Harbor Homes and Scenes from New Buffalo, Michigan
A couple weeks ago I featured a tour of the charming little Airbnb cottage where we stayed on our recent trip to Lake Michigan. I also shared several of the charming bungalows and cottages from the town. Today I’m showcasing more of the beautiful harbor homes and a few other scenes from this adorable lakeside town that’s certainly worth a visit.
When you’re in search of a low-key vacation for the entire family to enjoy, New Buffalo definitely comes to mind. The beach is beautiful and not overcrowded. You’ll find plenty of shops and great restaurants. The streets are friendly and very walkable, and there’s plenty of nature to enjoy. You can also rent bikes or boats. Not to mention there’s plenty of in-town lodging. When I’m on vacation, I always like to explore where people live and admire the homes and landscaping.
The two-toned blue house above and below is close to the harbor and beach. In addition to having amenities like a full porch and great curb appeal, it has the most unique driveway in town!
This charming home with a two-story porch is a vacation rental. It was just blocks from our Airbnb which means it’s in walking distance to town and the beach.
You’ll find lots of big porches on the harbor homes of New Buffalo. It’s such a quaint town.
It’s always nice to find an attractive red house when walking around. Especially when the porch is decorated with white wicker furniture. Even the garage has plenty of appeal!
You’ll find a few modern homes, too. This one is located next door to where we stayed. The streets are quiet with plenty of birds chirping.
When you get closer to the beach, you’ll find more vacation units, like this newer home with three condos.
A series of townhomes with amazing views are located right along the harbor. Walk a couple blocks south to town for coffee, ice cream, or a sandwich, or walk a couple blocks north to the beach.
Whitaker Street is the main drag though town. Detailed building facades house shops on the first level and vacation rentals on the upper floors.
The colorful buildings and architectural trim add to the charm and appeal of New Buffalo, which is located just north of the Indiana-Michigan border along the lake. It was a 2-hour drive for us from the Chicago suburbs.
In fact, you can hop on the Amtrak in Chicago and get off the train right across the street from this series of condos located along the harbor.
Here’s the rear-side of the building above. Plenty of balconies and windows to enjoy views of the lake and harbor with all the boats coming in and out.
I believe the homes on the other side of the harbor that you see are private residences. They face Lake Michigan so they enjoy waterfront views from every window of the house.
The beach at New Buffalo is fairly large and clean. It wasn’t too crowded which was great.
A few dunes with sandy paths are just off the beach if you want to explore and get different views of the lake. Even Zoe didn’t mind all the walking we did.
Just outside of town is beautiful Galien River County Park with stretches of boardwalk across the marsh and river. I used it as an opportunity to teach Zoe about how plants in the wetland areas filter the water and keep it clean. The park also has woodsy trails and an overlook station. If you visit the area, this park is worth a visit.
Zoe said her favorite part of the trip was the beach. I’ll definitely visit New Buffalo again.
And … I promised to announce the winner of the book, Visions of Home. Congratulations to Carol S!! For those of you who didn’t win, you can still order a copy to enjoy:
See More of Michigan:
The Riverfront Beauty of South Haven
Fall on the Farm in Southwest Michigan
Love all the colors, what a pretty town to visit.
What a nice little vacation town! Can you identify the flowers in the flower boxes shown in the picture of the multi story balcony building? They are so pretty! I have a window flower box that gets A LOT of hot afternoon Florida sun and I’m always on the look for flowering plants that might be “easy care” for that area. Thanks!
Congrats Carol for the book win! What a nice gift. One of these days I hope to visit Michigan. I bet it’s a neat fall place to visit as well. The two-tone paint on those homes is unique plus the driveway pattern and color..wow! Creative.
I’m probably a dreamer, I believe all houses need porches and balconies. Those are your first welcoming scene.
Thank you for this lovely post. Glad you two had a great time.
So beautiful! I grew up in New Buffalo and always loved the improvements made through the years, however the locals do not appreciate it. I got tired of the locals calling the vacationers cussing names and their mean attitudes that I left.