Mellowing out in Saugatuck/Douglas . . . .

Downtown Douglas

Photo taken myself

Oval Beach - Saugatuck

I am so grateful to be spending my summer here in Douglas & Saugatuck Michigan. They are two harbor villages that sit on Lake Michigan and are within walking distance of each other. Both are beautiful, although I am partial to Douglas, which is where my cottage is. They are consistently named one of America's top 25 art destinations, and has been tagged "The Art Coast of Michigan". Saugatuck/Douglas was recently ranked fifth among the top 100 vacation destinations in the Midwest.

For theatre: The Saugatuck Center for the Arts presents several Broadway shows all summer long.

For shopping: there is plenty of variety, from preppie to funky; glitzy to avant garde; hip or humorous, eclectic to the truly exquisite.

For fine arts: there is a proliferation of galleries and artist studios, street art fairs, and many diverse do-it-yourself art opportunities. The secluded campus of Ox-Bow School of Art is here, and is affilated with the Art Instutute of Chicago, offering a wide range of summer course work, including metal-smithing, printmaking, performance art, glassblowing, writing, ceramics, painting & drawing.

For Cinematic Arts: Saugatuck hosts the internationally-acclaimed Waterfront Film Festival each June, named the third most popular film festival in the world-after Sundance and Cannes-by the Screen Actors Guild's national magazine.

For retirement: featured on NBC's Today Show as one of the 70 communities identified in Barbara Corcoran's book entitled "Nextville - Amazing Places to Spend the Rest of Your Life".

Art is a way of life here. The art of relaxation, the art of recreation, the art of learning, and the art of nature. Come and visit!