I grew up vacationing at the Jersey Shore. After visiting a beach on Lake Michigan, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed lake life.

Over the years, I've visited New Jersey's beaches in Wildwood, Ocean City, Cape May, and Long Beach Island. From my hometown in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, it was usually about a two-hour drive, a quick day trip, to the sun and sand of the Jersey Shore.

I would often stay with my friends and their families for a few days during those visits. As a teenager, I loved walking on the boardwalks, buying graphic T-shirts at local shops, eating soft-serve ice cream, and watching the sunset against the shoreline.

After moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in October 2021, I was curious about the beaches along Lake Michigan, located about a half hour away. I spent time on freshwater lakes in Canada as a child, but I didn't remember much about those family vacations, so I decided to give it another shot.

The day started off on a high note when we realized how quick the drive would be. About 40 minutes after we left the house, we were driving through the small beach town of Saugatuck looking for Oval Beach.

As we got closer to the shoreline, our GPS stopped working because we didn't have cell service. After a few wrong turns, we were able to find the parking lot behind the beach, which cost $10 to park all day. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that even on a Thursday in the summer, not many people were there.

I didn't notice anything different about how people dressed compared to the beaches in New Jersey, but I did note a difference in the mood. Most of the beachgoers were very mellow, casually sipping from their drinks and reading books under the sun.

After parking, we carried our chairs, bags, and umbrella down a small hill from the car to the beach. I instantly noticed how windy it was, which made anchoring our umbrella nearly impossible. After a few minutes of adjusting, we decided to take it down.

Another downside was that the wind whipped the sand around. We laid out a large towel in front of our beach chairs to put our belongings on, but it repeatedly got buried, so instead, we sat on our beach chairs for the day.

Besides the wind, the weather was beautiful. The temperature was in the mid-80s and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. After settling into our spot and letting my sunscreen sink in, I took a dip in the water.

Although the water was pretty chilly at first with the wind, I got used to it once I dunked my head underneath and spent some time floating around. It was nice to avoid the sting of saltwater on my cuts and not worry about it going up my nose.

The water was just as murky as the water in New Jersey, but I really enjoyed the crisp feeling of the freshwater on a hot day.

After I got out of the water, I walked up and down the beach as I dried off. I noticed there were more ducks on the beach than seagulls, so I felt safe eating my lunch and snacks on the beach because I knew the ducks wouldn't swarm — unlike the birds in New Jersey.

The Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area is a nature preserve that sits between Lake Michigan and Oxbow Lagoon on the Kalamazoo River. The trail, which runs parallel to the beach along sand dunes and plains of tall grass, was accessible from the end of the parking lot. The entrance to the walkway was about a four-minute walk from where we sat.

Thanks to an abundance of early evening light and a much gentler breeze, our short walk was one of the best parts of the day. After we walked up a sand trail on a hill, we reached a small clearing between some trees. From there, we could see farther down the coastline than before.

We took in the view for a bit before heading back to the car and driving over to the nearby towns of Saugatuck and Douglas.

According to WXMI, the Douglas Root Beer Barrel is a real, wooden barrel built by a couple in Flint, Michigan, and was approximately a six-minute drive from our spot at the beach.

In 1952, it was moved to West Michigan, where it changed hands a few times before falling into disrepair. The outlet reports that the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society bought the property for $1 in 2010 before leasing it to its current owner. In 2016, The Barrel served its first customer in 40 years.

When we pulled up to the restaurant, we couldn't believe its size. The menu consisted of summer classics like hot dogs and root beer, so we decided to eat at a table in the yard instead of ordering to go.

I ordered the Barrel's "BLT Dog" which came with bacon bits, lettuce, tomato, and the restaurant's housemade aioli. I filled up on it very quickly, but the lettuce and tomato made it feel fresher than a regular frank.

In between bites of my hot dog, I was loading up on the baked potato salad, which was pretty delicious. It was a bit too creamy for my liking on a hot day, but the overall flavor was tangy and salty.

Altogether, my hot dog and potato salad (the latter of which I split with my mom) cost about $7.25.

Wade's Bayou Memorial Park, also located on the Kalamazoo River, is known for its fishing spots, boating docks, and beautiful sunsets. After driving three minutes from the barrel to downtown Douglas, we parked and walked down a hill to take pictures and look at local wildlife.

Across the bayou, we saw a few swans swimming among kayakers. We also watched a mother duck lead her ducklings around the docks and onto the grass, where they cleaned their feathers and nestled in for the night.

One of the most beautiful things about Wade's Bayou was a large, red sculpture by the water. The Saugatuck Center for the Arts writes on its website that if you look down Center Street, the main road that cuts through Douglas, you can see a perfectly encircled sunset through the archway.

Smooth stones and shells were all along the tide at Oval Beach, so I decided to collect some and put them in a small dish when I got home.

However, I didn't anticipate bringing so much duckweed with me. After I got home, I noticed dried bits of the aquatic plant stuck to my arms, legs, stomach, and back. They came off easy enough, but I had to give my shower an extra rinse when I was finished or they would stick to the walls.

Between the easygoing atmosphere, the freshwater swimming, and access to nature, I felt replenished when I got home. I was still tired from spending time in the sun, but I truly felt at ease on Oval Beach.

There was something about the friendly locals and cute shops that reminded me of the Outer Banks beaches in North Carolina, which I also visited as a teenager. I was able to go back to the beach in Saugatuck one more time before summer ended, but it was much busier because I went on a Saturday.

The next time I visit, I'd love to turn it into a weekend trip and experience some of the local nightlife as well as more restaurants and daytime activities. The area has so much to offer — antique malls, breweries, dune tours, a marina — and I can't wait to try it all.