Kline's Resort in Three Rivers, MI

Pros

• The lakefront setting is beautiful and offers a wide range of activities for residents.
• It is a well-kept, quiet 55+ community that feels safe and clean.
• The community is described as friendly, welcoming, and feels like a big, caring family.
• There are ample amenities, including a recreation center and outdoor courts for tennis and pickleball, with boat slips for boating and fishing.
• The location provides enjoyable lake life, including great fishing, scenic sunrises, and a pleasant beach area.
• On-site conveniences, such as full RV hook-ups and mail-delivery options, add to the overall, comfortable experience.

Cons

• They describe it as not pet-friendly and call the rules ignorant.
• They say Phil, the owner, is not pleasant and doesn’t even smile or wave.
• They claim they were forced out over fencing because Phil doesn’t like dogs.
• They call the management HORRIBLE and a complete waste of time and money.
• They recount a resident grilling them about the breed, size, and color of their dogs.
• They say they were turned down for a home due to a five-year-old issue, with poor office communication.
• They report never being able to get a reservation, always told that there are no sites available.

Review

Kline’s Resort is best suited for seniors who want a tranquil, lakefront, golf-cart friendly community with a strong sense of neighborliness and a full slate of on-site activities. The setting screams stability: a 55-plus manufactured home campus with a mix of single- and double-wide homes, seasonal spaces, and some cabins, all arranged around Portage Lake. For families or individuals seeking large, modern amenities or a residency that accommodates children and pets without friction, this is not the right fit. The appeal rests on quiet streets, predictable routines, and a culture built around social clubs, casual sports, and long-standing residents who treat the grounds like a shared, ongoing project. Those who prize a tight-knit atmosphere, regular gatherings, and an uncomplicated day-to-day rhythm will feel immediately at home; newcomers should come prepared to lean into a community where relationships and routine drive the experience.

The strongest positives are the lake, the maintenance, and the social infrastructure that makes daily life feel purposeful. The lakefront location delivers a simple, restorative backdrop, sunrises over the water, a small beach, and clear opportunities for boating and fishing, with boat slips and shoreline access that keep water recreation convenient. The grounds are consistently described as well kept and quiet, with a recreation center that anchors community life. Residents note a robust slate of activities, pickleball, tennis, basketball, bocce, shuffleboard, and even RC airplane clubs, so there is always a reason to linger, socialize, or try something new. The neighborhood feel is reinforced by a friendly, safe atmosphere, and the presence of a golf-cart culture makes errands and social visits feel effortless rather than cumbersome. Add in practical touches, full hookups, multiple amperages for RVs, sewer and water, mailboxes, and even on-site delivery conveniences, and the place reads as a practical, self-sufficient micro-community rather than a bare bones park.

Yet the best-remembered strengths sit beside a cluster of notable caveats. The most consequential is management’s approach to rules, especially around pets and fencing. Several residents recount friction with the leadership (centered on one manager) that escalated over fencing approvals, breed considerations, and enforcement consistency. The tension isn’t about policy alone but about how rules are applied and communicated; one narrative describes a clash where what was approved in writing became a point of contention months later, culminating in a resident feeling forced out or unwelcome. The recounted experiences suggest a pattern: rules exist, but their application can feel improvised, uneven, and sometimes pointed. That inconsistency undercuts otherwise strong positives, giving potential residents a reason to pause and probe current practices before committing.

OtherCons worth weighing against the benefits include a more modest amenity set compared with mixed-use or larger, non-55-plus communities. There is no swimming pool, which may disappoint those who equate resort living with water features or full recreational facilities. Payment friction also appears in some accounts, with cash or check noted as the norm for transactions rather than credit cards, a small but real inconvenience for households used to digital convenience. A separate practical headwind is cell service, the area’s limited coverage is acknowledged by residents as a general limitation of the region, not a defect specific to the community, yet it affects remote work, streaming, and emergency reach. Finally, reservation dynamics can be a source of frustration; some reports indicate difficulty securing a site, which matters for seasonal planning and timely moves.

