No matter the season — or whether you’re craving craft beer, wine, or cocktails — you’ll find plenty of places to savor in Pure Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region. Make your way through this hand-picked guide of artisans & opportunities, and discover for yourself!
See where to sip suds at the oldest microbrewery in the United States and enjoy waterside views. Find out when to board wine tasting river tours, what to order when visiting this distillery (hint: Moonshine), and where to perch for handcrafted cocktails, wine on-tap, and even wood-fired brews. Enjoy your time in the Great Lakes Bay and cheers to your spirited adventures!
Frankenmuth Brewery: Warm up with pints of hearty craft brew at historic Frankenmuth Brewery. Take a tour of “America’s Oldest Microbrewery” and relax along the Cass River from the enclosed patio with floor-to-ceiling window views — or out on the deck! Belly up at the bar for a flight of “high gravity, seasonal and special release brews” or order up a pour of Doxie Wein! Whimsically themed around Doxie, the brewery’s infamous wiener dog, enjoy a glass of Lazy Days Rose or Wiener Dog White!
Oracle Brewing Company: Taste the heart of historic Old Town Saginaw and unforgettable craft brews at Oracle Brewing Company, “where relaxation is the rule.” Unwind in a laid-back atmosphere and order pints, flights, and growlers of flavors including C-Beans chocolate coffee stout and Cosmic Happiness, an oak-aged wild/sour conditioned with guava. You’ll find that unique beer is on the menu here and delivery from nearby restaurants is welcome — Oracle will even help you pick!
The Maple Grille Restaurant & Microbrewery: Pair a pint or two with seasonal, ever-changing menu items at farm-to-table Maple Grille Restaurant & Microbrewery. Tempt your tastebuds with fresh, locally sourced meats and produce while you sip wood-fired craft brews like Blueberry Ale, Smoked Porter, and Peanut Butter Stout. Or, blow the foam off a cold draft of Maple Root Beer, made in-house and non-alcoholic!
Midland Brewing Company: Don your flannel and pull up a stool at Midland Brewing Company, where the brews are cold and the region’s lumbering roots run deep. Sink your teeth into pub food portions “fit for a lumberjack”, and pair your burger, beer-battered fries, or smoked wings with signature ales, wheats, or IPAs. Should you walk or bike here on the Pere Marquette Rail Trail that backs up to the outdoor beer garden, whet your whistle with a pint of their flagship Copper Harbor Amber Ale!
Tri-City Brewing Company: Bring take-out right in to enjoy with your favorite suds at Tri-City Brewing Company! Take your pick of 30 draft selections, many fashioned after local icons, and find faves like Bay City Brew, Charity Island IPA, Hell’s Half Mile Lager, and U.S.S. Edson German Pilsner. Plan your sipping session around one of Tri-City's special events, including cornhole tournaments, food truck visits, and trivia nights.
Loggers Brewing Company: Polish up your trivia skills and polish off a box of street tacos, or another favorite from one of the rotating food trucks at Loggers Brewing Company! Kick back in a cozy neighborhood — inside this brewery that was once a church, or out on the back patio — and enjoy live music while sipping one of 15 brews on tap. Choose from stouts to IPAs to hard ciders, or tip back a 2-ounce pour of each of three fruit wines in a sampler flight.
MI Element Grains & Grounds: Gather with friends & fam for a craft brew or coffee at MI Element Grains & Grounds. Smell the fresh baked goods (and surely take some home), and stay awhile to savor four beers on draft, live music events, book signings, and more. Did you say coffee and pastry? Wrap your hands around a steaming mug of Creation Coffee, roasted locally and made fresh daily.
Whichcraft Taproom: Cozy up and hash over your brew at Whichcraft Taproom, where the beverages have stories to tell! Select from more than 80 Michigan-made craft beers, meads, and hard ciders, all produced by passionate artisans. Sample down-to-earth wines crafted by a handful of Michigan wineries, and enjoy a signature cocktail. Pair your faves with tasty bites like warm Bavarian Soft Pretzels, served with IPA mustard & house-made beer cheese sauce.
Woody’s Draught House: With up to 101 beers on tap, head to Woody’s Draught House for an evening of entertainment, pizza, and brews! Choose flavors like BrewDog Hazy Jane IPA or Grand Armor Fluffer Nutter to drink with your pizza, made-to-order. Listen to the DJ or plan for a weekend rendezvous with live music — and test your knowledge on Trivia Nights!
Tavern 101: Bring your appetite for all-things-beer to Tavern 101, a beer-forward restaurant where most everything is about the brew, even the menu! Think beer-battered Cheddar Cheese Curds, BBQ pulled pork marinated in beer, and many other options made with beer as a main ingredient. Relax with 54 beers on tap and a large selection of wines and cocktails, and be ready for regular Trivia Nights and live music!
