The Inn at Watervale, Arcadia, Michigan

Spend a week in a real-life summer beach house. The 17 cottages shaped more like full-fledged homes were originally built as part of a lumber mill company town. More than a century later, the large homes rent for weeks in summer, making for ideal base camps on Lake Michigan. Dine at the inn with the rest of the community. Every Wednesday there’s a barbecue.

Field trip: Take a book and a blanket and wander through the dunes to the Outlet, a shallow flow of warm water that connects Lower Herring Lake to Lake Michigan. Also, the inn can arrange hikes with a local naturalist.

Night out: Coho Café offers casual bistro-style local and regional food, while The Fusion dishes out a mix of Asian fare. Both are in Frankfort, about five miles from your cottage.

Rates: $2,075–$4,895/week (summer) and $200/day (off-season). A $23 daily meal charge includes dinner in the lodge; 231/352-9083 or watervaleinn.com.