Pentwater, Michigan
Pentwater’s origins lie within the lumbering industry that brought thousands of early settlers to Michigan. Charles Mears opened the first largely successful mill on Lake Pentwater in the 1850s, and many more followed due to the addition of the Pentwater River Channel. A number of factories popped up on the shores of Lake Pentwater in the wake of the lumbering industry, including furniture manufacturers, brick factories, and commercial fisheries. Many of these industries lived on into the 1900s but fizzled out over time. As these industrial businesses folded, Pentwater transitioned into a vacation destination. Charles Mears State Park opened on the shores of Lake Michigan in 1920, and a number of different cottages, restaurants, and other entertainment options have opened in the years since. Today, Pentwater is a permanent home to under 1,000 residents, but that number grows to nearly 5,000 in the summer months. Grab a burger at the Brown Bear, a drink at the Antler Bar, get some fudge at Oldewick Post, enjoy live music on the Village Green, or stop in any one of the number of shops downtown to enjoy a piece of what Pentwater has to offer.
