The Grand Haven port community is an active beach resort with boating, fishing, sailing, biking, skating etc.
along with connecting campgrounds and recreational areas.
The city has over 100 miles (160 km) of bike trails, a state beach, boardwalk, two lighthouses, a pier, wharf, large charter fishing fleet and a Great Lakes port, where it imports limestone, slag, cement and coal while exporting sand.
Grand Haven is a destination point for residents of inland cities of West Michigan, as well as many from the other side of the state.
Grand Rapidians regularly visit to take advantage of the close proximity to the Lake Michigan beaches, State campgrounds, restaurants, bars, attractions with many even owning cottages in the area as their home away from home.

Grand Haven State Park contains beaches which, in summer, water temperatures reach the low 70s°F (2013 had 19 days in the 70s), bringing tens of thousands of visitors as a boon to the local economy.

The state park also includes a campground on Lake Michigan, near the pier and lighthouses.
In addition, the city features a ski park (Mulligan's Hollow Ski Bowl) and a skate park.
The waterfront locations bring tourists from all over the state and region for activities which include, boating, sailing, jet skiing, tubing, wind surfing, and an annual kite festival.

Grand Haven is home to the United States Coast Guard's "Sector Field Office Grand Haven."
The first Coast Guard presence in the city was in 1924.
The Coast Guard cutter Escanaba was based in the city until the Second World War.
After it was sunk by a U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, the citizens of Grand Haven raised more than $1,000,000 in bonds to build a replacement cutter bearing the same name; several pieces of wreckage remain displayed on the city's waterfront.
Grand Haven hosts the annual Coast Guard Festival, a celebration based on Coast Guard Day, which draws U.S. and Canadian vessels along with parades of bands and other activities, including a memorial to the 101 sailors lost in the Escanaba sinking.
The yearly attendance for this event exceeds 300,000 people over the two-week period of the festival.
Grand Haven is the first city officially designated as Coast Guard City, USA by an act of Congress signed by President Bill Clinton.
The act was Public Law 105-383 enacted by the United States Congress and signed by the president on November 13, 1998.

The Grand Haven Musical Fountain was built on the opposite bank of the Grand River from the city center in 1969.
It plays nightly during the tourist season.
When it was built, it was the world's largest such fountain.
Today, the overall largest fountain is in Las Vegas.
The Grand Haven port community is an active beach resort with boating, fishing, sailing, biking, skating etc. along with connecting campgrounds and recreational areas. The city has over 100 miles (160 km) of bike trails, a state beach, boardwalk, two lighthouses, a pier, wharf, large charter fishing fleet and a Great Lakes port, where it imports limestone, slag, cement and coal while exporting sand. Grand Haven is a destination point for residents of inland cities of West Michigan, as well as many from the other side of the state. Grand Rapidians regularly visit to take advantage of the close proximity to the Lake Michigan beaches, State campgrounds, restaurants, bars, attractions with many even owning cottages in the area as their home away from home.
Grand Haven State Park contains beaches which, in summer, water temperatures reach the low 70s°F (2013 had 19 days in the 70s), bringing tens of thousands of visitors as a boon to the local economy.
The state park also includes a campground on Lake Michigan, near the pier and lighthouses. In addition, the city features a ski park (Mulligan's Hollow Ski Bowl) and a skate park. The waterfront locations bring tourists from all over the state and region for activities which include, boating, sailing, jet skiing, tubing, wind surfing, and an annual kite festival.
Grand Haven is home to the United States Coast Guard's "Sector Field Office Grand Haven." The first Coast Guard presence in the city was in 1924. The Coast Guard cutter Escanaba was based in the city until the Second World War. After it was sunk by a U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, the citizens of Grand Haven raised more than $1,000,000 in bonds to build a replacement cutter bearing the same name; several pieces of wreckage remain displayed on the city's waterfront. Grand Haven hosts the annual Coast Guard Festival, a celebration based on Coast Guard Day, which draws U.S. and Canadian vessels along with parades of bands and other activities, including a memorial to the 101 sailors lost in the Escanaba sinking. The yearly attendance for this event exceeds 300,000 people over the two-week period of the festival. Grand Haven is the first city officially designated as Coast Guard City, USA by an act of Congress signed by President Bill Clinton. The act was Public Law 105-383 enacted by the United States Congress and signed by the president on November 13, 1998.
The Grand Haven Musical Fountain was built on the opposite bank of the Grand River from the city center in 1969. It plays nightly during the tourist season. When it was built, it was the world's largest such fountain. Today, the overall largest fountain is in Las Vegas.
Grand Haven, Michigan