Empty Nester Activities
No longer traveling with children? Enjoy your freedom in Southwest Michigan — your four-season, empty-nester destination. Experience hours of relaxation, adventure and play time during this three-day, self-guided trip full of empty nester activities.
Day 1: Freedom to relax
No need to rush today. Browse. Sip and savor. Explore at your own pace. Then catch a fiery red and gold Lake Michigan sunset at one of our favorite beaches. You will be in no hurry to leave after the gorgeous horizon is replaced by twinkling stars.
Silver Harbor Brewing Company
(Approximately 1 hour)
Housed in a century-old building in St. Joseph, Silver Harbor Brewing Company is a walkable distance from downtown. It serves up locally inspired, new, American-style lunches plus ales and lagers made in the German, Belgium and American traditions. Consider trying Shipfaced, a three-time gold-winning English barley wine ale, or any beer served in a smoke-filled dome.
Silver Harbor also offers local hard ciders and wines and repeat patrons recommend their flatbreads to satiate your hunger. The outdoor patio is a favorite place to chill from late spring to mid-fall.
The Market
(Approximately 1½ hours)
One of the hottest places to eat, drink and be merry shopping is on Main Street in St. Joseph — The Market is an easy walk from Silver Harbor Brewing Company. This 9,000-square-foot building is a food lover’s paradise with The Cheese Lady, St. Joe Community Taproom, Infusco Coffee, The Tea Annex and Spice Merchant, Dad’s Farm & Café, Nola Roux, Wild Ginger Florist and Gifts and The Wine Shoppe. You won’t leave hungry or empty-handed. If you'd like cooking, take a class at The Culinary Cottage!
301 Main St.
St. Joseph, MI 49085
The Heritage Museum & Cultural Center
(Approximately 1 hour)
You may want to drive to this next destination, although it is a walkable few blocks from The Market. For centuries, the men and women of Benton Harbor/St. Joseph changed how we live, work and play. This museum tells stories in informative, permanent and changing exhibits. A seasonal highlight is to take a North Pier Lighthouse Tour. You don’t have to climb to the top of this century-old, life-saving beacon to be awed by Lake Michigan’s vast beauty, but we recommend it!
601 Main St.
St. Joseph, MI 49085
Silver Beach Carousel
(Approximately ½ - 1 hour)
Take a ride or two on this magnificent, hand-carved carousel. Choose from 48 colorful figures and two chariots (one is wheelchair accessible). You'll whirl beneath a thousand twinkling lights as the band organ plays some of the happiest music on earth. Check out the memorabilia from the Silver Beach Amusement Park, and visit the Brass Ring Gift Shop. See the Carousel’s website for current hours, costs and special events.
333 Broad St.
St. Joseph, MI 49085
Silver Beach Pizza
(Approximately 1 hour)
This popular stop holds the title of Best Pizza in Southwest Michigan and is attached to the St. Joseph Amtrak train depot. This family-owned, Italian restaurant’s menu offers a delicious variety of salads, sandwiches, appetizers, gluten-free and vegan options and a children’s menu. Be warned, you may need to order ahead based on wait times. Use the Yelp app to reserve a table while you enjoy all the nearby family friendly activities. In the summer, you will especially appreciate the option of ordering a pizza at the takeout window.
410 Vine St.
St. Joseph, MI 49085
Silver Beach County Park
(Approximately 1-2 hours)
As you walk across the expansive beach, listen to the sand sing beneath your feet. Stroll hand in hand along the shore, or bring your poles and tackle box to fish in the St. Joseph River. Take time to read a book, play volleyball, listen to live music at the Shadowland Pavilion, stand up paddleboard or kayak. Then, stay for the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Come winter, the beach’s landscape turns into a fairy tale vista of sparkling snow and ice. It’s always beach season in Southwest Michigan.
See You In The Morning
You will find more fun to enjoy tomorrow.
Day 2: Freedom to adventure
You can easily enjoy twice the adventure in Southwest Michigan by combining our Makers Trail of local craft wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries with our nearby hiking, biking and water trails. Choose your adventure or do all three — you will sleep well tonight!
Mason Jar Cafe
(Approximately 1 hour)
Start your day with either your complimentary breakfast at your hotel or, better yet, head over to the Mason Jar Café in the Benton Harbor Arts District. This is the go-to place for locally sourced, organic deliciousness from spicy to savory to a selection of lattes, hot chocolates and boozy breakfast drinks.
210 Water St.
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
Warren Dunes State Park
(Approximately 1½ to 2 hours)
This state park is an all-seasons crown jewel in Southwest Michigan. Whether you challenge yourself to climb a 260-foot high dune for an amazing vista of Lake Michigan or leisurely walk the three miles of shoreline or six miles of trails, you will add this park to your return-again list. In addition to being a favorite swimming, hiking, paddling, birding and picnicking destination in the spring through fall, it’s a fun place to sled in the winter, too. And you can see Chicago from here when conditions are right!
