Beach · Ludington & Manistee

First Street Beach

One of Manistee's three city beaches on Lake Michigan, with sugar sand, a free family disc golf course and parking for the riverwalk.

First Street Beach is the easy family beach day in Manistee: a city-kept stretch of soft Lake Michigan sand with room to spread out and something to do when the kids tire of the water. Bathrooms, playgrounds and a concession stand are on hand, and there is a station with life vests to borrow. Dogs stay off the main beach in summer, but next-door Douglas Park has a dog beach.

The City of Manistee looks after three beaches (First Street, Fifth Avenue and Manmade Lake) and lists them as sugar sand with easy access, cleaned weekly. First Street has its own live beach cam, which is worth a look on a windy day before you load the car.

The extra here is the First St. Beach Family Disc Golf Course, a short 18-hole course built in 2023 through the city’s parks department and public works and the Manistee County Community Foundation. It is listed as free, and drivers are banned, so it suits small kids and beginners. One basket is shaped like the Manistee lighthouse.

First Street is also a listed parking spot for the Manistee Riverwalk, so you can pair a swim with a walk into downtown.

Practical information

Managed by: City of Manistee
Best months: June to September
Facilities: Permanent bathrooms, playgrounds, a full-service concession stand and a safety station with life vests are reported at the beach, which is described as ADA-accessible. Check with the city before you go if you need specific features.
Dogs: Dogs are kept off the main beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Neighboring Douglas Park has a fenced dog park and a dog beach on the waterfront below the observation deck near the Lions Pavilion.
Beach cam: The city runs a live beach cam for First Street Beach, so you can check the water and the crowd before you go.
Disc golf: The First St. Beach Family Disc Golf Course is listed as free and open to everyone. It is a short 18-hole course where only putters and mid-range discs are allowed.
Riverwalk parking: First Street Beach is one of the listed parking spots for the Manistee Riverwalk.
Official website: manisteemi.gov

Location

Map of First Street Beach

4 places on an OpenStreetMap map

Nearby towns

A white lighthouse at the end of a pier with a catwalk, seen across calm Lake Michigan water

Ludington & Manistee

Manistee

A Lake Michigan port city where the river meets the lake, with a historic downtown riverwalk, three city beaches and a pierhead light to climb in season.

About 1 miles away (straight line)