Attractions

Event & Festival Assistance

In addition to coordinating major fundraisers including the Blueberry Festival Craft Fair and the All Crafts Fair, the Chamber is the central coordinator of the Ice Breaker festival and assists other area festival organizers with event support. We answer thousands of calls and e-mail inquiries each year on the "who, what, when and where" of area festivals, and local events and activities.

ICE BREAKER:

As the central coordinator of the Ice Breaker festival, the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce hosts this event each year during a time that is typically slower in the downtown of South Haven - February. The Ice Breaker event is held to encourage people to come to town during the winter to enjoy over 50 ice carvings, to warm up by tasting chili, and to support numerous area non-profit organizations who host events and activities for the purpose of fundraising. This annual winter-time festival is truly a community collaborative with over 150 individuals, businesses, and civic groups involved in organizing the event under the guidance and direction of the Chamber of Commerce.

BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL CRAFT FAIR:

In 1996, the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce began coordinating this two day craft fair as an additional attraction offered during the Blueberry Festival, as well as a fund-raiser for both the Chamber of Commerce and the National Blueberry Festival Committee. This important economic generator attracts about 15,000 people from around the region who come to peruse and purchase goods from over 140 artisans located in picturesque Stanley Johnston Park.

ALL CRAFTS FAIR:

Each Labor Day Weekend the Chamber of Commerce coordinates this two day craft fair that brings over 240 exhibitors to Stanley Johnston Park and more than 15,000 people to the South Haven area.

The Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce lends assistance to many other area-wide events and activities all of which can be found by clicking on our Calendar of Events or contacting our staff at 269.637.5171 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Main Events

The South Haven area offers a plethora of events and activities over all four season. Each year breaks us in with the annual Ice Breaker festival hosted during the coldest month; this annual gathering brings people to the streets like the summer months though. With ice carving and chili tasting, skating and entertainment, and a smorgasbord of family fun the Ice Breaker festival centrally coordinated by the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce is hosted in part to blow away those winter blues.

The Harborfest held in celebration of the area’s waterways is hosted on the Father’s Day weekend in June and combines entertainment, river activity and arts and crafts. In August at peak harvest, the National Blueberry Festival is hosted in celebration of our status as the world headquarters for blueberry production.

The community of South Haven knows how to throw a party, and how to host a parade! With four parades each year on Memorial Day, the 4th of July, during the National Blueberry Festival and the “Santa’s Coming to Town” parade on Black Friday, the town is abuzz with activity and celebration. In neighboring communities Bangor hosts a lighted parade in celebration of the Holiday Season and an annual Harvest Festival themed after the time of fall apple harvest. The community of Glenn recognizes their heritage by way of a Glenn Summer Fest held in August.

Artisans flock to the area during the South Haven Center for the Arts Annual Fine Art Fair, and also during the Blueberry Festival Craft Fair and the All Crafts Fair held over the Labor Day weekend, both centrally coordinated by the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce.

Each year a full schedule of events is published and whether you’re here for just a day, a week or even longer there is always something to do, somewhere to go, and something new to see. We invite you to visit our Calendar of Events showcasing activities, attractions, and happenings not only in South Haven but also throughout the surrounding area.

Walks & Trails

South Haven prides itself on being a “walkable” community. Our Harbor Walk stretches the banks of the Black River and highlights both cultural and historical assets of features.

With the Kal-Haven Trail head being located proximate to the downtown, this 34 mile-long, 10 foot-wide trail traverses the landscape between South Haven and Kalamazoo, winding through Grand Junction, Bloomingdale, Gobles and Kendall. In 2008, a 4.5 mile city link opened connecting recreational enthusiasts into the downtown of Kalamazoo. Those desiring a one-way ride only can make arrangements ahead of time to be transported back to their point of origin by Van Buren Public Transit.

Other trails in the South Haven area include the Bangor/South Haven Water Heritage Trail and Lakeshore Harvest Country. The Water Heritage Trail celebrates the waterway of the Black River and promotes canoeing and kayaking. Lakeshore Harvest Country welcomes you to a trail of farms, markets, and a winery. Visit the farm and pick fresh fruits, see animals, and taste the lakeshore's harvest.

We invite you to walk our community and enjoy our trails!

Scenic Drives & Views

Some of the best kept secrets of the South Haven area are the scenic drives and the spectacular views we have to offer. Just take Exit 20 off I-196 and immediately as you drive west you will see the sparkling fresh waters of Lake Michigan. Continuing west into the downtown of South Haven on Phoenix will take you through a beautiful quaint downtown that has a view too good to be true – you got it, Lake Michigan!

Drive Blue Star Highway north and south and come across spectacular residences unmatched by glimpses of the beautiful blue water of Lake Michigan that meets a blue horizon on a gorgeous day in the South Haven Area.

Take a country drive and follow the agriculture-tourism route of the Lakeshore Harvest Country and find yourself between the eye-high crop of the sweetest of sweet corn, the vines of a local wine producing vineyard, or gazing at acres and acres of bushes busting with our most famous crop – blueberries!

The South Haven area has all of this and more to offer!

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Lakes, Rivers, & Parks

A natural feature of the South Haven is the green space and waterways that make this area so remarkable and unique. From Lake Michigan to the many inland lakes in the region, two rivers – the Back River and the Paw Paw River, and the green spaces maintained as public parks, South Haven beings a lifestyle with a focus on the water.

For those wishing to retreat into the natural environs, the quality of life in the South Haven area can be measured by our world class water recreation including boating, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, jet skiing, and diving on many of the shipwrecks that surround the shoreline of the beaches of South Haven to name a few.

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