The Taproom at Stardust: Tucked inside Stardust Lanes, explore an unexpected mecca of craft beer at The Taproom at Stardust. With 41 taps of Michigan-brewed craft beer from stouts to IPAs, order a flight to taste a few! When you find your favorite, fill up a growler or firkin to enjoy at home. Heads up: look for new beer releases every Thursday, and a 41 Tap Takeover by one of The Taproom’s brewery friends every month!
Governor’s Quarters: Experience 30 Michigan craft brews on tap at Governor’s Quarters, and pair your pints with something delectable from the grill. Stop by often because the taps are always changing — your favorite this week may be different the next — and polish your game in the golf simulator while enjoying wine, cocktails, and brews.
Zehnder’s Taproom: Enjoy 30 domestic and international beers at Zehnder’s Taproom, including German drafts that are brewed according to German Purity Laws, adopted in 1516! Sample German Pilsner to Hofbräu Original Lager, and discover live lounge entertainment every Friday night!
Michigan on Main Bar & Grill: Encounter the largest selection of German beers in the state, alongside 17 Michigan craft brews on tap, at Michigan on Main Bar & Grill inside the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. Feast on locally sourced food, savor German favorites, and celebrate the bounty of the great “mitten” state!
Drift Shoreside Beer Garden: Enjoy sunset views and buckets of cold beer, right on the water at Drift Shoreside Beer Garden. Dock your boat for delicious drinks and yard games or belly up inside to discover select beers, wine, and craft cocktails — even live music! Be sure to pair your favorite beverage with rotating flavors from the on-site food truck park!
Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie: Relax in the rich, indulgent ambiance of Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie in Frankenmuth, and sample wine from the tap. Yes, on tap — for that first-poured flavor served precisely at the perfect temperature! Savor spirited craft cocktails alongside your charcuterie with a classic Old Fashioned or Prost’s Cheeky Peach Spritz, and watch for their second location to open in Uptown Bay City this fall!
St. Julian Winery – Frankenmuth Tasting Room: Take a guided tasting at St. Julian Winery, sample six wines along the way, and enjoy the souvenir glass! Discover Michigan’s longest-running and largest family-owned winery, and taste delicious wine sourced from Michigan fruit — including the ever-popular Solera Cream Sherry. Linger at a table in the barrel room and find hard ciders, spirits, and sparkling juices alongside fine wine.
Frankenmuth FunShips: Discover a seasonal delight aboard an hour-long Wine & Chocolate River Tour with Frankenmuth FunShips, May through October! Cruise the Cass River on an intimate, 12-passenger boat, and enjoy five wines paired with five handmade chocolates, two additional samples, a full glass of your favorite wine, and a stemless souvenir glass. Bonus: FunShips’ store and winery is open daily all year long! Depending on Mother Nature, enjoy Michigan wine paired with gourmet chocolates indoors, on a boat, or in a gazebo right along the river's edge!
Grape Beginnings Winery: Indulge in a flight and sample “worldly wines made local” at Grape Beginnings Winery. With light and fruity, sweet, semi-sweet, dry reds, and white wines (all fermented in-house), sip wines produced with fruit from across the globe. Experience the international feel and local flair of Grape Beginnings, and pair your pour with small plates.
Crazy Vines Winery: Sit back and relax on the couch with a glass of something as comfy as the seating at Crazy Vines Winery. Sip on labels like Dirty Gerty or Ole Barn Red, produced and bottled on-site. Try a flight so you can decide whether you’ll take home a bottle of Respect Thy Elders or Wixom Lake Sunset!
Modern Craft Winery – Frankenmuth Tasting Room: Take your wine tasting to a whole new level with wines that go beyond ordinary to extraordinary at Modern Craft Winery. Experience wine born from an innovative, proprietary fruit infusion process, and be prepared to mix your own signature cocktails! Learn how to pair your favorite wines with stouts, spirits, and bar mixes to create customized fusion drinks.
Black Star Farms Winery – Frankenmuth Tasting Room: Experience “Up North” through Michigan wines in a local tasting room, Black Star Farms Winery. Sample artisan, award-winning wines served by the glass or bottle. Discover your soon-to-be-favorite spirits, too — this tasting room shares a space with Grand Traverse Distillery!
Artisan Urban Bistro: Tucked into historic Old Town Saginaw, step into Artisan Urban Bistro to experience the fruits of an in-house winery paired with an unforgettable artisan meal. Discover artful decor and a cozy bistro setting, and wine made with grapes from France, Spain, and California.
Old City Hall: Situated in Downtown Bay City, step into extensive options at Old City Hall and pick a pour from more than 150 wines from around the world! Discover 23 brews and hard ciders on tap, an inventive Martini list, and cocktails from Moscow Mules to Blood Orange Margaritas.
The Station 100: Experience strong European influences in the cuisine, and the service, at The Station 100. Peruse an extensive wine list, and discover the art of pairing wine with food and flavors. An internationally certified Sommelier will assist, selecting the perfect wine based on your dish.