The strong points can offset many of these drawbacks, but only for the right buyer. For a senior who prioritizes a serene, self-contained social ecosystem over a wide array of on-site luxuries, Kline’s Resort delivers measurable value: a safe, well-maintained environment, predictable routines, and a built-in social network. The lake provides a natural magnet for daily life, and the breadth of activities keeps minds and bodies active without forcing residents to wander far from home. The sense of community, neighbors supporting neighbors, communal meals, and shared celebrations, delivers emotional payback that can trump some operational rough spots. In other words, the cons are manageable when the dominant needs are companionship, stability, and a simple, affordable lifestyle near water.

That said, certain buyers should consider alternatives. Pet owners who require consistently welcoming, uniform rules across the entire park may encounter ongoing friction in the dog-and-fencing arena, especially if management style is uneven or conflict-prone. Families with kids or residents who crave non-55-plus flexibility will likely find the environment too quiet or restrictive. Prospective residents who depend on robust amenities (a pool, gym, more extensive on-site services) or who require seamless digital pay options, faster cell service, or a smoother reservation process may prefer another community with broader offerings and more predictable policy enforcement. In sum, Kline’s Resort excels as a mature, lake-centric, neighbor-driven habitat for seniors who value routine and camaraderie above abundance of luxuries; it is less well-suited to those chasing modern conveniences, rapid policy consistency, or pet-policy flexibility.

For families considering a move, a practical due diligence path is essential. Schedule a candid conversation with current residents to gauge how policy enforcement actually plays out day-to-day and to understand whether the current leadership’s approach aligns with personal expectations. Verify the current pet policy in writing, confirm any fencing or breed restrictions, and seek recent examples of how rule changes were communicated and implemented. Assess the financial and logistical implications of limited payment methods and the region’s cell coverage in the context of personal tech needs. Finally, visit during a normal week to observe how the social calendar feels in real time, how responsive the office is, and whether the community’s rhythms fit the intended lifestyle. When the fit is right, Kline’s Resort offers a dependable, lake-centered, elder-friendly habitat; when the fit isn’t, the advantages fade quickly against the friction of inconsistent management and a more restrictive ecosystem.

Places of Worship

• Center Park United Methodist Church (4.3 miles)
• St Edward Catholic Church (4.5 miles)
• Vicksburg United Methodist Church (4.9 miles)
• Temple Baptist Church (6.9 miles)
• New Hope Assembly Of God (7 miles)
• Bethel Baptist (7 miles)
• Verse By Verse (7.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• Super D & J (4.5 miles)
• Hill's Pharmacy (5 miles)
• Good Neighbor Pharmacy (5 miles)
• Red Crown Pharmacy (7.5 miles)
• Village Market Pharmacy (8.7 miles)
• Good Neighbor Pharmacy (9.5 miles)
• Rite Aid (9.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Jaspare's Pizza and Fine Italian (4.8 miles)
• Fisher Lake Inn (4.8 miles)
• The Distant Whistle Brewhouse (4.9 miles)
• Jaspare's Pizza & Italian Foods (5 miles)
• Yogi's (5.4 miles)
• The Big Dipper (7.3 miles)
• Subway (7.6 miles)

Physicians

• Vicksburg Optometry (5 miles)
• Vicksburg Optometry (5 miles)
• Family Doctors of Vicksburg (5.4 miles)
• Wellspring (7.5 miles)
• I-Med Medical Service (7.9 miles)
• Indst Med Of Sw Michigan (7.9 miles)
• IMED Walk-In Clinic (7.9 miles)

Parks

• Charles Clark Memorial Park (5 miles)
• Covered Bridge Farm (5.1 miles)
• Sunset Lake Park (5.3 miles)
• Burch Park (7.6 miles)
• Schrier Park (9 miles)
• West Lake Nature Preserve (9.9 miles)
• Ramona Park (10 miles)

Transportation

• Air Elite Aviation (5.7 miles)
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car (9.7 miles)

Hospitals

• Community Mental Health (8.7 miles)
• Heartland Health Care Center-Three Rivers (9.9 miles)
• Three Rivers Health (10 miles)
• Three Rivers Health Hospital (10 miles)
• Three Rivers Health Womens Services (10.1 miles)

Theaters

• Riviera Theatre (9.1 miles)

Cafes

• BIGGBY COFFEE (9.8 miles)
• Starbucks (10 miles)
• Stryker Cafe (10.5 miles)
• Water Street Coffee Joint (11.1 miles)