From where we leave in Indiana, the Michigan border is only one hour away from us – since I’ve only briefly visited Detroit before, there’s so much here to explore! In our search for a quick weekend getaway, Holland kept coming to our attention. In part because, well, “Holland” sounded like a European getaway without the flights (it’s where we would have gone after graduation if not for COVID-19), but also because of Holland’s many cute small town features and its proximity to Lake Michigan.

If you’re going for a quick weekend trip, this is a great place to go. With features like a full-size original Dutch operating windmill (the only one in the United States!), Lake Michigan feels like an ocean, a beautiful overlook (we miss climbing up to a view!), B&Bs that really feel like you’re in Europe, and an iconic red lighthouse – what more could you want? Even though for us it rained the entire time we still had the best time and that’s when you know it’s a great place to be.

Click the links below to navigate to those spots in the post or scroll through to see it all.

Heinz Waterfront Walkway

downtown holland

windmill island gardens

Big red lighthouse

mount pisgah

tunnel Park

Places to Stay

Heinz Waterfront Walkway

This wasn’t originally part of the adventure, but after driving for two hours, we wanted a place to stretch our legs and walk around and this was a nice place to do that. The Heinz Waterfront Walkway includes a small park, a boat launch, fishing and a nice view of the Heinz factory, which – fun fact – is the worl'd’s largest pickle factory!

Downtown Holland

We didn’t spend too much time in downtown Holland but you could really spend an entire afternoon shopping and eating here. There are general stores and boutiques and also specialty stores like the Wee Dollhouse Shop.

Windmill Island Gardens

Windmill Island Gardens is a bit more on the tourist side, because it caters to trying to replicate Dutch heritage with the De Zwaan windmill (meaning “the swan”, an operating Dutch windmill originally built in 1761), tulip gardens, and an antique street organ that was given as a gift from the Dutch and used to be pulled by horse as it played down the streets of Amsterdam.

The windmill definitely stands as the iconic site, overlooking the rest of the park. It is a real operating mill, producing flour for local bakeries and shops. Because of COVID-19, visitors aren’t allowed to tour the inside windmill to see how the flour is made, but videos are provided to see what it does look like inside and the process of creating the flour that is also available to buy. The gift shop has some fun Holland souvenirs, and you can even try on those wooden clogs that have become an icon of the Netherlands in their own right.

Other than the windmill, the street organ was my favorite thing. It’s been beautifully restored, and the guide showed us the music “sheets” that the organ uses to play (see below).

The tulips are in full bloom the first two weeks of May and there’s even a “Tulip Time” festival, so we’ll be going back.

"Big Red" Lighthouse

I was told that sunsets on Lake Michigan were some of the best in the world, so we planned to visit Holland State Park, see the Holland Harbor Lighthouse aka “Big Red” and watch the sunset. The weather had different plans and it continued to rain with thick clouds blocking the last of the sunlight. Despite this, the red of the lighthouse was more vivid and we were still able to walk along the breakwater where waves lapped against it, causing Matt with non-waterproof shoes to quickly jump on the little protruding stands they had lining it. We reached the steel tower at the end and took in the vastness of Lake Michigan, which truly is so big it feels like the ocean.

We were also able to witness a huge Great Lakes barge coming through the channel! People were lined up on both sides of the inlet to see it pass by and hear its foghorn.

On the second day of our weekend getaway, the sun was coming through! It still drizzled but it made everything more lush and brighter that way. We made it a priority to do one of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip: walking the 239 steps up Mount Pisgah.

Mount Pisgah is actually a 157 foot high dune above Lake Michigan. The leaves are starting to change and the colors were especially vivid this morning. The stairs aren’t super difficult – one note is there’s a sign not allowing dogs because it’s usually more highly trafficked.

The view from the top is amazing – you can see the Big Red Lighthouse and Lake Michigan. On the way back down, all the trees make it feel extra incredible.

Tunnel Park

Tunnel Park is so named because of the tunnel that goes through a dune and opens up into the beachfront on Lake Michigan. You can also climb over the actual dune as well if you’re feeling adventurous!

In warmer weather, I would love to take more time to spend on the nice beaches here – there are a lot of spots to choose from.

Places to Stay

We really wanted to stay in a classic B&B with a really great breakfast in the morning, and at Dutch Colonial Inn Bed & Breakfast, that’s exactly what we got! The only B&B’s I’ve really stayed in have been in Europe, so this really added to the whole weekend experience, and made it feel even more so like we had traveled to another country versus just a few hours away.

They were so hospitable and the breakfast was one of the best I’ve had! We got to know some of the other people staying there as well so it felt very nice and friendly in that way. We were recommended to them by the Cottonwood Inn Bed & Breakfast who had no vacancy at the time and also looked like a great place to stay!

There’s still even more to do in this little town and in all different seasons. You can check out their city website for more activities, as well as up and coming events.