Grand Haven

[GRDadof3]

Grand Haven sits at the mouth of the Grand River, where it enters Lake Michigan. It's a beautiful little city, and is only 20 miles West of Grand Rapids and sits basically in the Grand Rapids/Holland/Muskegon Metro area. It gets it nickname Coastguard City USA because it's one of a few Coast Guard stations serving Lake Michigan, and has a long history of Coast Guard service.

I have to admit that I hadn't been to Grand Haven in about 3 years, and wow what a change! A lot of new infill near the Grand Theatre, as well as along Harbor Drive that was not there before. And it was good to see the old Meijer site on 31 put to use again. Way to go GH!

Photo collage coming soon...

[Ka3kab]

Ugh, I have to go there this weekend. A wedding, trust me, I would not leave Traverse City this time of year without a very good purpose. Oh well, at least Grand Haven is pretty much just like TC.

[GRDadof3]

Well, hopefully these pictures will get you more in the mood.

Actually, we start with a new development of an old manufacturing plant in Spring Lake:

A sign for the new Grand Landing development (in the GR forum):

Some great infill in a depressed corner of downtown

Downtown

[GRDadof3]

Coming up..Grand River Channel Boardwalk

[GRDadof3]

Bring the bike!

[GRDadof3]

Radical wakeboarders!!

Spray from a cigarette boat heading out (hard to describe the sound/feel of the low roar, even from the beach):

I'll post more tomorrow...

[MJLO]

Wow Jeff you're going Grand Haven crazy over here! I want to see some pics of the strip when it's packed with people and cars are moving about 5mph. It gets so packed that cops don't even have bikes, they just step out in front of cars and flag them over. WOW I miss GH right now. There is NOTHING like a Michigan summer.

[GRDadof3]

But wait Matt, there's more.

Headed back downtown from a long day at the beach. All the large cigarette boats are in GH for the Smoke on the Water event today (Saturday). Over 100 boats race to different port cities to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation.

GR Press Article

Here's another common Grand Haven traffic jam

The Sheriff's a little out-gunned in this town. You can see why Michigan is THE reigning Boat Capital of the World.

At least GVSU is not gas guzzling like the rest of the these boats

I've never seen so much development in GH before

[GRDadof3]

Traffic wasn't bad for a Friday afternoon

[GRDadof3]

And a quick switch back to Smoke on the Water

And back downtown

One of the first factory conversions in West Michigan

Whew! That's all folks.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Grand Haven is a very cool place. Thanks for the great pics, you certainly captured the essence of the place.

[Michi]

What an amazing part of our state! You can imagine how geeked I was last summer when I went to Grand Haven for the first time...arrived at night, walked down to the boardwalk viewing platform and saw the tail end of the fountain show! I was just bummed I missed it, but the cool thing was that my 2 friends and I met this old, retired couple who were back from their home in Kentucky and we got into a big conversation about Michigan, the east side and the west side, up north, and the UP. They said I'd have to come back in order to see the fountain show because it is so cool.

When I think of Grand Haven, I automatically think of the scenes from American Pie.

The Great Lakes are Michigan's greatest asset and the photos shown here are an example why that is.

[6th Gen local]

You got a picture of Snug Harbor and not of Pronto Pup? Shame on you GRDad. Pronto Pup may be the most profitable 60 square feet in Grand Haven.

[GRDadof3]

You got a picture of Snug Harbor and not of Pronto Pup? Shame on you GRDad. Pronto Pup may be the most profitable 60 square feet in Grand Haven.

I've never been, so I'm not even sure if I missed it or not. I'll have to go back through my pics. Where's it located?

[6th Gen local]

I've never been, so I'm not even sure if I missed it or not. I'll have to go back through my pics. Where's it located?

You were standing right next to it when you took that picture of the deck at Snug Harbor. In fact from what I can see you took 2 or 3 pictures while standing next to it.

Far be it from me to tell you what to take pictures of, but Pronto Pup is as much a Grand Haven institution as is Snug Harbor.

[GRDadof3]

You were standing right next to it when you took that picture of the deck at Snug Harbor. In fact from what I can see you took 2 or 3 pictures while standing next to it.

Far be it from me to tell you what to take pictures of, but Pronto Pup is as much a Grand Haven institution as is Snug Harbor.

Ah. It MUST be small, because I don't think I've ever noticed it before. I've heard of it though.

[dtown]

cool pics GRDad, looks like a cool town.

[blueradon]

I think Grand Haven needs to get rid of those ugly outdated traffic lights...YUCK....did they recycle Grand Rapids old lights or something?

They need a lampost kinda thing goin on there like EGR

But yes all of those photos are awesome, I'm going to show some of them to my Grandma she's all about photography/scenery...

This is going to inspire me to do a little photo tour of my own

[Veloise]

Bring the bike!

Looks like the kind of trick I'd pull, were I ever unwillingly forced into boat ownership.

oh, wait, I would have a souped-up pedal boat with decent gearing.

[mgman]

I have always said that the best things in life were created on the shores of Lake Michigan, i.e. me. But Grand Haven is a cool beach town. The one bad thing is that they need more parking next to the beach, I do not know how many times I have had to walk from downtown or one of the neighborhoods to get to the beach on a busy weekend.

[superNOVA]

I was just there a little while ago and have to say that I was very impressed. It had been a few years since my last visit (shame on me, I live in GR) and there have been tons of changes.

All I have to say is thank god GH has never been transformed into a tacky coastal town with high rises blocking the beach from everything.

You can see why Michigan is THE reigning Boat Capital of the World.

I thought we just lost this title?

[GRDadof3]

I was just there a little while ago and have to say that I was very impressed. It had been a few years since my last visit (shame on me, I live in GR) and there have been tons of changes.

All I have to say is thank god GH has never been transformed into a tacky coastal town with high rises blocking the beach from everything.

I thought we just lost this title?

Nope, I believe Michigan regained it again in 2005 from California. I'll have to check my sources....

[Kayak1]

The one thing that i like about Grand Haven that Holland does not have is how downtown is so close to the beach/pier. YOu can walk from downtown to the pier and back, get some ice cream or pronto pup and sit down and watch the musical fountains. I am a Hollander but give me Grand Haven on a summer weekend and I am set.

[Ka3kab]

And here I thought I was going to miss being in Traverse City last weekend while I was at a wedding in Grand Haven. Honestly, I felt like I never left TC. SUV's, people in khaki shorts and polos and downtown was closed on a saterday night by 9 o'clock. Just like home.