The Sandcastle: An Artistic Haven! Private Beach, Family-Friendly Wonderland

Summary:
Come lose yourself in the sunsets over Lake Michigan from your own porch. A perfect location for a family reunion. Enjoy bonfires, sunsets over Lake Michigan, a good book in a hammock or home-made pizzas in the outdoor pizza oven. The house is filled with original artwork from the owners collection from her over 30 children's books. The grounds are large and great for those who want to spend their time outside or on the deck taking in the views. The property is full of fun activities for children to entertain themselves all day. We have a volleyball net, croquet set, baseball, bicycles, bocci ball, giant chess and checker sets, giant hammock, school yard size swings, two teeter totters, a playhouse for children and 2 fire pits. We just installed a stairway to our 100 feet of private beach. We are 1 mile from a free nature reserve with 600 feet of beach and the public South Beach just 3 miles away. Both beaches are a quick bike ride away. Van Buren Public Beach and dunes are 7 miles away. .We are also very close to 2 great public beaches. We can promise beautiful sunsets from our front lawn with a fire pit and stars. The owner, Wendy Anderson Halperin is a recognized children's book artist and author. She also has 14 years experience in teaching drawing. Wendy is offering to our guests as part of the weekly rental package 2 Drawing courses at no additional fee: Adult: Drawing Nature ( your choice of plants or animals) Children : Learn to Draw because You Can. Each course is 2 hours and can be divided up as our guests choose during their vacation. A great way to spend a rainy day. We have another building on the property where this non profit works out of and all courses are in there. We can accommodate as many as 15 people for a course. Visit our non profit drawingchildrenintoreading.com to see more of Wendy's work with children.

House:
4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. The house is three stories and 3,000 sq. feet. Sleeps 13 people. The ground level is a sleeping chamber with 5 beds and a private full bathroom. On the main level is a large and open kitchen and dining room. Dining table comfortably seats 10. Kitchen is spacious, great for a group who likes to cook together. On the main level is a living room with fireplace which has specular views of the lake, a perfect place to watch the sunset. This level has a large porch which wraps around the south and west sides of the house. This porch is a great place for an easy and beautiful outdoor meal.
On the third floor are 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. The master bedroom with a king size bed faces Lake Michigan and has a private bath. You can watch the moon over the lake all night long in the master bedroom. The second bedroom has a king size bed and shares a bathroom with the third bedroom. The third bedroom has a queen size bed and a twin size bed. On this level is a smaller porch facing the west.

Grounds:
Home sits on 2 1/2 acres. Back yard features a cook's paradise! Under the grape arbor is a charcoal grill, pizza oven, and outdoor seating for 20. Pick herbs from the herb garden for your meal and watch the flowers grow. Wrens and wind chimes adorn the arbor. Next to the grape arbor is a jungle gym for the kids.
The grounds are a children's wonderland. There is a 15'x30' concrete basketball court, giant chess set, monkey bars, swings and a see-saw. The kids will be having fun outside for days.
For the grown-ups there are hammocks, decks, a life-guard chair, bonfire pits and adirondack chairs for enjoying the lake views and warm breezes.

Beach Access:
The stairway winds you down to an amazing beach. It is a private beach 100 feet wide. You can have a campfire, take the paddle board down, take down 2 kayaks or just enjoy a shaded beach until noon because of the dune. There is a public nature center 1 mile down the road that has trails, beachfront and lovely Michigan woods. It is a quick bike ride away. South Beach is the public beach that is 2 1/2 miles to the north. Van Buren State Park is 6 miles away for the adventure of running down a big sand dune and climbing up the tree filled east side of the dune. It is also within biking distance. Right down the road is an access point for the Kal Haven Trail - to the right ;a bike trail to Van Buren State Park or to the left: easy access to downtown or all the way to Kalamazoo. It is a paved bike path..







Come up from the beach and rinse off in the outdoor shower.

The Area:
You're within walking distance to infamous Michigan blueberries (you pick). The house is a 5 minute drive to downtown South Haven where you'll find farmers markets, a historic movie theater and great restaurants. 2 miles south of the house are the Van Buren State Park Dunes. The neighborhood is quiet and the property is very private.

During the summer months the house is rented weekly from Saturday to Saturday. Check in is 4:00 Saturday and check out is Saturday 10:00.


Keywords: Artistic, spectacular view, eclectic, spacious, perfect for family reunions