GordonThree,
You wrote:
"The entire West coast of lower Michigan is beautiful ... Grand Haven state park is _VERY_ popular, likely it's already sold out for this year. I don't understand it myself, not my idea of a "park"."
Well, the over 2 million that visit the State Park at Grand Haven as it's one of a kind and the 7+ million people who visit Grand Haven each year sure must "get it" or "understand why"!
Like having your own RV right on the simply gorgeous beach in the middle of over 50 square miles of a pristine clean, very safe and affordable vacation/resort area. Complete with not only the very wide long pure sugar sand golden beach and vast lake of fresh water to play in but the huge Grand River along the north side of the CG with huge ships coming and going and thousands of pleasure boats of all sizes and types to watch. Beach activities galore including kite festivals, Pro beach volleyball, college beach pole vaulting, and so much more or just lay and bake with the cool lake breezes keeping you cooled down. Natural air conditioning and few ever turn on their RV air during their full time caming there as it's not needed. Average temp in summer is 80 daytime high and 60 at night for a low. Not bad ehhh? Sunsets to die for over the lake at night and usually with gorgeous colors too. All just outside your RV's door.
Then add the over a quarter mile long wide public cement pier that juts out into Lake Michigan and the many mile long wide paved fancy boardwalk going from it along the river with multiple bathrooms, the many backed nice seats and benches, food/snacks etc, and scenery all the way to downtown (7 blocks) going thru well kept parks and lots of grassey areas all the way and the U.S. Coast Guard command station too. Inland from the boardwalk is the very nice skate park, Mulligan's Hollow Recreation Area, the little kids Imagination Station gym structures, and the big YMCA. When downtown, there the Waterfront Stadium facing the river and the huge musical fountain and beyond that is the municipal marina and the charter fishing fleet docks with lots of shops to browse thru, the splash pad for kids and adults, miniture golf, and yup more food and snacks and picnic tables for the public.
Not tired yet and still hungry? Gobs of restaurants and outdoor cafes etc and of course coffee shops. Lots of night time entertainment and pubs. Then the real shopping or window shopping begins. Tired of shopping? lots of live street entertainmet, concerts, performances and all are free. Too tired to walk back? No problem, jump on one of the trolleys that goes back and forth from the State Park or one of the about 2 dozen Harbor Transit busses. If you brought your bikes, there's about 160 miles of paved bike paths to explore. The fishing is great and there's so much other stuff to do including several museums, climblng tall sanddunes, boating, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, great golf courses, countless miles of hiking trails and you name it!
That's why the about a dozen CG's here are so busy and they are building another big one (approx 250 sites) as I type. RV'ers come here from all over the country and Canada to have fun, do something and see things, not just sit at their RV as it's a place to eat, relax, and sleep and they are simply out enjoying themselves most of the time. Of course, you can just sit by your RV and watch others have fun if that's what floats your boat!
We've lived here for 73 years and are never bored as there's so much to do and see constantly.
GordonThree, seem all those millions seem to understand "why" as they just keep on coming back year after year and then their kids do the same when they get on their own or have a family. Now maybe you understand too!
