If leaf piles are for jumping in, puddles are for playing, and your people still get caramel apples all over their little faces, then this guide to fall family fun is for you!
With pumpkin patches & corn mazes ready — and fresh apple cider & donuts waiting at orchards & farms — discover what to do this season to make family memories that'll last a lifetime when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Michigan!
Sip cider slushies at Leaman’s Green Applebarn! Have a hayride, pet & feed baby animals, enjoy fresh donuts, pick a peck, and ride the Apple Barrel Express.
Read More +Snap fam photos in the pumpkin patch and get lost in the corn maze at Grandpa Tiny’s Heritage Farm. Take a hayride, enjoy cider & donuts, and pet mini-horses, goats, and more!
Read More +Pet farm animals and pick gigantic pumpkins at Johnson’s Pumpkin Farm! Cider & donuts await at the end of the corn maze, along with a kiddie train ride & horse rides.
Read More +See a cider press in action at Bayne’s Apple Valley, and savor the results! Kids of all ages will love their gigantic caramel apples & delicious cider donuts.
Read More +Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch is a seasonal must for cider & donuts — and the Kidland Play Yard! With a cow train to hayrides, pick pumpkins, pet farm animals, and explore the corn maze.
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With interactive game stations, have fun getting lost inside the Frankenmuth Corn Maze! Play yard games, stop by the petting zoo, and hop onto a hayride.
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Roam through Dow Gardens, bursting with fall color, and catch bird’s-eye views along a canopy walk that stretches four stories high into the forest!
Read More +Explore 19 miles of trails together at Chippewa Nature Center — and hands-on exhibits at the Homestead Farm & Ecosystem Gallery.
Read More +The colorful treetops await your family at Frankenmuth Aerial Park, on an obstacle ropes course that combines climbing & ziplines!
Read More +Pass through gardens and find peacock feathers before riding the hand-carved carousel & miniature train at the Saginaw Children’s Zoo!
Read More +Explore a Reptile Sanctuary & Rainforest Experience at Wilderness Trails Zoo, home to 200+ animals.
Read More +Discover the changing season together at Bay City State Park. Walk through a lagoon full of wildlife, and climb two observation towers in Tobico Marsh.
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Rent rides for the fam at Ray’s Bike Shop or Nor’East Outdoors and spend a crisp fall day pedaling the Great Lakes Bay Regional Trail.
Cruise into fall as a family on a horse-drawn carriage with Fantasy Carriage Company or Frankenmuth Carriage Company.
Read More +Follow your taste buds to treats of the season along our self-guided Cider & Donuts Tour!
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With interactive galleries from “Insides Out” to “Water, Water Everywhere” and even a Tinker Track, find infinite fun at the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum.
Explore outer space without leaving your seat at Delta College Planetarium — and visit the gift shop for stellar souvenirs!
See the largest collection of motorized fire trucks in the world — and tons of Tonka® toys — at the Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum.
Spend quality time personalizing a piece together at Painterly Pottery or Space Studios.
Brighten everyone’s fall by catching a kid-friendly show at Midland Center for the Arts, The Dow Event Center, The Temple Theatre, or State Theatre of Bay City.
Enjoy street fare from 20+ food trucks during Funtown Chowdown Food Truck Festival, or launch the pumpkin catapult during Scarecrow Fest at Frankenmuth River Place Shops.
Hunt for souvenirs together at Frankenmuth River Place Shops, then sample fudge to gourmet cupcakes before hitting the arcade.
Start getting into the holiday spirit when you experience the magic of Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, the world’s largest Christmas store!
Explore seven gift shops filled with toys, candy, and souvenirs at Bavarian Inn Castle Shops — and let the kids choose a treat from the bakery.
Discover 100+ stores at Birch Run Premium Outlets, with Go! Games & Toys for kids to Pottery Barn Outlet for parents.
Browse kites to wooden toys at Toyberg, or wander into Joyful Tantrum to experience “a toy store, unplugged.”
Make a splash at Michigan’s biggest indoor waterpark & family fun center, Bavarian Blast at the Bavarian Inn Lodge! Try 16 new waterslides and a wave pool, then tackle the ropes course, rock climbing, and laser tag.
Read More +There’s a chill outside, but your family will warm up in no time at Zehnder's Splash Village Hotel & Waterpark! Fall into fun on tube slides, brave the family raft ride, and relax while dining poolside.
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Grab a roll of quarters for retro gaming fun at Crazy Quarters Arcade, with dozens of pinball machines and plenty of arcade classics.
Bowl for strikes, play two-story laser tag, and hop into bumper cars at Stardust — with arcade games (and The Taproom, parents).
Flip & fly at Urban Air Adventure Park, with giant trampolines, climbing walls, an indoor zipline, laser tag, and bumper cars.
Choose your adventure inside Valley Lanes, whether it’s bowling, indoor mini-golf, bumper cars, or arcade games.
Test your skills in the River Place Game Room, then find sweet rewards at nearby SugarHigh Bakery and SugarRush Sweets & Treats.
Step into Brinstar for arcade games & pinball machines — and stay for creative burgers & fresh-cut fries the whole family will love!
Battle in the action-packed arcade at Fun Way Amusement Park and enjoy games, giggles, pizza, and pop!
Soar on wall-to-wall trampolines at Airborne Adventure Park and defy gravity on more than a dozen attractions.
Let the kiddos burn off energy at The Playground — an indoor playscape where parents can kick back with a latte while kids have a ball.
Giggle at views of your crew in a maze of 1,000+ mirrors in the Ultimate Mirror Maze, then try The Vault Laser Beam Challenge.
See up-and-coming NHL hopefuls defend, shoot, and score at a Saginaw Spirit OHL hockey game!
Enjoy a leisurely hayride, get lost in corn fields, find future jack-o-lanterns, and absolutely indulge in the quintessential combo of fall — cider & donuts! Grab a fleece, gather your flock, and enjoy a crisp autumn day when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Michigan!
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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
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