grgreaeatltlakakesesbabayy The Official Travel Guide GoGreat.com EVENTS ­ TALL SHIPS FAMILY FUN SUMMER THINGS TO DO SHIAWASSEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE MUSEUMS GIRLS GETAWAY SHOPPING WINE DOG SHOW TRAVEL SOCCER THEATRE FILM FESTIVAL GREAT LAKES LOONS BAVARIAN INN BALLOONS OVER BAVARIA WATERFRONT PRETZELS MUSIC CRAFT BEER BIRDING GO GREAT LA KES BAY TOURS USS EDSON ANTIQUES RIVER ROAR CHARCUTERIE 80’S FEST IC E SCULPTURES CAR SHOWS DOW GARDENS FRANKENMUTH PLANETARIUM FREE MIDLAND PAINTERLY POTTERY SHOWBOAT BRONNER’S CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND G O GREAT RELAXATION SNOWSHOEING SAILING BIRCH RUN FARM TO TABLE WINE SAGINAW RIVER OF TIME CULTURE HOTELS FOODIE SVSU FAMOUS CHICKEN GET AWAY PLAY CHESANING GOLF CHIPPEWA NATURE CENTER HISTORY FOODIE EATS ­ NIGHTLIFE ORCHARDS FRIED CHICKEN CHRISTMAS WHINE BAR MIDLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS RAIL TRAIL FREE THINGS TO DO WATERSLIDE COFFEE SHOPS DEALS ­ WORLD FAMOUS DISHES CRAFTS EVENTS ­ TALL SHIPS FAMILY FUN SUMMER WALK THINGS TO DO SHIAWASSEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE MUSEUMS GIRLS GETAWAY SHOPPING WINE DOG SHOW TRAVEL SOCCER THEATRE FILM FESTIVAL BALLOON OVER BAVARIA WATERFRONT PRETZELS MUSIC CRAFT BEER BIRDING PUTT PUTT ­ SHOPPING UNIQUE BED & BREAKFASTS ADVENTURE PARK SNOW SCULPTURES ICE LIVE MUSIC HOLIDAYS FESTIVALS & EVENTS APPLEDORE SANTA HOUSE CAMPING PACKAGES MUSIC CRAFT BEER BIRDING GO GREAT LAKES BAY TOURS USS EDSON ANTIQUES RIVER ROAR CHARCUTERIE 80’S FEST ICE SCULPTURES CAR SHOW FUN DOW GARDENS FRANKENMUTH PLANETARIUM FUN MIDLAND PAINTERLY POTTERY SHOWBOAT LACROSSE GREAT LAKES LOONS ADVENTURES BAVARIAN FESTIVAL GO GREAT LAKES BAY CANOEING MEMORIES FAMILY FUN FARMERS MARKETS FOODIE ­ SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DINNER THEATRE SUNSET POTTERY EXHIBITIONS CREATIVE GROUP TOURS SPORTING EVENTS AUTO FEST SLEDDING LOCAL VIBRANT FAMILY FUN FAMOUS CHICKEN GET AWAY PLAY CHESANING GOLF CHIPPEWA NATURE CEN TER HISTORY SCULPTURES NIGHTLIFE ORCHARDS TRAVEL TICKETS MEETINGS BAVARIAN INN BALLOONS OVER BAVARIA WATERFRONT PRETZELS MUSIC CRAFT BE Bay County Saginaw County Go Great Travel Tip Desk Midland County Go Great Travel Tip Desk ER BIRDING GO GREAT LAKES BAY TOURS USS EDSON ANTIQUES RIVER ROAR BA (Inside Doubletree Hotel) Go Great Travel Tip Desk 515 North Washington Avenue One Wenonah Park Place 215 East Main Street 2nd Floor LLOONS OVER BAVARIA WATERFRONT PRETZELS MUSIC CRAFT BEER BIRDING GO Bay City, MI 48708 Midland, MI 48640 Saginaw, MI 48607 (888) 229-8696 (888) 464-3526 (800) 444-9979 GREAT LAKES TOURS USS EDSON GOGREAT.COM RIVER ROAR ANTIQUES FRALIAS HOLIDAYS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY RUN #GOGREAT RIVER PLACE BAVARIAN BELL E RIVERBOAT ROADTRIP GIRLS GETAWAY BIRCH RUN PREMIUM OUTLETS SWEETS GO GREAT LAKES BAY QUALITY RUNNERS RACES CELEBRATE FAMILY FUN EXPERIENCE The Great Lakes Bay Region is a perfect example of the unique and welcoming destinations that we have to offer visitors in Michigan. From its cultural institutions and BAY CITY attractions to countless opportunities to experience Michigan’s water MIDLAND wonderland, adventures are never hard to find in the communities of the Great Lakes Bay. We are proud to SAGINAW have the Great Lakes Bay Region as BIRCH RUN a national partner, as part of the Pure Michigan advertising campaign, and CHESANING FRANKENMUTH we encourage travelers to #GoGreat as they plan their next Michigan vacation. 4 5 Welcome! 8 — 33 Fun Facts + Recipes Ways to #GoGreat Like A Local 2 Travel Tip Desk Locations 20 Bavarian Inn Restaurant 4 Regional Map 10 #GoGreat Like A Local 38 22 Frankenmuth Brewery 5 Pure Michigan Partnership 12 For The Waterfront Obsessed 38 — 42 26 Whine Bar 14 For The Outdoorsy Service Information 34 The Tridge 16 For The Modern Family 35 Delta College Planetarium Airports 18 For The Foodies 36 Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland Car Rentals 24 For The Craft Beer, Wine & 37 Appledore Tall Ships Public Transportation Cocktail Connoisseurs Taxis & Limos 28 For The Shop-a-holics Chambers of Commerce 30 For The Artsy Downtown Development Economic Development 32 For The Festival-goers Group Tours Medical Services Universities 43 Tour Planning Information 44 54 77 44 — 53 54 — 76 77 — 97 Lodging Information Dining Information Shopping Information Bay City Places to Stay Bay City Places to Eat Bay City Places to Shop Birch Run Places to Stay Birch Run Places to Eat Birch Run Places to Shop Chesaning Places to Stay Chesaning Places to Eat Chesaning Places to Shop Frankenmuth Places to Stay Frankenmuth Places to Eat Frankenmuth Places to Shop Midland Places to Stay Midland Places to Eat Midland Places to Shop Saginaw Places to Stay Saginaw Places to Eat Saginaw Places to Shop 98 161 169 190 98 — 160 161 — 168 169 — 189 190 — 199 Attraction Information Meeting