What is the best way to spend a weekend with kids in Saginaw, Michigan?

There are plenty of fun ways for families to spend a weekend in Saginaw, Michigan, including: visiting the Saginaw Children's Zoo and Mid-Michigan Children's Museum; hitting the beach and renting paddleboats at Haithco Recreation Area; wildlife spotting on a family boat tour with Johnny Panther Quests Adventure Trips; jumping on giant trampolines at Urban Air Adventure Park or Airborne Adventure Park; and enjoying arcade games to laser tag at family entertainment centers like Stardust and Funway Amusements Saginaw.

What is a great 3-day weekend itinerary for families in Saginaw, Michigan?

Skip to:

Day 1 — Friday

Day 2 — Saturday

Day 3 — Sunday

Mid-Michigan Children's Museum
Day 1:
Friday
MMCM | @mmcmadventures

Breakfast

  • Kick off your weekend at a cozy diner, Fuzzy’s Restaurant, and order the Cinnamon French Toast. Insider tip: grab a loaf of their homemade iced cinnamon bread to bring home!

Morning

  • Make your way to the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum and prepare for hands-on discovery, across 16,000 square feet of interactive galleries like the Tinker Track or A-Mazing Airways!
  • Spend some time exploring Old Town Saginaw, situated along the Saginaw River. Enjoy the views and three-ish blocks filled with shops to explore.
  • You’ll find colorful murals peppered throughout Old Town, especially at the Old Town Saginaw Street Art Park. Let everyone pick their favorite, and snap a photo in front of it!
  • Take the kids to see the colorful, painted silos of the Shine Bright Saginaw Mural, too — the second-largest mural in the United States!
Saginaw Children's Zoo | @shineonsunfish

Lunch

  • Pull into Old Town Drive-In, a 1950s-style carhop restaurant, and enjoy Coney dogs, fries, and cold draft root beer, brought right to your car!
  • Swing by Fralia's cozy, lunch-only deli to order from a menu of more than 20 sandwiches, plus salads & soups, all made in-house daily.
  • Sample Mexican favorites, sandwiches, burgers, and flatbreads in a laid-back setting at Valerie's Downtown.

Afternoon

  • Check out the SVRC Marketplace in Riverfront Saginaw, an indoor, European-style city market with unique shops & eateries — and plenty of places to purchase sweet treats!
  • Just minutes from the market, you'll find the Saginaw Children’s Zoo, home to more than 150 animals, a miniature train, and hand-carved carousel.
    • Insider tip: buy unlimited wristbands so the kids can ride again & again 'til their little hearts are content!
  • A 30-second drive away, head to Frank N. Andersen Celebration Park for a playscape with rock-climbing wall, pavilion with picnic tables, and a viewing deck overlooking Lake Linton.
Old World Pizzeria | @with_hayes

Dinner

  • Make your way into Old World Pizzeria for authentic New York-style slices — with classics the kids will love and specialties like Burrata & Basil, parents.
  • A few blocks away, treat the fam to Michigan Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company, with from-scratch, small-batch scoops like Michigan Sugar Cookie & Saginawesome Chocolate!

Evening

  • Check out what’s happening at The Dow Event Center, home to past shows from the Shrine Circus to Disney on Ice — or see if you can catch a Saginaw Spirit OHL hockey or Michigan Arsenal arena football game!
  • Find a maze of colorful fun at 906 Lapeer, with an indoor, UV-painted, 3D blacklight GellyBall arena!
William H. Haithco Recreation Area
Day 2:
Saturday
Johnny Panther Quests

Breakfast

  • Pop by to see The Bread Gal in Old Town for delicious pastries, baked fresh daily. (The kids will go crazy for a Cinnamon Snail, and you simply have to try the Cardamom Bun!)

Morning

Lunch

  • Visit Big O Burgers and Barbecue to taste mouthwatering brisket, ribs, burgers, pulled chicken & pork — and share the Peach Cobbler for dessert!
Haithco Recreation Area | @frommichiganwithlove

Afternoon

  • Hit the beach at Haithco Recreation Area! This beautiful park offers a lake, playground, splash pad, and fishing piers — plus paddleboat, rowboat, canoe, and kayak rentals.
  • Let the fun fly at Urban Air Adventure Park — on giant trampolines, an indoor zipline, ropes course, and two kinds of bumper cars!
  • Soar sky-high inside Airborne Adventure Park, with wall-to-wall trampolines, a Ninja Warrior Course, and Foam Zone.

Dinner

  • Pick your place to split a pie, from Chicago-style (deep-dish or thin-crust) at Uno Pizzeria to hand-tossed gourmet & specialty pizzas at G's Pizzeria.
  • Find your family a spot on the patio at Harvey's Grill & Bar to savor steak & pork or fish & seafood, and let the kids indulge in their Ultimate Mac-N-Cheese!
  • Take the fam out to Timbers Bar & Grill and enjoy juicy burgers, selections from the grill, and a complete kids' menu.

Evening

  • Spend your evening at Stardust, an entertainment center with bowling lanes, 60+ games in the video arcade, bumper cars for whirling & whamming, and two-story laser tag!
  • Live it up at Funway Amusements Saginaw, with go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, laser tag, and arcade games.
Saginaw | @winsomeglimpse
Day 3:
Sunday
Saginaw | @gonzalezfamilyof7

Brunch

  • Experience a scratch-made brunch worth celebrating at The Brunch Guy in Old Town Saginaw. Adults can order from a menu of Brunch Comforts, Benedicts, and more, and kids will love choosing from the Junior Chefs menu!

Afternoon

  • Head back to Frank N. Andersen Celebration Park and let the kiddos burn off energy before getting in the car!
    • Insider tip: look for a huge sign made up of bright, bold letters: S-A-G-I-N-A-W — and don't miss your chance to snap a family photo in front of it!
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Author
Jen W. O'Deay + Go Great Lakes Bay

By: Jen W. O'Deay | Updates: Go Great Lakes Bay | 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