For a last-minute fall escape, Michigan’s Harbor Country allures with its stunning ‘art coast’ and quirky fun

Affectionally called “Harbor Country” by Chicagoans, Michigan’s western shoreline also has long been known as the state’s “art coast,” a place where small towns and artist residencies flourish alongside sandy beaches and lakefront cottages.
The fourth and final chapter of the WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times visual-art driven road trip series traces this stretch from Sawyer and Saugatuck to Grand Rapids, where the legacy of “Furniture City” meets a thriving contemporary art scene. (Take other visually inspiring trips with our guides to Milwaukee, the Madison/Driftless region and Detroit.)
Along the way, creativity reveals itself in intimate shoreline venues, light-filled museum galleries, and across the 150-acre grounds of one of the country’s most stunning sculpture parks. A plentiful array of Airbnbs, highway hotels and vacation rental groups make it easy to book last-minute travel, particularly in early fall.