Venues Sporting Venues Weddings Bay City Things to Do Bay City Meetings Bay City Sports Bay City Weddings Birch Run Things to Do Birch Run Meetings Birch Run Sports Birch Run Weddings Chesaning Things to Do Chesaning Meetings Chesaning Sports Chesaning Weddings Frankenmuth Things to Do Frankenmuth Meetings Frankenmuth Sports Frankenmuth Weddings Midland Things to Do Midland Meetings Midland Sports Midland Weddings Saginaw Things to Do Saginaw Meetings Saginaw Sports Saginaw Weddings 6 7 #GoGreat Like A Local Ever escaped to someplace exciting and unfamiliar (only to feel like a fish out of water from the moment you landed)? Not when you #GoGreat Like A Local! Because, if you’ve got the taste for adventure, we’ve got the insider travel tips to get you there: experiencing all things off-the-beaten-path and out-of-the-ordinary, like none other than a true local. On a mission to find who’s grilling up the best wood-fired pizzas in town? We’ve got it! Need to know which cozy, corner bar has the most craft brews on tap? You bet! Looking for a place to let your little ones run wild? It’s here! No more stopping strangers on the street or spending half of your trip scrolling Yelp. We’ve gathered everything from the hidden gems to the tried-and-true hotspots — all organized by your travel style, and all straight from the source: our Great Lakes Bay natives. What’s Inside Your #GoGreat Like A Local Guide: 10 Get Ready To #GoGreat Like A Local 12 For The Waterfront Obsessed 14 For The Outdoorsy 16 For The Modern Family 18 For The Foodies 24 For The Craft Beer, Wine & Cocktail Connoisseurs 28 For The Shop-a-holics 30 For The Artsy 32 For The Festival-goers #GoGreat Want more? Read all the stories in the #GoGreat Like A Local Series at GoGreat.com/Local, where you can click to learn more about each excursion! 8 9 #GOGREAT IN FRANKENMUTH Short of crossing oceans and timezones, few places can really transport us. Frankenmuth is one of those hard-to-find places: a sweet and Go Great Lakes Bay surprising Bavarian village where Christmas comes 364 days a year at the world’s largest When you Go Great Lakes Bay, you’ll go way beyond cashing in your airline miles or putting a few extra on Christmas store, authentic German festivals the tires. Because getting away is less about finding a new kind of place, and more about finding a new kind keep the beer flowing by the barrel, and family- of vacation-you. So, discover your inner explorer. Your caution-to-the-wind adventurer. A path to perfectly style chicken dinners at Bavarian Inn Restaurant unplugged. It’s time for phones off and out-of-office replies on. Because your Go Great Lakes Bay getaway & Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth more than stack starts here: where six cities every bit as epic as they are eclectic will bring out all the sides of your best up to their world-famous names. Where each vacation self in a single trip. small and special shop in our European-themed marketplace whispers its own version of, “You can’t get this anywhere else.” Once you’ve tried the timeless and traditional, find a new way to experience Frankenmuth—gliding through a sea of trees at Michigan’s first aerial forest park, The Adventure Park at Frankenmuth, or wine and chocolate tasting aboard Frankenmuth Fun Ships. Sip a German Pilsner, a Bavarian Dunkelweizen, or a #GOGREAT IN BAY CITY #GOGREAT IN MIDLAND Belgian IPA inside Michigan’s original craft brewery— Frankenmuth Brewery—or pull up a seat at Prost! Wine It’s time to explore, unsalted. Because, in Bay City, Here’s to a vacation that inspires—one where Bar & Charcuterie, where sharing small plates and sips our freshwater playground beckons—and, here, galleries and boutiques dot the streets, and every of wine comes second nature, and the wines on tap are majestic tall ships aren’t just for daydreaming— stop is a chance to handcraft your own masterpiece. rivaled only by the Prosciutto Di Parma and Parmigiano they’re for sailing. For dinner cruises and stargazer So, dig in. Wet your hands and throw some clay, then Reggiano they’re served with. cruises and fall color cruises as far as BaySail’s glaze it new again. Tour the Alden B. Dow Home & Appledore IV will take you. For nights on the water Studio, where the world-renowned architect once topped only by the cozy quilts and hot cider you’ll dreamed up his dreamiest mid-century moderns, #GOGREAT IN SAGINAW share on-deck and the constellations overhead. and picnic proper inside 110-acres of botanical #GOGREAT IN BIRCH RUN Here, fresh catch is served deck-side at The Real wonderland at Dow Gardens. Meet us in the historic heart of Saginaw, where Retreat to a place where retail therapy restores. Where Seafood Co., and a little extra dose of wind-in-your- the crowd spills out of The Temple Theatre just almost 150 brand name and designer shops open doors hair is only a Sunrise Pedal Trolley Away.