fried chicken and honey butter was delightful. Amar loved his sandwich and didn’t complain at all about the coleslaw, although he’s normally not a fan. Both of our sides were perfect accompaniments to the main entrees. I highly recommend dining at The Southerner when you stop in Holland.

From there, we were ready for the beach. I discovered in my research prior to arriving in town that Oval Beach was a great place to visit. It was just a short drive from the restaurant. Admission into the beach for a car was $10. We found a spot and made the short walk through the hot sand to the beach. 

We knew we were heading straight for the water, so we found a spot very close by. Amar jumped right in. Although it took me a few minutes longer to get fully immersed, I eventually did. We were able to make it fairly far out and still remain standing in the water. The beach was very clean and well maintained. We both thoroughly enjoyed being in the water on a 90 plus degree heat day. 

We had a wonderful time relaxing on the beach, swimming in the water and people watching. The beach was busy, but not overly crowded, even on a hot summer day. The beach is also family friendly. We saw many families and children building sandcastles and digging tunnels with their shovels. After soaking in the sun for a couple hours, we packed up our gear and headed back to the car to drive home. On the drive away from the beach, I enjoyed seeing the marina and all the homes near the water. Saugatuck is a gorgeous town and we had a great time. On our next visit, we will try a new restaurant and also plan to take a boat ride on the Star of Saugatuck.