If you are looking for a great beach getaway but don’t want to make the long trip, you have found the right place. Grand Haven is continuously ranked as one of the best beaches in the Country and was recently ranked as the “Happiest Seaside Town” in America by Coastal Living magazine.
Looking Glass Beachfront Inn is located directly across the street from Lake Michigan with easy access to the beach, pier and lighthouse. We offer amazing views many people have likened to the California coast.
To make it better, we are an easy one-mile walk from downtown Grand Haven. Downtown offers everything you want, including shops, restaurants, breweries, wine tasting rooms, museums, art galleries, and more.
Why Looking Glass Beachfront Inn?
We are a small, five-bedroom B&B, with each room exhibiting a unique feel for the natural area.
Location: Best of both worlds. Across the street from the beach and an easy one-mile walk to downtown where you can find shops, restaurants, breweries, wine tasting rooms, museums, art galleries, and more.
Accommodations: All of our rooms have private baths and at least a partial view of Lake Michigan -- plus WIFI, USB outlets, cable TV, Blu-ray player, and more.
Common space amenities: 3 outdoor sitting areas, 3 indoor sitting areas including a TV sitting area, access to 200+ movies, access to board games, guest refrigerator, and more.
Personal Touch: We take pride in knowing the area and helping you find what you are looking for. We eat in the local restaurants, go the local parks, drink at the local breweries and wineries. Let us help you find what you are looking for in the area.
Unique Experiences at Looking Glass Beachfront Inn
Waterways
Grand Haven is consistently ranked as having one of the best beaches in the country. You can see it and the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan from our common areas and perhaps even from your room at Looking Glass Beachfront Inn. Our location directly across the street from Grand Haven State Park beach gives you access without having to hunt for parking. We offer beach towels, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas so you don’t need to bring your own,
For kayakers, the Grand River Heritage Water Trail meanders 41 miles between Grandville and Grand Haven. You don’t need to travel the entire river. It’s divided into nine distinct routes.
Lighthouses
Walking out on the pier to the lighthouse is rated on TripAdvisor as the Number 1 thing to do in Grand Haven. Lighthouse collectors can check two off their list while staying here because the pier has an inner and outer light.
It’s worth noting that avid lighthouse aficionados can see 12 lighthouses between St. Joseph and Ludington. If you want to stay at the midpoint, Looking Glass Beachfront Inn is the place.
Cool City
With Looking Glass Beachfront Inn only a one-mile walk to downtown, most guests leave their cars in our parking lot and navigate on foot or on bicycles. That means no hunting for a parking place downtown. It’s an easy walk, allowing you to enjoy the boardwalk and admire the Grand River channel on your way to shopping, restaurants, museums, wineries, breweries, and more.
When there are festivals in town, a few blocks of downtown get blocked off and they utilize the street space. Festivals doing this include the Art Festival, Coast Guard Festival, Rib Festival and more.
It seems like the festivals never end around here, with something for everyone. From the well-known and extremely popular Coast Guard Festival to the smaller more quaint ones, we cover the bases. Other popular festivals include Kite Festival, Art Festival, Sand Sculpture Contest, and Salmon Festival, just to name a few.
Craft Beer
Michigan is known for craft beer, and Grand Haven is fortunate to be centrally located on the West Michigan Wine and Beer Trail, which extends from Holland to Ludington and east to Grand Rapids. Enjoy two great breweries in Grand Haven, Oddside Ales and Grand Armory, both of which offer a wide variety of beer choices to try. Make Looking Glass Beachfront Inn your home base as you venture to breweries within 40 miles from Grand Haven; for example, Founders and Perrin in Grand Rapids or New Holland in Holland.
Wine Trail
In a state known for its wine industry, Grand Haven is located at a midpoint on the popular West Michigan Wine and Beer Trail. When you’re here, try the tasting rooms at 12 Corners Vineyard’s downtown location and Lemon Creek Winery.
Natural Wonders
Being on the Lake Michigan, the beauty around the area is endless. There are lots of options to take that in whether you like swimming, hiking, biking, boating, and more. We have lots of park options including state and county parks. The innkeepers have explored many of them and would love to give suggestions.
Adventure
For active enjoyment of the outdoors, Grand Haven is a great area. Hop on the paved Lakeshore Trail for a 20-mile bike ride or hike from Grand Haven State Park south to Holland. Charter a fishing boat to go after salmon or perch in Lake Michigan. Skydiving? We’ve got a popular local provider for that. Or bring the clubs. We’ve got 25 public and private golf courses within 40 miles of Grand Haven.
Family Fun
We welcome families with children. Our Dunegrass room can sleep up to four with the addition of a loft that has twin beds and views of Lake Michigan. In other rooms, an air mattress can accommodate one additional person.
Autumn
With the beachgoers of summer leaving and the leaves changing colors, autumn is one of the best times to visit Grand Haven and the Looking Glass. The amazing views we offer from our rooms and deck don't really change much when summer fades and the beaches empty out and town slows down a bit. However, the countless parks, trails, and paths in the area all get that multicolor glow of the leaves changing colors, and you don’t want to miss it.
In the beauty of parks like Rosy Mound Natural Area , with its 1,000 feet of stairs and a .7-mile trail to the lake, you might even be the only ones admiring the leaves and the solitude of the the beach. A unique shade canopy, dune boardwalk trail and pit toilets are located near the beach. This is one of many different parks that showcase Michigan's colors within 10 miles of our B&B.
Grand Haven is also a stop on the famous Circle Tour drive around Lake Michigan, a very popular route for leaf-peeping.
The Grand Haven area is also home to many orchards, cider producers, wineries and breweries that are perfect for the cooler weather. Depending on the year, some of our best weather comes in late September and early October, a time of year that comes with discounted rates, fewer restaurant waits, and sales at local shops.
