Benton Harbor, once home to the Eden Springs Amusement Park and one of the greatest semipro ball teams of all time, is not a place one should spend any more time than necessary. I’d advise just blowing through it on Business I-94, pausing to check out the ruins of old theaters and the once-majestic Landmark Hotel (a sign outside reads “Transients Welcome”), before zooming left onto Britain Avenue.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The South Cliff Inn (1900 Lakeshore; 616-983-4881) is a quaint, homey bed-and-breakfast with superclean rooms bathed in the aroma of potpourri. Rooms range from $70-$110, but it’s worth shelling out for the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. Owner Bill Swisher provides an ultracomfy atmosphere with an intriguing collection of soaps in the washroom and delicious homemade breakfasts, most of which seem to involve streusel. The 1924 two-story B and B the Chestnut House (1911 Lakeshore; 616-983-7413) offers cozy, romantic rooms adorned with fresh flowers. It’s in the same price range as the South Cliff–$85 to $110–but to my taste just a little too close to a cemetery: there’s one about 50 feet from the entrance.
The budget conscious might opt for the Spartan rooms of the Snowflake Motel (3822 Red Arrow Highway; 616-429-3261) on the northern outskirts of Saint Joe. Designed in Frank Lloyd Wright style and constructed by Wright’s son-in-law, this snowflake-shaped complex’s rooms range from $27.50 for a single bed to $35 for a double. The adjacent shot-and-a-beer joint, the Flake Lounge, looks like a good place to get your ass kicked; it prominently features a sign declaring “Profanity Will Get You Nowhere But Out of Here.”
In spring and summer, cherries, peaches, and apples are plentiful in southwestern Michigan, which makes it a great location for country drives and bike rides. One highly recommended short drive is off I-94’s exit 39 to Coloma. If you tool down Friday Road and explore the neighboring byways there are dozens of opportunities to wander through orchards and sample fresh cider. Miller Orchards (3265 Friday; 800-457-7892), with its old barn market selling 15 varieties of juices and ciders, is just one of a bunch.
On your way out of town, you can buy souvenirs at any of a number of downtown Saint Joe shops. State Street is lined with bookstores, sheet-music emporiums, and whats-it shops. State Street’s Mole Hole has a good selection of kitsch (toy cellular phones), pottery gnomes, and smelly stuff. The Toy Company provides an excellent selection of children’s books. And the G.C. Murphy Company Variety Store, at its State Street location since 1939, offers everything you’d find at your neighborhood five-and-dime only much cleaner.
