Betsie Bay out front. Lake Michigan around the corner.
Booking 2027 and 2028.
The Elberta Life Saving Station sits right on the water at Elberta’s Waterfront Park, with a wide deck looking out across Betsie Bay toward Downtown Frankfort. Lake Michigan is a few minutes away — Elberta Beach and the channel are close enough that your guests can watch the sunset over the big lake and be back before the cake is cut. It is the kind of place people drive past, slow down, and ask about.
It is also one of the most flexible event spaces in Benzie County. Weddings are what it is best known for — a ceremony on the deck, dinner inside, dancing until the doors are thrown open to the night air. But the Elberta Life Saving Station hosts far more than weddings.
- Milestone birthdays
- Anniversary parties
- Family reunions
- Memorials/Celebrations of life
- Nonprofit fundraisers
- Board retreats and all-day meetings
- Graduation open houses
- Holiday parties
If you need a room with real character and room to move, this is it.
The space
The Elberta Life Saving Station is two connected historic buildings on the Elberta waterfront, with a large deck, open water views, a short walk to Lake Michigan, and on-site parking.
- Maximum occupancy: 450, as set by the fire marshal
- Seating for 200 provided with every rental
- Large deck overlooking Betsie Bay
- Minutes from Elberta Beach and the Lake Michigan shoreline
- Across the Bay from Downtown Frankfort
- Waterfront Park grounds surrounding the building
- On-site parking
- Available all week, year-round
May through October is our busy season and books out early — if you have a summer 2027 date in mind, now is the time.
What’s included
Every rental includes tables and chairs. No add-on fees, no rental company required for the basics.
Tables and chairs (indoor use)
- 200 white chairs
- 17 rectangle tables, 8′
- 3 rectangle tables, 6′
- 4 round tables, 5′
- 4 cocktail tables, 30″ round
Kitchen and amenities
- Full kitchen for your caterer to prep, plate, serve
- Cooler and ice chest to keep drinks cold
- Restrooms on site
Also included
- One scheduled planning visit before your event
- Trash bags, toilet paper, the essentials
- Door code access for your full rental period
You supply anything you want outdoors, plus catering, bar service, linens, and décor.
Rates
| Rental period | Hours | Rental fee | Reservation fee (25%) | Damage deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend | Fri 3:00 PM – Sun 12:00 PM | $6,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Saturday | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM | $4,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Friday | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM | $3,600 | $900 | $1,000 |
| Sunday | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM | $3,400 | $850 | $1,000 |
| Monday–Thursday | 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM | $2,000 | $500 | $1,000 |
Resident discount — $1,000 off. Residents of the Village of Elberta, Gilmore Township, and the City of Frankfort take $1,000 off the rental fee. Proof of residency at signing, one discount per rental.
The damage deposit is fully refundable after a post-event inspection. Rates are locked in the moment your contract is signed and your reservation fee is paid.
Download the full rental agreement (PDF) · Check available dates
Good to know
Alcohol is welcome. You can serve it to your guests at no charge under your host liquor liability coverage. Selling drinks or running a cash bar requires an MLCC license, submitted 60 days ahead.
Tents are handled through G.J.’s Rentals, Inc., who will quote you based on the size you need. Payment goes directly to them.
Music wraps up at 11:00 PM and events end at midnight, per the Village noise ordinance.
Décor can go up with poster putty and ties — no nails, tape, tacks, or Command Strips on the walls or ceilings. Candles need to be enclosed or battery-operated. Confetti, glitter, rice, birdseed, and artificial petals aren’t permitted inside or on the grounds.
Service animals are welcome. Other pets aren’t permitted inside the building.
Full details are in the rental agreement.
Our history
Long before it hosted its first wedding, the Elberta Life Saving Station was keeping watch over Lake Michigan.
Built in the mid-1880s at the mouth of Frankfort harbor, the station opened in 1887 as a post of the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Its crew of surfmen kept a lookout in the rooftop cupola and walked the beach day and night. When a ship was in trouble, they launched their lifeboat into the surf to reach it. In 1915 the Life-Saving Service became part of the new U.S. Coast Guard, and the crew kept the same watch under a new name.
In the mid-1930s, the Coast Guard moved across the channel to a new station in Frankfort, which is today’s Oliver Art Center. The Ann Arbor Railroad then took over the Elberta building as its marine office. For nearly 50 years it was the hub of Elberta’s car ferry era, as ferries carried rail cars across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin.
After the ferries stopped running in the early 1980s, the Village of Elberta purchased the building in 2000 and restored it as a community gathering space. Today it’s one of the oldest buildings on Betsie Bay, and one of its best places to celebrate.
Make a weekend of it
Half the appeal of booking here is everything within walking and driving distance. Elberta Beach is minutes from the Elberta Life Saving Station, with Lake Michigan sunsets that your photographer will thank you for. The bluff above town looks out over the whole shoreline. Across the channel in Frankfort, the pier runs out to the North Breakwater Lighthouse, and downtown has the shops, restaurants, and lodging your out-of-town guests will need.
Guests who fly in for a Saturday wedding tend to stay through Sunday. There is plenty here to keep them busy.
Let’s find your date
I’d love to show you the Elberta Life Saving Station. Send me a note with your date, roughly how many guests you’re expecting, and what you’re planning, and I’ll get right back to you.
Showings are scheduled around you — weekdays, evenings, and weekends all work. We will find a time that works best for both of our schedules.
Brenna Nugent
ELSS Manager
231.871.9321 | elss@villageofelberta.com
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Elberta Life Saving Station 1120 Furnace Avenue, Elberta, MI 49628
Photo Credit: Sydney Marie Photography