Government Lake

You've got direct access to Lake Michigan just a tenth of a mile away—that's the real draw out here. The subdivision sits right on the water with plenty of lakefront homes, many of them cottages with docks and cleared views, and the shoreline itself gives you swimming and fishing without any real distance to cover. A few of the properties come with storage buildings and furnished setups, which makes sense when you're working with a seasonal or weekend place. There's an unnamed park about a mile down the road if you need more green space, and a restaurant within an easy two-minute walk keeps you from having to stray far when hunger hits. It's straightforward water-access living—no gimmicks, just homes on the water and the water right there.