Beach town for a group of girls looking to have fun?

My wife and her 6 girlfriends want to go to a beach town along Lake Michigan this summer. All of my research really shows that it%26#39;s all very family oriented, which is fine, but they are looking to have a long ';girls weekend'; going out to some cool bars, a spa, etc. Does anyone have a recommendation of a beach town that may have a little bit of that, or is this just the wrong area for wanting that?

Thanks,

Shane

Beach town for a group of girls looking to have fun?

How far do they want to travel?

My first recommendation is the Traverse City area, but that could be a 5 hour drive from IL. I am going assume you are from the Chicago area. It has most of everything the girls could want-great restaurants, museums, shopping (mall, downtown, scattered gift shops, tourist, other nearby small town boutiques), scenic rides, sports, plenty of bars/nightlife, and of course, beaches/water. Inland lakes and large bays and Great Lakes. Lodging runs the whole gamut.

If you want closer, than I would think the South Haven/Saugatuck areas would serve their needs and desires. Great beaches, state parks, lighthouses, shopping (less than the TC region), bike trails, restaurants, and some nightlife. Lodging available, but again, not as much as offered in the TC region.

I am not familiar with St. Joseph, but I hear it is very nice. Someone else hopefully will chime in.

Petoskey/Charlevoix/Harbor Springs (further north than TC) also offers the gamut of activities that TC does, too.

Let us know where you are most interested in knowing about.

Beach town for a group of girls looking to have fun?

St Joseph would certainly be a close great option at only about 90 minutes from downtown Chicago. Your wife could rent a house near the beach downtown St Joseph -- then walk to Silver Beach and the lighthouse. The restaurants %26amp; bars are only a couple of blocks away too --and there are planty to choose from. Everything is very convienient. St Joseph has some shopping downtown too. South Haven and Saugatuk are a quick day trip away and have lots of fun shops too. Also nearby St Joseph are 6+ wineries and also 25 miles south near New Buffalo is the Four Winds casino. Check out http://www.sjtoday.org

Let me know if you need anymore info.

Yep, St. Joseph sounds like an ideal place. I will have to give that town a try myself this summer! It is about the only place in MI we have not been.

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