Breakfast: Create sweet smiles on your kids' faces with a stop at Cops & Doughnuts – Sutherland Precinct, and enjoy fresh donuts and hot coffee while you game-plan what’s ahead!

Journey to the Stars: Travel “out of this world” together at Delta College Planetarium! Kids and adults alike will enjoy this state-of-the-art facility where mind-blowing shows last one hour. Don’t leave without visiting the rooftop observation deck for a spectacular bird's-eye view of Downtown Bay City!

Breakfast: Head to Uptown Grill for classic offerings, kicked up a notch. Think: Apple Cinnamon Cakes and Banana Bread French Toast (although they offer traditional French Toast, too). You could also grab a quick bite at Live Oak Coffeehouse if a yogurt parfait, quiche, and locally roasted specialty coffee calls.

Uptown to Downtown: Stroll about Uptown and enjoy the shops and scenery. Don’t leave without making a wish at the fountain, and enjoy the picturesque views of the water (maybe with a pre-lunch bubble waffle cone of "Uptown Funk" from Michigan Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company)!

Pick Your Palette: Next, head Downtown to Painterly Pottery. Adults will enjoy this hands-on paint-your-own studio just as much as the kids! Pick your color palette and create what will surely become a treasured souvenir of your time spent in Bay City.

Shop the Blocks: From Painterly Pottery, opportunities abound within a few walkable city blocks. Looking for one-of-a-kinds? Michigan’s largest antique center is just across the street, and so are a handful of other unique antique and specialty shops!

Lunch: Fuel up for the afternoon at Tavern 101, where little ones can build their own flatbreads while the "big kids" bite into gourmet burgers and sample from 54 craft brews on tap. Go all-in together on an order of their seasoned, smothered cheese fries!

Dinner: Enjoy G’s Pizzeria & Deli for everything from gourmet & specialty pizzas to their signature Pocket Pizza! (Heads up: Nearby Brooklyn Boyz Pizzeria & Italian Eatery and Eudici’s Pizza are each a five-minute drive out of Downtown, and both are worth the jaunt.)

Back in Uptown, Vinny's Pizzeria bakes their house-made pies in a brick oven, using only the freshest ingredients — and every pizza can also be made vegan or gluten-free.

Dessert & Delights: Visit Downtown Bay City’s oldest candy shop, St. Laurent Brothers, for gourmet chocolates, candies, nuts, and even ice cream. Take your treats and walk underneath the evening lights of the Third Street Star Bridge — a luminescent display and the perfect backdrop for your family vacation photo in Bay City!

Breakfast: Swing by Harless + Hugh Coffee before heading out of town. Lox Toast and a seasonal latte for the adults and House Waffles topped with seasonal fruit for the kids? Consider it the perfect fuel for your last day of adventures in Bay City!

Hit the Beach: Pull into Bay City State Park and put on your bathing suits (weather permitting) to enjoy almost a mile of natural Saginaw Bay shoreline, a sandy swimming beach, and the on-site splash park and playground area! Or, hike paved trails through scenic Tobico Marsh and spot some wildlife together from two observation towers!

Finish with Fun: Cap off your weekend of fun at nearby Dutch Village Adventure Park — on the mini-golf course or in the batting cages — while you recount all the favorite moments from your family trip to Bay City!

Bite Before You Go: Gather ‘round at Mussel Beach Drive-In — a family-style restaurant and ice cream parlor loved by locals — and enjoy one last treat together before heading home!