Best Downtown
1. St. Joseph, Michigan
Called the “Riviera of the Midwest,” St. Joseph, Mich., offers an unusual mix of retail and recreation, with streetscapes enhanced by integrated parkland.
Silver Beach, a county park right in the downtown area, is the venue for popular activities for locals and visitors. There are concerts by the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra at Shadowland Pavilion, beach volleyball, and Venetian Festival activities, including fireworks, dancing, ethnic food booths and more. Anchoring the bluffside view of Lake Michigan at Silver Beach is renowned sculptor Richard Hunt’s sky-piercing, stainless-steel sculpture.
Shopping is a delight for the senses. Just down the street from the 1870-built railway station, served today by Amtrak, are quaint shops alternating with two art galleries and tempting eateries. This summer you’ll be greeted by safari sights: 28 painted animals—lions, elephants, ostriches and more—will lend whimsy to your stroll, or your horse-drawn trolley ride, if you prefer. Hop off here and there for a meal—Italian cuisine; upscale fare with a French flair and fab view of the lake; a couple of not-your-average bar and grills; a chocolate café; and more, including the restaurant in the old fire station.
Walk off your feast on the family recreation trail, or meander through Lake Bluff Park to see the Maids of the Mist fountain and Spirit of the American Doughboy statue.
St. Joseph loves festivals. Each summer the Krasl Art Center hosts the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, with 200-plus artists and artisans. The Blossomtime Festival features the Grand Floral Parade. Kids and adults alike get creative at the Chalk the Block Festival, grabbing colored chalk and going to town on the streets and sidewalks. Antiques on the Bluff shows are the first Sunday of every month through October: free parking, no admission, and a perfect view of Lake Michigan—the site of the Regatta and Sailing Festival.
For take-home goodness there’s the Farmers Market, every Saturday well into fall. Then, of course, it’s the Harvest Festival.