Find the Rainbow: The Most Colorful Spots Along the Art Coast®
The start of summer has a way of turning up the color around Saugatuck/Douglas. The rainbow crosswalks along our downtown streets feel a bit brighter, the flowers have burst into bloom in parks and fields, and the public art seems to pop a little more vividly against the blue skies. But around here, color has always been part of the experience, woven into the art, the lush landscapes, the quaint shops, and the welcoming spirit that defines the Art Coast year-round.
From bold murals and larger-than-life sculptures to lavender fields, colorful storefronts, and rainbow-painted gathering spaces, here are some of the brightest spots to discover around Saugatuck/Douglas this season.
Follow the Rainbow
You don’t have to look far to find colorful expressions of Pride throughout Saugatuck and Douglas. Three rainbow crosswalks brighten the streetscape, including the Butler Street and Culver Street intersection in downtown Saugatuck, the stretch of Culver Street between Scooters Café and Pizzeria and the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, and the intersection of Main Street and Center Street in downtown Douglas.
Outside of Uncommon Coffee Roasters, a rainbow-painted bench has become a cheerful and iconic gathering spot for coffee drinkers and passersby. And arriving in early June, new rainbow-painted palette bike racks will add even more color to both downtown Douglas and Saugatuck.
Of course, rainbow flags fly proudly throughout our charming coastal communities year-round, serving as both a celebration and a reminder of the welcoming spirit that has long made Saugatuck/Douglas a beloved LGBTQ+ destination.
Bright Walls, Bold Art, and Colorful Corners
One of the area’s most recognizable photo spots is the “Smile! You’re in Saugatuck” mural at Dockside Marketplace on Water Street. Painted in 2020, this colorful mural continues to draw visitors looking to snap a cheerful Art Coast memory, and now sits alongside Marker 14, one of the newest additions to the waterfront dining scene.
In Village Square Park, Brazilian artist Romero Britto brings his unmistakable use of color and pattern to the sculpture Big Temptation, a playful public art piece that feels perfectly at home here.
Over at Wicks Park, artist Carol Miron’s Seurat in Saugatuck has been a beloved local landmark since it was painted in 1977. Inspired by Georges Seurat’s famous Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the mural captures the same leisurely spirit you’ll often find nearby, where people spread out across the grassy knoll to relax by the water on warm summer days.
At the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, color spills far beyond the exhibition walls. Outside, bright geometric murals invite exploration, while the sculpture garden blends flowers, lush greenery, and bold works of art beneath the striking red architectural structures that have become one of the SCA’s most recognizable features.
One Color at a Time
Not every colorful moment comes in rainbow form.
In Coghlin Park, Cynthia McKean’s bold red Family of Man IV sculpture stands out against the surrounding greenery and blue waters of Kalamazoo Lake with unmistakable presence. Nearby in downtown Saugatuck, the bright yellow exterior of Teeny Tiny Toy Store and the bright pink exterior of Charlie’s ‘Round the Corner Ice Cream radiate joy before you even step inside.
Along the Kalamazoo River, the bright orange Donut Boats from Retro Boat Rentals are hard to miss as they cruise through the harbor, while the iconic indigo open-air dune buggies climbing the sands from the Saugatuck Dune Rides have become an instantly recognizable part of the lakeshore landscape.
Beyond downtown, color stretches across the countryside, too. Purple blooms blanket the fields at Summerhouse Lavender Farm, while wineries like Modales, Michigan Wine Co., and Fenn Valley Vineyards & Winery roll out endless shades of green across their vineyards each summer.
In early June, nearby Fennville also becomes home to a breathtaking four-acre poppy field planted beside Pleasant Hill Blueberry Farm. Created by owners Joan Donaldson and John Van Vorhees in memory of their son, who served in Afghanistan, the vibrant blooms have become both a place of reflection and one of the area’s most striking seasonal displays.
And, at Oval Beach, there’s Lake Michigan itself, shifting from deep blue to turquoise beneath some of the most vivid orange sunsets you’ve ever experienced.
