Wellness Weekend at The Fields of Michigan

If you’ve been having a realization that “vacations” were going to change as you knew them.

Instead of a trip abroad or out of state for the typical vacation activities. Where getting on a plane isn't an option or priority.

Going to a fun new big city isn't an option. Basically, when options boil down to renting a lake house (if the area you're seeking isnt already booked) and somewhere out in the wilderness. When the option is more focused on restoration, a deep pause from all the noise and fast paced always on world, unpluging and more meaningful connection with yourself, eachother and natural surroundings..

In doing a little research we came across The Fields of Michigan–which is comprised of 20 canvas glamping tents, 20 glamping cabins on a blueberry farm in the countryside of South Haven, Michigan, just minutes from Lake Michigan's beach

A trip there, for this years Rooted Living retreat was born. We thought it would be the perfect in-between, for an unplugged wellness vacation weekend in nature, yet with ALLL the modern comforts you don’t get with camping, and none of the work!

In talking with guests that actually loved it SO MUCH that, they booked another two-night stay there before. We cannot say enough good things–you MUST go! Here is their experience from arrival to departure.

Arriving at The Fields:

Upon arrival, you’ll pull up and park in a small field, and you can either walk down the long gravel.driveway or you will text your camp host (who are SO awesome and will take such good care of you!) Someone will come get you in a Gator cart to help you with your luggage.

Accommodations:

You’ll then be driven up to your glamping cabin or tent. The tent is a beautiful, complete with the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, and a toilet and shower with full modern plumbing. Additionally, each tent has a wood stove, that will keep you warm if it gets chilly at night. The incredibly soft plush blankets will keep you toasty warm too.

Each unit is also equipped with its own fire pit outside, and a yeti cooler on the porch for any essentials you’d like to bring and two vintage bicycles that you can use to ride around the property and also into South Haven, which is about a 25-minute bike ride.

They also spray for mosquitos around the property, and we had ZERO problems with bugs at all.

The Fields of Michigan

The inside of our unit–it all the amenities of a nice hotel room (including a bathroom with full plumbing!), plus a woodstove if it gets cold at night!

The Fields of Michigan

Each tent is supplied with vintage bikes to use during your stay!

The Fields is located on a stunning Blueberry farm!

Eating at The Fields

Every morning they serve breakfast up at the main building called “The Willow” and farm-to-table dinners on Friday. You can also arrange for them to set up a table outside of your tent and have breakfast there as well. It all depends on your preference and of course, your comfort level. We actually did both options and felt very safe/comfortable.

The first morning for breakfast we had an AMAZING quiche (and I don’t even usually like quiche!) with a mixed green salad and fruit, and the next we had the most delicious French toast bake with local sausage. They are also very accomodating if you have any dietary restrictions/food allergies–just let them know in advance!

One thing I highly recommend doing while at The Fields is arranging a dinner on the property. (A nonnegotiable in my opinion!)

It’s so beautiful that you’ll definitely want to make sure you eat dinner there at least one night! When you book your trip, they will email you with options to arrange meals at The Fields, and you can set this up in advance!

The chef was arranges a multi-course meal. We returned to a charming romantic table setup with the most incredible spread. (Followed by a pasta sampler that was to die for). At sunset, Irene the owner came back to drop of s’mores supplies!! (Don’t worry, they also light your fire pit for you, no fire building skills necessary!)

The Fields at night is truly magical.

Other activities to do during your stay at The Fields include:

Ride bikes into South Haven

Take your vintage bikes and ride them along the beautiful Kal-Haven trail into town! This photo does NOT do it justice–it was truly the most beautiful bike ride I’ve ever been on, and it ends right in town. We took our bikes into South Haven before our sailing charter for lunch and a drink before hopping on board!

Sailing in South Haven

We had the BEST experience with Sailing South Haven aboard the Margaret Ann! We booked a private charter for $275 for two hours, and Captain Andy and Rudy could not have been cooler.

When we first got on they were like “you guys can sit up here and enjoy a romantic evening on the water and we won’t bother you!” but we were like “WAIT! NO! WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORIES!” We chatted with them the whole time about their sailing adventures (they both grew up sailing on Lake Michigan) and Andy was so knowledgeable about the history of the area. There have been some pretty famous shipwrecks right off the shore that we never would’ve known about if not for Andy’s knowledge!

However, if it IS a quiet experience you seek (I know everyone is different!), they are definitely cool with just operating in the background too. You can BYOB and they’re happy to provide you with disposable cups, wine opener, etc, if you forget!

Visit local wineries and breweries

There are tons of local wineries and breweries in the area! We didn’t go wine tasting, but we did stop nearby at Virtue Cider and it was such a lovely experience! They were extremely safe (I loved that they had a two-strike rule of wearing your mask–if you had to be asked to put it on more than once, you were kicked out! Ha!) and it was such a hidden gem. The service was also incredible. I loved the Michigan Cherry Cider! Modales winery also came highly recommended! (Update: we’ve been back to Modales after this post was published and it’s fantastic. More details and Modales winery review here!)

Blueberry picking at The Fields

The fields are open for you to pick as many blueberries as your heart is content, whenever you want!

Go to the beach!

If you love the beach, South Haven has some great ones! (We actually didn’t do this, since we went to the beach earlier on in our trip, but the beaches are beautiful there, although I’m not sure how crowded they get.) Irene and Emma will tell you the best spots to pick up some sandwiches for a beach picnic!

Go to a bar on the water

A drink or two on the water is a must! There are a lot of cute little bars that overlook the harbor in South Haven! We went to Captain Lou’s for dinner our first night––they have the best fried fish in town––Neal recommends getting it cajun style. I don’t like fish, so I got chicken fingers and they definitely hit the spot! The Idler is also a must for drinks (although everyone we talked to said to not bother with the food). It’s an open-air bar and grill on an old moored river boat! So fun! It kind of reminded me of the Frying Pan in NYC! Both spots we felt very safe–they had closed every other table for social distancing and enforced masks anytime you weren’t at your table.

Get a massage at The Fields:

I’m not really a massage kinda girl, but Neal LOVES them, so he arranged for a massage one morning at the fields. They have a beautiful cabin in the woods where they offer massage services, and he said his massage was wonderful!

Until we meet again! Cannot wait to go back to The Fields soon!

FYI they are nearly booked up for the remainder of the year (make sure to follow them on Instagram, because they often announce last minute cancellations/openings.

Review by: Jess Keys

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