This last in a four-part series on Michigan Bed & Breakfasts and Boats features seven uniquely different B&Bs — seven unique bodies of navigable water — and seven unique boating opportunities for the non-boat owner. Put them together with all the adventurous opportunities identified in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the series, and you’ll have your Pure Michigan get-aways mapped out for years to come.

Three times each day, guests of The Carriage House at the Harbor in South Haven gaze across the sugar sand beach to the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan and see a grand “tall ship” sailing in and out of the harbor channel. Few can resist catching a ride during the day or, later, cruising into the sunset. The ship is a replica of Friends Good Will. A project of the Michigan Maritime Museum, she was originally built in 1810 right here in Michigan as a merchant vessel. In 1812, she was chartered by the federal government to carry military supplies. After the British confiscated her at gun point, she was recaptured by the U.S. in 1813.

Just a few miles away near Allegan, the 65-acre estate surrounding Castle in the Country Bed and Breakfast Inn offers access to its own Emerson Lake. Guests are invited to stroll along the wooded trails to the lakeside screen house, complete with a dock, two kayaks and a paddle boat. Explore, float, fish or just enjoy the view.

The Inn  at Ludington is one of several Lake-to-Lake-member bed and breakfast inns in Ludington where you can catch a great night’s sleep before crossing Lake Michigan to Wisconsin — or after arriving  from Manitowoc to Michigan — aboard the U.S.S. Badger. The ferry takes people and vehicles on a four-hour journey by water that bypasses the busy highways surrounding Chicago. Even if you don’t actually ride it across The Big Lake, you’ll remember Ludington for the call of the Badger blowing it’s own horn as it sails in and out of port.

Comstock House B&B
Sawmill Canoe Livery

La Belle De la Riviere B&B
Betts Guide Service