You can make day visits to the Ludington State Park, of course. There's a nice walk (mile and a half, I think) to the lighthouse, for one thing. Not sure if there's a playground area (been a long time since I was there), but I wouldn't be surprised if there were one.
Take a day trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes. On the way there or back, if you want to swim there's a nice place, North Bar Lake, just north of Empire a couple of miles (take Bar Lake Rd.). Manistee has a good park with beach and lighthouse, too.
South of there, Silver Lake SP area has driveable sand dunes. You can rent a dune buggy and kick up some sand.
Mike G.
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. --Frederick Douglass
photo: Yosemite Valley view from Taft Point
