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| Saugatuck and Douglas
History Spots |
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Visitors
curious about the history
of the area can tour the S.S. Keewatin, a 350-foot
passenger steamship that once plied the Great Lakes.
The steamship is now a floating maritime museum moored
in Douglas Michigan. Those who want an overview of
the area’s past can take a historic walking
tour or visit the award winning Historical Museum
that traces the roots of Saugatuck
and Douglas in their annual exhibits.
Saugatuck
and Douglas Michigan |
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Bed
& Breakfast Capital
The
Saugatuck Michigan area is known as the Bed &
Breakfast capital of the state and has more than
50 B&Bs, Inns and quaint rustic hotels in
the neighboring resort communities of Saugatuck,
Douglas and Fennville. Bed and Breakfast accommodations
range from pre-Civil War historic houses and mansions
to riverside Inns and country estates. The Inns
of Saugatuck-Douglas-Fennville are open year-round
and are part of the International B&B Tour
Circuit with local innkeepers hosting European
tourists as they bus their way through the state. |
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Year
round festivals and events
Spring
and Summer
in the Saugatuck and Douglas region offers a smorgasbord
of activities. Things get started in May with the
annual Tulip Time Festival
in neighboring Holland
Michigan. |
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In
June,
Saugatuck is home to the Waterfront Film Festival, which
is one  of
the top 10 film festivals in the United States. Summer
in Saugatuck and Douglas brings out the season of art
fairs, a jazz series, chili cook-off and the Harbor
Days/Venetian Nights festival that concludes with a
lighted boat parade and fireworks. Late in the summer,
area restaurants
create their culinary best at the annual Taste of Saugatuck
where visitors can stroll the streets sampling taste-tempting
delights. |
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In
the fall,
visitors can attend the Douglas Octoberfest and the
Jazz Connections concert series. Galleries
 open
their doors during the season for special shows of local
artists and
artist cooperatives. Saugatuck and Douglas also put
on two great Halloween
and Harvest festival parades each fall, which are great
fun for
the whole family. |
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| Autumn
in the Saugatuck and Douglas
area is the time to pick fresh apples, fruits and vegetables
from area berry patches, orchards and roadside markets.
And don’t forget the pumpkins. Visitors can enjoy
a wine tasting at one of the local vineyards and wineries
or buy farm fresh pies and locally made cider from area
farms. |
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During
the holidays,
Saugatuck and Douglas
deck themselves out in the spirit of Christmas by hanging
up more than 500,000 twinkling Christmas
lights in the downtown area. On weekends horse-drawn
carriage rides make the rounds of the city streets.
And don’t forget the annual Saugatuck Christmas
Parade in downtown Saugatuck in December. The parade
is one of the best small town parades in the country.
Even
February winter weather doesn’t stop the fun,
as the the two towns host their annual Mardi Gras parade. |
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Preserve
America Community
Saugatuck
and Douglas, with hundreds of homes and buildings
dating from the 1800s, were recognized in 2004
as two of only 28 communities nationwide to be
awarded the “Preserve America Community”
designation by the White House and the Historic
Preservation Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Some homes in the two towns date from the early
1800s and include dramatic examples of Greek Revival
and Italianate architecture as well as the later
designs in the Arts and Crafts and Colonial Revival
style. |
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Saugatuck and Douglas Golfing
Around
the Saugatuck-Douglas area
are dozens of great golf
courses that range from beautiful open links-style
courses to challenging layouts of lush fairways through
park like settings. |
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There
are about 25 golf courses
within a short drive of Saugatuck  including
the Arnold Palmer designed Ravines Golf Club, which
offers a real golfing
challenge along with stark beauty of a well designed
course. There is also a complete indoor and outdoor
golf practice facility near Saugatuck
with heated tee boxes to keep your game sharp, winter
or summer. |
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The
Saugatuck-Douglas Artist Community
Saugatuck
Michigan is known as the Art Coast of Michigan,
with the mix of the galleries comprising a wide
variety of artistic abilities. The Saugatuck area
has inspired artists to found the Oxbow Summer
Art School near the turn of the last century.
The school is now affiliated with the Art Institute
of Chicago. There are more art galleries per capita
in Saugatuck Michigan, than of any small town
in the Midwest. The town was recently named one
of the top eight most popular art destinations
in the United States and also named in the top
100 art communities in the United States. |
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