Muskegon

Muskegon is a beach city with a lot of public shoreline and a working harbor in the middle. The one thing to plan around is that it is spread out: Pere Marquette Park and the pier lights are by the channel, Muskegon State Park is across it to the north, Hoffmaster State Park is to the south, and downtown sits on Muskegon Lake. Give the city beach and downtown one day, and the dune parks a second.

Getting there and getting around

I-96 comes in from Grand Rapids and Detroit, and US-31 runs up the shore. By our routing estimates, the drive takes about 50 minutes from Grand Rapids, about 3 hours 40 minutes from Detroit and about 3 hours 45 minutes from Chicago. See getting here for the routes.

Muskegon County Airport has daily flights to Chicago O’Hare, and our estimate puts it about 15 minutes from downtown. Many travelers fly into Grand Rapids instead. From Wisconsin, the Lake Express high-speed ferry crosses from Milwaukee in about 2.5 hours, with more crossings in summer; see getting here from Milwaukee by ferry.

You will want a car for the state parks, but the lakeshore is easy without one.

• The beach shuttle. The city runs a free beach shuttle on summer weekends, from late May through Labor Day weekend, operated by MATS. One line loops the beaches (Kruse Park, Beach Street, the USS Silversides and Harbour Towne Beach), and a second connects downtown and Lakeside with Pere Marquette. Every bus has a bike rack. The days and routes are set each year, so check the city’s beach shuttle page before you plan around it.
• Downtown parking. Downtown generally has free street and public-lot parking, but check the posted restrictions, especially during events and in winter. From December 1 to March 1, overnight parking downtown follows alternating odd and even sides of the street, and seasonal construction can affect some blocks. The city’s parking page has the current rules.
• Beach parking. The city lists paid parking in season, through September 15, at Pere Marquette, Kruse, Margaret Drake Elliott and Harbour Towne beaches. The state parks need a Recreation Passport on your car, and county parks such as Pioneer charge their own daily fee. Check the posted rules when you arrive.
• The Lakeshore Trail. A paved path runs about 12 miles along Muskegon Lake from Pere Marquette Park toward the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve, past the pier light, Heritage Landing and the museum ships. It is the way to get between the beach and town by bike.

Where to eat

Downtown Muskegon has been adding places fast, and the breweries are a big part of the scene. These are places local and regional writers single out:

• The Deck. The beachfront spot at Pere Marquette Park, with house-smoked barbecue, tacos, cold drinks and free live music all summer. It lists a season from May to mid-September, so check before you count on it.
• Lumberman’s Vault. A food hall that opened in December 2024 in a former bank downtown, with five vendors under one roof: Mexican at Casa Cabos, soul food at Soul Filled, Asian rice bowls and rolls at Up Leaf Cafe, sandwiches and coffee at The Press, and burgers at The Foundry Grill. The bar is built around the old 6,680-pound vault door.
• The Western Reserve. A steakhouse on Western Avenue that opened in 2025 in the old 18th Amendment Spirits building, with steak and seafood, wood-fired pizza and smash burgers.
• The Early Owl. The breakfast stop downtown, known for Dutch babies, bird-themed cocktails and a rooftop deck it calls the Flight Deck.
• Rake Beer Project. A downtown brewery on Western Avenue with beer, cider and adult smoothies. Overgrown Coffee Co. pours inside, so it doubles as your coffee stop.
• The Brewers Lounge at Pigeon Hill. A taproom right on the Lakeshore Trail, with a patio looking over Muskegon Lake and the LST 393. Its Oatmeal Cream Pie on nitro is the one to try. It is the natural stop on a bike day.
• Unruly Brewing. A downtown brewery that doubles as one of the city’s live music rooms, with a beer garden and food from its own kitchen.
• Norm’s Ice Cream. The family ice cream stop on the Causeway in North Muskegon, not downtown, next to the Putters Creek entertainment complex. It is known locally for oversized portions and creative desserts, so a small goes a long way. Check its hours before you go.
• Coney Land. The sweet stop, on Whitehall Road, with Dole whips and flurries on a big menu that also runs to coney dogs.

Where to stay

Our Muskegon listings are two hotels. Shoreline Inn & Conference Center sits on Muskegon Lake with its own marina, a short ride from downtown. Delta Hotels Muskegon Convention Center puts you downtown, within walking distance of the restaurants and the Frauenthal Center.

For vacation rentals, campgrounds and the full list, see places to stay in Muskegon.

