Discover Benton Harbor

Explore Benton Harbor as you plan your trip by focusing on its glass art and events in the Arts District, museums with historical themes, and parks and paved trails in nature.

Glass art and events in the Arts District

Water Street Glassworks is located at 140 Water Street in Benton Harbor’s Arts District. It offers glass art classes as well as exhibitions and events for all age groups. Classes and exhibitions are distinct options: you can explore working with glass art or focus on an exhibition or event.

The Arts District also includes galleries, studios, performance venues, cafés, restaurants, and bars. Its offerings extend beyond glass art, bringing together a range of cultural and dining options. As you plan, you can consider these places as separate areas of interest rather than centering your stay on a single art form.

Museums with different historical themes

The Morton House Museum is dedicated to preserving, honoring, and sharing Benton Harbor’s history with residents and visitors. It is located in the city’s oldest building. The museum therefore focuses both on Benton Harbor’s history and on the building that houses it.

The Mary’s City of David Museum features the world’s most complete documentary and photographic record of the history of the Israelite House of David and its 1930 reorganization. This focus differs from the city history presented by the Morton House Museum: here, the subject is the history of a community and its documentary record. If you include museums in your travel plans, the two offer different historical perspectives.

Trails through landscapes along Lake Michigan

The Harbor Shores Nature & Fitness Trail System includes 12 miles of free, paved hiking and biking trails. They pass through the Harbor Shores Golf Course, along the Paw Paw River, Ox Creek, and the St. Joseph River, across wetlands, and up dunes with views of Lake Michigan. The mileage refers to the entire trail network, not to a single trip.

Activities available in the system include biking, fishing from a small pier, launching kayaks or SUPs, and snowshoeing in winter. It offers a range of ways to spend time outdoors, including activities on the water and an explicitly winter-specific option. As you plan, you can take the activity and season into account as separate considerations.

Parks and seasonal information

Riverview Park at 700 Riverview Drive provides an option for launching a boat. The lake can also be reached from there within a few minutes. The park’s seasonal operating details may change; check the information before your visit.

Jean Klock Park on Jean Klock Drive is listed as open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May 1 through October 30. These operating details may also change. Check the hours before your visit so you can plan around the seasonal hours listed for the park.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Union Pier, Niles, Sawyer, Watervliet, New Buffalo, Bridgman, Chikaming Township, Berrien Springs

Go to the main travel overview: Berrien.