Tapistry Brewing Company
(Approximately 1 hour)
Stop by a Makers Trail location for lunch! Tapistry Brewing Company will delight your palate with its smokehouse sandwiches, salads and tacos alongside its hand-crafted beers, hard seltzers and spirits. While you are there, ask about downloading the Makers Trail app between September and May. The more passport destinations you visit, the more stamps you can collect and the more rewards you can earn.
Love Creek County Park & Nature Center
(Approximately 1-1½ hours)
Whether you want a refreshing hike through 100 acres of meadows, forests, marshes and creeks or yearn to mountain bike three miles of beginner trails, you will connect with nature at Love Creek County Park & Nature Center in Berrien Center. This park grooms its trail systems for cross-country skiing and fat tire biking in the winter, too. For a more heart-pumping mountain biking challenge, check out Andrews University Trails in the blog below. It offers over 1,000 feet of elevation per lap.
Lemon Creek Winery
(Approximately ½ - 1 hour)
From Love Creek, take a 15-minute scenic drive to Lemon Creek Winery & Fruit Farm. This is one of our area’s pioneer fruit growers and winemakers dating back 160 years! Choose from dozens of vintages ranging from dry reds to bubbly champagnes. In season, browse through the farm market for just-harvested produce to add to your meals or go into the orchards or vineyards to pick apples and grapes. Now that’s eating fresh! There’s a seasonal produce listing in the blog link below. Get a Makers Trail stamp here, too.
Paddle the Paw Paw River
(Approximately 1-3 hours)
On the Paw Paw River, you can put in at the public launch at North Stevens Street or Third Coast Paddling at 601 Graham Ave. in Benton Harbor. Then enjoy an easy paddle through the Harbor Shores golf community and the outlying wetlands. Bring your canoe, kayak or SUP, or rent your watercraft and equipment from Third Coast Paddling. The best time to paddle is from mid-May to the end of October. If you enjoy seeing wildlife along the river banks, set out in the early morning or early evening.
North Pier Brewing Company
(Approximately 1-1½ hours)
Rest up from your adventuring inside the brewery or in their beer garden. This Maker specializes in Belgian-inspired ales and serves up soft drinks, refreshing Nitro-iced coffees, hard ciders and wines, plus appetizers, tacos, sandwiches and more. If you’re looking to catch another sunset, you’re just two miles from Lake Michigan. Two good places to pull up for the nightly show are Jean Klock Park Beach in Benton Harbor or Tiscornia Beach in St. Joseph.
See You In The Morning
You will find more fun to enjoy tomorrow.
Day 3: Freedom to Play
There are so many carefree ways to spend your third day in Southwest Michigan. Play golf, hunt for antiques or new art for your home, bowl at a cidery, pedal around town in a surrey, see a show or concert or — in the winter — test your skills playing River Rocks at River St. Joe in Buchanan. The good times will keep rolling in like Lake Michigan waves.
Harbor Shores Golf Club
(Approximately 3-4 hours)
As you are planning your trip, make reservations for a tee time at one of Southwest Michigan’s courses. A favorite is this Jack Nicklaus Signature design and the biennial site of the KitchenAid® Senior PGA Championship. You don’t have to be a pro to have fun playing the three dramatic holes with sweeping vistas of Lake Michigan; nine holes bordering the beautiful banks of the Paw Paw River, Ox Creek and its wetlands; and six holes with rolling hills and ravines. Consider the six other scenic courses listed in the blog link below.
Lunch at Harbor Shores
(Approximately 1 hour)
The Grille and Greenside Bar present simplistic fare, done exceptionally well, and an extensive selection of spirits, wines and local craft beers. The chef serves up everything from wings to parmesan-pomegranate salad to hot chicken sandwiches, Chicago-style hotdogs and Caprese pasta. Share your golf stories inside or on the patio, weather permitting.
Play Creative Connections
(Approximately ½-2 hours)
The arts thrive in Southwest Michigan. To add to the fun of sampling the different art, music, performance and museum venues, you can play the Creative Connections Game and earn artsy prizes between May and the end of April. The more Creative Connections destinations you visit, the more stamps you can collect and the more prize levels you can reach. Spend time today visiting participating art galleries, taking a class together, attending a show at The Mendel Center, The Acorn, Twin City Players or exploring a museum. It’s so enriching.
Southwest Michigan
Thanks for joining us!
We hope you enjoyed your travels throughout Southwest Michigan. Check out other trips that you can take on our itineraries page.
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