Welcome!!
Through the years we have had an outcry for recipes and information about everything we have going on here at Goldberry Woods. We want to keep everyone in the loop and up to date with all of the exciting things that are happening at our Inn turned full-blown Resort!! Did you know we now have a large, heated pool? And a barn for reunions, retreats and small destination weddings? You can check it out on our brand new website!
Social Media is great and all, but we want a better way to inform and connect with our favorite people…..Our Guests!! We have brainstormed so many topics that we want to tell you about: the crazy things we are growing, foraging, preserving and cooking, and all the fun things to do in Harbor Country.
With Covid-19 regulations changing constantly, we decided to convert the entire property into short term rentals for the summer. We still have a few openings left in August for your whole family to rent the entire Inn or the Innkeeper’s House, which are deeply discounted. Call our office directly for the best deals. We will be returning to our Bed and Breakfast format after Labor Day and will be delivering full, hot breakfast nosh boxes directly to your room.
Follow along with our blogs and recipes to stay connected to Goldberry and to feel a little closer to relaxation during this crazy year. Our goal is to share one blog post and one our recipes every month. Read on below about the amazing time we had kayaking on the Galien River.
Stay tuned for our delicious Carrot Cake Pancakes with Browned Butter Bourbon Glaze recipe. We hope to see you again soon, safe and healthy!
Paddle Wise
What I love most about rivers is
You can’t step in the same river twice.
The water’s always changing, always flowing.
—Disney’s Pocahantas
Kayaking is something that many of our visitors seem to overlook because they are drawn by the beaches of Harbor Country. The Galien River flows right into Lake Michigan, and offers so many adventures for guests to experience. It is a quiet and immersive experience where friends can laugh and joke with each other along their journey, or where couples can share a double kayak and learn how to work in tandem (or bicker) while trying to get their kayak to go in the direction of New Buffalo Marina, and the large array of restaurants that will turn a blind eye and welcome customers in any smelly state they might arrive. Even families can split up into many kayaks where siblings can race each other or test their paddling skills. Get ready to burn LOTS of calories so you can feel like you have earned your food and craft cocktails.
While the beach erosion has been a concern of many this year, the high water levels in Lake Michigan have made the Galien River that much better. High water that means you will not bottom out on trees and have to boot-scoot (in the most attractive way possible) over them or around them to find your way through the wilderness. High water means new growth and wetlands that are…well…wet and vast, where you can see the growth of many water loving plant life.
To be able to kayak, you will first need a kayak! If you have one make sure you bring it with you to the area. There are many other places that rent kayaks to visitors. Check out Outpost Sports or Third Coast Surf Shop to see what they have to offer. Both companies even have multiple locations throughout Harbor Country.
Here at Goldberry Woods, we offer free kayaks and canoes to our guests on a first-come-first-serve basis. Down on our River Trail, we store our inventory of kayaks and canoes so that our guests can have the adventurous journey that the Galien River offers. Guests can put the kayaks in the river right from our property and have clear access all the way down to the New Buffalo Marina.
The Galien River is not just about kayaking either. The Galien River County Park allows you to walk on a boardwalk out over the river and the wetlands, where Julie and our Agriculture Intern Kirsten saw a bald eagle last year. Berrien County has also done their part in adding parks with kayak slips, such as Glassman Park, along the river so that visitors and locals alike can appreciate the nature that Harbor Country has to offer. The County maintains the river from Glassman Park to the Marina without portages so that kayakers can enjoy their journey.
Right here at Goldberry Woods, we want our guests to appreciate what the Galien River has to offer, which always helps when we are surrounded by it! Walking through our woods, on our trails will bring guests and visitors right up to the edge of these deliciously deep waters and the wetlands that it brings to our community.