Jake’s Old City Grill: Encounter a list of more than 100 carefully curated wines alongside gourmet cocktails and craft, imported & domestic beers at Jake’s Old City Grill. Savor fresh, locally sourced cuisine and delicious flavors in the historic neighborhood of Old Town Saginaw.
Gratzi: Take a spin around Italy right in Michigan at Gratzi! A perfect pairing of wine and chef-inspired Italian cuisine awaits. Choose from a wine list that includes Grappa and extends into select regions around the world, or the full-service bar with premium liquors, plus specialty and traditional Italian cocktails.
Three Bridges Distillery & Taproom: Step back in time into a 1940s industrial atmosphere and a distinctive distillery! Three Bridges Distillery & Taproom is an artisan trio of distillery, brewery, and winery where guests can have a say in new flavors — and even learn to make your own at a hands-on gin, rye, or bitters class! Watch the distilling process through Three Bridges’ viewing wall, and sip your specialty to live music or trivia on select evenings. Try the frothy Blue Jasmine Fizz or Chai Amber Ale!
Old Town Distillery: Sip cocktails made with handcrafted vodka, rum, whiskey — even Moonshine — distilled right on-site at Old Town Distillery! Taste the sensation of food and spirits combined, and please your palate with Taco Tuesdays and delicious pizza anytime. Order a Moonshine craft cocktail like the Orange Creamsicle or an Old Town Fashioned made with Old Town Whiskey, orange nectar & bitters, and fresh cherry muddle.
Grand Traverse Distillery – Frankenmuth Tasting Room: For a tasting experience of grand proportions, look to Grand Traverse Distillery! The micro-distillery from Northern Michigan brings its locally sourced, handcrafted spirits into the region so we can all taste grain-to-bottle gin, rum, whiskey, and vodka. Made in small batches using local ingredients, sample award-winning spirits and buy your favorites to bring home!
Aster: Pick up a cocktail with attitude at Aster. Choose from a drink menu of handcrafted mixes like The Final Word, with whiskey, maraschino, chartreuse, and lemon — or the Socket with gin, saké, elderflower, and almond. Enhance your experience and pair your cocktail with gourmet farm-to-table menu selections from mussels to Coq Au Vin.
Savor seasonal house mulled wine at Harless + Hugh, or sip a Hot Toddy, Irish Coffee, or Spiked Cocoa, cozied up by the wood-burning fireplace! Frequent often to enjoy the rotating tap beer selections and natural wines — and the inviting ambiance of this more-than-just-coffee shop.
Read More +The Public House: Gather with friends in an intimate setting, complete with exquisite lighting and plants all around, to experience craft cocktails and artisan spirits at The Public House. Choose from craft beers, wines, and specialty house cocktails like Sunny Daze with Pierre Ferrand cognac, peche liqueur, and basil — or order the River Cruiser, a drink served in a golden pineapple chalice for two to share!
ONe Eighteen: Relax amidst mid-century modern décor at ONe Eighteen, and revel in a robust menu of craft brews, wine, and classic, handcrafted cocktails — including an Old Fashioned, New Fashioned, and the Americano with Campari, Carpano Antica, and soda.
Oxygen Lounge: Unwind among friends at Oxygen Lounge, inside The H Hotel, and enjoy a cocktail, beer, or your choice of wine in casual elegance. Featuring soft seating around the room for intimate gatherings and conversation, experience the cozy, comfortable space — and an after-dinner brandy or bourbon nightcap.
MI Table: Pair your flight of margaritas with Michigan-sourced tacos on Wednesdays at MI Table — where Michigan is a staple in everything, including the whiskey! Taste Traverse City Cherry Whiskey or Detroit City Bourbon with your farm-to-table meal, and keep a flight of Michigan craft beers in mind!
Beaver’s Pub: Drink whiskey your way at Beaver’s Pub, a whiskey bourbon bar where you can have your cocktail smoked table-side for free! Order inventive favorites like the Butternut Old Fashioned, garnished with a cinnamon stick and a flaming roasted marshmallow.
Pair a “Fauxjito” or Mock Sangria with your meal at Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie. Experience a menu of specially crafted Sober Cocktails to savor your drink, without the effects of alcohol, and your evening!
Read More +Find peace of mind in a non-alcoholic beverage at The Public House. Enjoy artfully crafted mocktails, just like their more potent relatives, but without the kick! Order Tranquility with Amass Riverine, pineapple, coconut cream, ginger, and matcha or Minerva with flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, and cinnamon.
Read More +Jen is a Saginaw native and owner of Feel These Words, an independent copywriting studio & home to the free "5 Day Website MiniBoost". Jen specializes in writing that connects, delivered through website copy, branded content articles, and WingWoman writing services. You'll find Jen camping with her family, laughing, and at feelthesewords.com
Find yourself feeling carefree at these memorable outdoor spaces in Pure Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region that will quench your thirst for good brews and great times this summer!
Read More +With intentional street closures paving the way for inviting outdoor spots, be sure to hit the streets of our Great Lakes Bay cities to fully enjoy this summer!
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