Coldwater's lake chain and Tibbits Opera House

South of Coldwater, a run of lakes and channels forms the Coldwater-Marble chain. You may hear it called an eight-lake chain: that is how Coldwater’s 2017 master plan describes it. The DNR’s fishery report names nine lakes from south to north: Coldwater, East Long, Wright (Mud), Loon, Bartholomew, Archer, Middle, Marble, and First. It gives their combined surface area as about 2,700 acres and says dredged channels make the lakes navigable by boat. The different counts are a good reason to pay more attention to the map than the nickname.

For a day on the water, the practical details matter. The DNR report identifies public launches at Coldwater Lake, Loon Lake Channel, Middle Lake, Marble Lake, and First Lake. State rules make the connecting channels between Coldwater and Marble slow-no-wake, and parts of Coldwater Lake have their own slow-no-wake zones. Coldwater Lake State Park provides hike-in fishing and hunting access, but the report does not describe it as a motorized boat launch.

Back in town, Tibbits Opera House has been hosting audiences since 1882. Its history describes a French Second Empire facade, a period as a movie theater, a mid-century rescue by local groups, and a facade restoration completed in 2013. Both Tibbits and the City of Coldwater describe it as Michigan’s second-oldest operating theater. The building still hosts professional summer theater and events through the year, so check the current calendar rather than assuming a performance is running.

There is another old-fashioned evening option west of town. The Capri Drive-In says it opened in the summer of 1964 and still operates seasonally. Its schedule changes with the season, just like the theater calendar and boating conditions.