Fly a kite at New Buffalo City Beach and Lakefront Park: New Buffalo, Michigan

It's just been in the past few years that we've discovered New Buffalo's public beach. For years we'd head up and spend time in Galien and Three Oaks, but never ventured over to New Buffalo. Now, it's a frequent summer destination for us as there are a lot of good eateries in addition to the fabulous beach.

And we don't always go there intending to go in the water. Sometimes in the off season we stop there just to take a walk and to take some pictures and enjoy the beautiful shoreline. We've also been there several times with the kids to fly kites. This time of year is a great time to visit when parking is free and the summer crowds haven't made their way there yet.

The beach is free but after Memorial Day there is a $10 parking fee, unless visiting before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m.  Sometimes we'll spend the day in the area to pick fruit or shop or check out the Flag Day Parade and later in the day, once it hits 8 p.m., we'll head over and spend a little time on the beach before returning home.

If you don't have kites, you'll find them at a lot of the shops in New Buffalo. I think we got some of ours in nearby Three Oaks at the Three Oaks Pharmacy. Once in a while one is short-lived (usually if it's something from the dollar section), but if you get a quality kite it will last you several seasons as ours have.  Their favorite is the shark kite we have that looks pretty cool flying above our heads.

Find more information on the New Buffalo City Beach here - http://www.newbuffalo.com/newbuffalo-beach-parks.shtml.