If I Had 36 Hours to Convince My Sisters to Move to West Michigan…
Sep 29, 2026
Margaux Drake builds the ultimate Grand Rapids-to-Lake Michigan weekend—and makes a pretty compelling case for calling West Michigan home.
Read Time: 90 Seconds
What would you show someone if you had a day and a half to convince them to move to West Michigan?
This week on Coffee with Steve & Margaux, Margaux accepts the challenge—and her targets are personal: her sisters, Pam and Sue.
The recruiting campaign starts exactly where it should: with really good food.
First up, breakfast at Lucy’s, followed by coffee and a walk around Collins Park and Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids.
Then it’s off to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park to experience the Chihuly exhibit, the gardens and the architecture before heading downtown to walk past the Calder, the Grand River, the Blue Bridge, hotel lobbies, galleries and everything happening during ArtPrize.
But this isn’t only a sightseeing trip.
Margaux is showing them what it could actually feel like to live here.
That means touring real estate, exploring River North and Bridge Street, stopping at LaFontsee Galleries in Creston, cocktails overlooking the city at her restaurant, Margaux, dinner at The Sovengard, and experiencing ArtPrize after dark.
And that’s only Day One.
Day Two heads west to Wyncroft Estate for a private wine experience before continuing to Saugatuck and Douglas—West Michigan’s Art Coast—where marinas, galleries, restaurants, shops, and Lake Michigan deliver an entirely different kind of Michigan magic.
That’s what makes West Michigan extraordinary.
Within one weekend, you can move from an urban art scene to quiet lakeside neighborhoods, world-class gardens, locally owned restaurants, vineyards, galleries and the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
And behind every stop are the artists, chefs, entrepreneurs, business owners and community builders who make West Michigan cool.
So now Margaux needs backup.
If you were trying to convince someone to move here, what place, restaurant, experience, or neighborhood absolutely has to make the itinerary?
Because Pam and Sue may think they’re coming for a visit.
Margaux has other plans. 😉
Plant good seeds.
Keywords
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