A Little Slice of Gay Heaven Right Here in the Midwest

If you were asked to list off queer-friendly cities in the United States, Douglas, Mich. probably wouldn’t even make your top 10 — but there’s a true queer gem tucked away in those dunes! Dunes Resort, lovingly called ‘The Dunes’ by regulars and staff alike, boasts over 22 acres of resort, with 81 hotel rooms and six bars, western Michigan’s largest gay dance bar, a cabaret with live entertainment, a super cool game room and a massive pool. And it’s all for the LGBTQ+ community to enjoy!

Who would have thought this gay paradise was hidden away right here in the Midwest? The Dunes has been a gay safe haven for 44 years, providing an inviting and fun place for queer couples, singles, friends, and strangers to relax, meet and unwind.

Mike Jones, one of the three owners of the Dunes Resort, along with Danny Esterline and Greg Trzybinski, says, “The Dunes can be a lot of different things for a lot of different people. To me, it’s a little slice of heaven in the middle of western Michigan where it’s traditionally pretty conservative.”

Jones, Esterline and Trzybinski took over ownership of The Douglas Dunes, renaming it The Dunes Resort, on May 26, 1999.

“We were at points in our lives where it just seemed right,” Jones says. “Maybe you shouldn’t eat pizza, drink margaritas and try to plan your life, but you just never know what’s going to happen.”

And thank goodness for those margs and pizzas, because today The Dunes is a cultural icon, attracting queer guests (and straight allies!) from all over the U.S., especially the Midwest.

There are so many fun things to do at The Dunes that just one vacation isn’t enough. That must be why so many guests come back to The Dunes year after year after year.

“You get to leave the real world for a little bit. You can hear fantastic music or come to the cabaret for a great show,” Jones says. “Sing karaoke or watch strippers. You can be gay, straight, old or young and feel comfortable here. It doesn’t matter who you are; everybody is welcome.”

When The Dunes says it offers a little something for everyone, they truly mean it, too. Whether you’re looking for a quiet weekend with your person, you’re single and ready to mingle with sexy parties and events or you just want a nice place to unwind, The Dunes welcomes everyone.

“Everyone who comes here feels good and feels comfortable,” Jones elaborates. “You can be sitting at the bar with lesbians on one side, a cross-dresser on the other side, and everyone is just having fun … This is a very welcoming place, regardless of what you like, what you don’t like, how much money you make, how much money you don’t make, what you’re wearing, et cetera.”

The Dunes is more than just a fun place to take your vacation, though. It’s chock-full of queer history, too. The massive gay institution we know and love today actually started out much, much smaller. In 1981, The Douglas Dunes, which would eventually become The Dunes, was opened by Carl Jennings and Larry Gammons to welcome curious gay men and women to Douglas (Saugatuck), Mich. And before that, there stood the tiny drive-in Amity Motel, with just 22 hotel rooms, a restaurant and a lobby bar with summer-only outside dancing.

All of its history, hard work, and dedication and love to the queer community is what makes The Dunes into the little piece of paradise that it is today. Jones reminisces about his first summer at The Dunes, saying, “At the end of our first summer, I got emotional. I was looking around, everyone was having fun, and then I thought, ‘Wow, this is ours.’ That was a little overwhelming.”

How beautiful, to have a place right here in the Midwest where you can come exactly as you are — wearing what you want, expressing yourself as you want and loving yourself, exactly the way you are.

This summer, book your trip to this queer paradise in Douglas, Mich. And who knows? It might even become your personal happy place to return to every year!

You can learn more about The Dunes Resort on their website dunesresort.com or give them a call at (269) 857-1401.