Our picks

Pere Marquette Park The city beach by the channel: wide sand raked daily, volleyball courts, a playground, an accessible walkway to the water and The Deck for lunch. Come on the shuttle or come early on summer weekends.

The pier lights Walk out from Pere Marquette toward the red South Breakwater Light, and climb the South Pierhead Light on its summer tours for a view down the channel. Stay off the pier in high waves.

P.J. Hoffmaster State Park About 3 miles of Lake Michigan beach and roughly 10 miles of trails. Start at the Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center, then take the Dune Overlook Trail, about a half mile round trip with roughly 220 steps to the top.

Muskegon State Park Two miles of Lake Michigan beach plus a mile on Muskegon Lake, dune trails and the 1930s blockhouse on the highest point in the county. It is also home to the Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park.

The Lakeshore Trail Ride the paved path along Muskegon Lake from the beach to Heritage Landing, with a stop at the Brewers Lounge and the museum ships on the way.

The museum ships The USS Silversides, a World War II submarine, the USS LST 393 landing ship and the SS Milwaukee Clipper, a former passenger ferry with an Art Deco interior. They open for the season in mid-May.

Muskegon Farmers Market A big downtown market on Western Avenue, with 170 stalls on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from spring through summer. Saturday is the busy one.

One day, and two days

One day. Start downtown with breakfast at The Early Owl or coffee at Rake, then the farmers market if it is a market day. Ride the shuttle or the Lakeshore Trail out to Pere Marquette for the afternoon on the beach, walk the pier toward the lights and have dinner and music at The Deck. Stay for the sunset over the lake.

Two days. Add the dunes. Go south to Hoffmaster in the morning, climb the Dune Overlook stairs and walk down to its beach. In the afternoon, tour the Silversides or the Milwaukee Clipper, then finish downtown at Lumberman’s Vault or The Western Reserve with a beer at Unruly. With more time, spend a day north of the channel at Muskegon State Park.

For the next towns up the shore, see Whitehall and Montague or our Muskegon County fall color drive. Grand Haven is a short drive south.

With kids, and on a rainy day

With kids. Pere Marquette has a playground next to the sand, and Kruse Park adds trails and its own playground (plus the off-leash dog beach at its north end). Michigan’s Adventure, in Muskegon County, is the big day out: more than 60 rides, seven roller coasters, a Peanuts-themed area for little ones and the WildWater Adventure water park in the same ticket. It opens in late May. In summer the luge park runs a dual zip line, a wheel luge track and a climbing wall. Kids who like ships can tour the Silversides, which also offers overnight stays aboard. For a treat, Norm’s on the Causeway in North Muskegon is the family ice cream stop.

On a rainy day. Head for the Muskegon Museum of Art downtown, whose collection includes Edward Hopper, Dale Chihuly and Elizabeth Catlett. In season, the Silversides, the LST 393 and the Milwaukee Clipper are good under gray skies too. Lumberman’s Vault has seating for a long, dry lunch, and the breweries downtown do the rest.

Best time to go

Summer is beach season, when the shuttle, the pier light tours, the museum ships and The Deck are all running. The calendar fills from June:

• June. The Lakeshore Art Festival fills downtown on a late-June weekend with nearly 250 juried artists, a food market and a children’s lane.
• Summer evenings. Free concerts at Heritage Landing, and the Getty Drive-In for a double feature.
• Labor Day weekend. The Muskegon Polish Festival takes over Hackley Park, and the Labor Day parade ends with a celebration in the same park.
• September. The Michigan Irish Music Festival brings six stages of Celtic music to Heritage Landing on a September weekend.

We’d pick September for a first visit: the Irish festival is on, the Lake Express is still crossing, and city beach parking is free again after September 15. In October, follow the fall color drive north along the shore.

Winter

Winter here centers on Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park inside Muskegon State Park.

• The luge park. A luge track you can ride, an ice-skating trail through the woods, a sledding hill, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails. Tickets are required for most activities, and opening depends on the weather, so check the park’s conditions before you drive out.
• Hike the Lights. Free lit trails at the luge park in the dark months; dogs on a short leash are welcome.
• Downtown. The Muskegon Community Tree Lighting in Hackley Park starts the holidays in late November, with holiday train rides and a visit from Santa.
• Ice fishing. See our Muskegon Lake page for what is caught through the ice and the safety notes that come with it.

Stay off the piers when they are icy and enjoy the frozen shore from the beach.

Hours, menus and schedules change, so check with each place before you go.