Out of the ashes of the great fire, the community turned to neighboring Dutch towns and community members in Holland. The town rallied together. Businesses stood tall and decided to rebuild instead of abandoning their community. Many Hollanders looked to tourism to help the rebuilding effort.

The late 19th century ushered in the beginning of Holland's tourism industry. Visitors from Chicago and St. Louis came to take in the lakeside air and enjoy the peace not found in the hustle and bustle of the industrializing cities of the Midwest.

To accommodate the rush of tourists, Holland built a city trolley and mammoth resort hotels along the north shore of Lake Macatawa. In 1900, over one thousand boats came through Holland harbor, dropping off vacationers and people in need of a break.

With the start of the Tulip Time Festival in the 1920's, the town had yet another boom. People attracted to the resort culture flocked to see the aisles of tulips and traditional Dutch dancing and spirit come to life. The slow pace of life and the downtown became a vibrant part of the community and provided an investment in Holland's future. Resort culture has changed in recent years. People today take shorter vacations, and Holland's resort emphasis has historically been one of spending a summer at the lake. Holland was often called the "Coney Island of the Great Lakes."