How cool is this? Cruise ships will once again visit Muskegon after two years of COVID-19 cancelations.

It may sound like a short period of time, but waiting for two years to see these cruise ships again will definitely help tourism in the Muskegon area.

My wife and I go to Muskegon every summer because it's such a beautiful part of Michigan. Muskegon is well known for fishing, sailing, and it's cruise ship port as well.

Get our free mobile app

According to the Detroit Free Press:

Muskegon is located in western Michigan and has a port on Muskegon Lake, off Lake Michigan. It had busy cruise ship seasons scheduled before COVID-19 canceled plans. In 2020, 35 stops were planned, and there were 25 stops expected in 2021.

With all the cruise ships visiting Muskegon again this summer, you have to know that tourism will be back to normal again. Tourism in Muskegon alone is a more than $300 million industry.

The Detroit Free Press also tells us:

The first cruise ship this season is scheduled to stop on June 7, Lukens said. The Pearl Mist, a 210 passenger, six-deck ship, is scheduled for 10 ports of call this summer. It will stay overnight in port on five stops.

This summer my wife and I will head back to Muskegon and we plan on staying at the Hoffmaster State Park. It's such a beautiful state park and there are over 2 miles of beautiful sandy beaches. And there is plenty of hiking in that area as well.

We'll spend time at the state park and enjoy extra time watching cruise ships making there way to Muskegon Lake, off Lake Michigan.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

More From 99.1 WFMK