Tower Marina, photo courtesy Felicia Fairchild.

Now that you’ve nourished your body, take some time to feed your aesthetic sensibilities. Dubbed the Art Coast of Michigan, Saugatuck features approximately 30 galleries where you can shop for clothing, jewelry, pottery, sculptures and paintings made by local artists. Visitors from Chicago will feel right at home at the more than 100-year-old Ox-Bow school of the arts, which is affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago. The area’s annual highlights include the Venetian Festival on the last weekend in July and the Tast of Saugatuck food festival on the last Sunday of August. You can take in live performances during the summer at the Mason Street Warehouse and Red Barn Theater, or catch Music in the Park at the Wicks Park Gazebo on Water Street.

View from Mount Baldhead, photo courtesy Felicia Fairchild.

From the end of May through late September, you can get an introduction to the natural history of the magnificent dune land with a guided nature walk at Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. Or take the 1.8-mile hike up Mount Baldhead, affectionately known as “Mount Baldy.” If architecture is more your style, the Saugatuck/Douglas Historical Society organizes walking tours of the historic downtown area during July and August.