The first thing on our agenda today was Bumbleberry Acres, the little farm recommended to us by the kind gentleman last evening. It was about a five-minute drive from our RV Resort. We were so thankful that he shared this information with us. Bumbleberry Acres was not located on a main road and we most likely would never have known about it otherwise.
As we exited the truck the first thing we laid eyes on was an adorable, friendly dog. The dog was very excited to greet us and we were equally excited to meet him. The employee who was with him was a sweet young lady named Cassie. She told us this dog belonged to the owners and she welcomed us to pet him and to Bumbleberry. After spending a few minutes giving the family dog some loving we made our way into their little farm market. Immediately upon entering we saw a huge table filled with pints of beautiful blueberries. There was a sample bucket filled with blueberries and we literally had to pull Lily away from it. We enjoyed walking around and checking out everything they had to offer.
Next, we decided to walk around the grounds. There was a hand painted mural complete with cutouts to put your head inside and we couldn’t pass up this fun photo-op.
We continued around the corner and saw the area where the live animals were located. As soon as I read the sign stating to ask an employee if you would like to meet the animals we walked back to find Cassie. When she saw us coming toward her she started to tell us the dog went back inside. I let her know that was not a problem and asked her if she would mind taking us to meet the other animals. She was very happy to oblige.
First, we were brought into the pig pen. Boots, an adorable little black pig with four white paws (hence his name) was the first one we met. Most of our time in the pig pen was spent with Bubba. Bubba was a beautiful little black pig and Cassie told us his favorite past time was having his belly rubbed. As soon as he saw us he laid down on his side so we could do just that. The girls and I were literally in hog heaven.
Cassie then brought us over to the rabbit cage. She took a fluffy, tan bunny out for us to meet and pet while she held it.
From there we got to go in with the goats. Both of the goats were very friendly and allowed us to pet them. The goats started to become a little too friendly as they tried to eat our hair and shirts so we took that as our cue to move on.
The next stop on the animal tour was meeting the two cows. The brown cow was a little nervous so we didn’t go near her. The black and white cow embraced our visit and let us pet her. She even posed for a picture with us! We only spent a few minutes in here because we did not want to upset the brown cow.
When we were back on the outside of their fence Cassie showed the girls how the cows loved it when you picked leaves from the trees and fed it to them. They took to this task on the farm right away and could have stayed there all day.
Cassie got the girls to move on by taking us to meet the beautiful white ducks. Lily really liked that the ducks’ feet and bills were orange, her favorite color.
We thanked Cassie profusely for spending so much time with us and giving us such an unforgettable experience with the farm animals. After petting all the animals we went back to the farm market to wash our hands really, really well. The girls selected the pint of blueberries they wanted and I picked out a delicious looking, homemade mixed berry crumble pie to take to our cousins for dinner tomorrow night.
With that, we went back to the RV for a quick stop. As we pulled up with our blueberries we got a good laugh because sitting on our picnic table was a surprise pint of blueberries, a gift from the RV Resort. These would definitely not go to waste since we all are huge blueberry fans.
After eating a fast lunch we went back into the center of South Haven. A cute local coffee shop was the first place we stopped. There were games on the back tables and the girls went right over and started to play. Adam and I kept an eye on them and went up to the front to sit in their comfy seats while we enjoyed our coffee.
Strolling down the street the girls could not believe it when they saw a cat in one of the store windows sleeping in a basket. Since Adam is highly allergic he waited outside while I took the girls inside for a closer look. Lily could have stayed in the store petting the cat for hours but I finally convinced her we had to leave.
As we meandered the cute little streets we came to the Old Harbor Village and went to explore. The name of the first store we came to was called Daylily. Lily could not believe her name was a part of another store (there was also a store with her name in Old Town, San Diego). As we admired the gorgeous, sprawling garden outside of this store we spotted a beautiful orange butterfly and stopped to watch it flit about and drink the nectar.
Warner Wine Sales and Tasting Room caught our eye and we had to check it out. The gentleman working there was extremely nice. He gave the girls grape juice and they chose to enjoy it at their outdoor seating. We could still see them through the window so this plan worked out perfectly. Adam and I thoroughly enjoyed each wine we tasted and we decided to purchase some and have it shipped home.
Just past Warner Wines was a restaurant on a boat. This appeared at the perfect time because we were all feeling ready for a bite to eat and there was a table available for us outside on the boat’s dock allowing us to enjoy the sunshine and our meal. While we waited for our food to come the girls had virgin strawberry daiquiris and Adam and I shared a glass of s.h.i.t. When we saw there was a drink called s.h.i.t. on their menu we had to have it. We both agreed as far as alcoholic beverages go, this was definitely some really good s.h.i.t. (As I am sure there are some inquiring minds- this name was short for south haven iced tea, a twist on a long island iced tea.) The waitstaff brought the girls coloring sheets and we enjoyed our drinks and colored together while we waited for our food. When our food came it was just as good as the drinks. I had a bowl of gumbo, Ella had calamari, Adam had a jerk chicken sandwich and Lily got peanut butter and jelly.
The girls really wanted to go back to the playground on the beach so we started walking over there. As we approached the riverfront we saw a large crowd gathered and started to hear some incredible music. We continued to make our way closer and realized there was an outdoor concert going on featuring R&B, Soul and Blues music performed by Laura Rain and the Ceasars. This was such a wonderful surprise and we all loved listening to the music with the picturesque backdrop of the riverfront. There were a few older women who kept getting up to dance to the music. Lily took notice to them and wanted to go and join them. We had the best time twirling and bopping to the beat with those fun women and a few others joined in as well.
At the conclusion of the concert the girls were disappointed to learn we would not be making our way back to the beach playground after all. They tried to convince us but Adam and I refused to budge. It was getting late and we were headed to Farmington Hills early tomorrow. We agreed this was the perfect note to end our time in South Haven.
