No matter the season — or whether you’re craving craft beer, wine, or cocktails — you’ll find plenty of places to savor local flavor when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Pure Michigan. Make your way through this hand-picked guide of artisans & opportunities, and discover for yourself!
See where to sip suds at Michigan's oldest microbrewery and enjoy waterside views. Find out when to board wine tasting cruises, what to order when visiting this distillery (hint: Moonshine), and where to perch for handcrafted cocktails, tap wines, and even wood-fired brews. Enjoy each & every sip — and cheers to your spirited adventures!
Warm up with pints of hearty craft brew at the historic Frankenmuth Brewery. Take a tour of Michigan's oldest microbrewery and relax riverside from the enclosed patio with floor-to-ceiling windows — or out on the deck! Belly up at the bar for a flight of seasonal and special release brews or order up a pour of Doxie Wein!
Read More +Taste the heart of historic Old Town Saginaw and unforgettable artisan brews at Oracle Brewing Company. Unwind in a laid-back atmosphere and order pints like C-Beans, a chocolate coffee stout. Unique beer is on the menu here and delivery from nearby restaurants is welcome!
Pair a pint or two with seasonal menu items at farm-to-table Maple Grille Restaurant & Microbrewery. Tempt your taste buds with fresh, locally sourced meats & produce while you sip wood-fired craft brews like Caramel Apple Ale, Smoked Porter, or Maple Oatmeal Stout.
Don your flannel and pull up a stool — or a seat by the fire in the backyard beer garden — at Midland Brewing Company, where the brews are cold and the region’s lumbering roots run deep. Sink your teeth into pub fare and pair your burger, beer-battered fries, or smoked wings with signature ales.
Bring take-out right in to enjoy with your suds at Tri-City Brewing Company. Take your pick of 30 draft selections and find favorites like Hell’s Half Mile Lager and Brownhoist Nut Brown Ale. Be sure to plan your sipping session around food truck visits and trivia nights!
Polish up your trivia skills and polish off a box of street tacos — or another favorite from rotating food trucks at Loggers Brewing Company! Kick back inside or on the patio, and enjoy live music while tasting from 15 taps. Sample stouts to IPAs, or tip back a hard seltzer or flight of fruit wine!
Cozy in for a pie & a pint at W.H. Ales Brewpub! With hand-tossed, wood-fired pizzas and draft pours from Coconut Stout to Bay City Sunset Wheat, enjoy a flavorful evening.
Gather with friends for a craft brew or locally roasted coffee at MI Element Grains & Grounds. Take in the scent of freshly baked goods (and surely take some home), but stay awhile to savor four beers on draft, live music, and more.
Saunter into Whichcraft Taproom to select from more than 80 Michigan-made craft beers, meads, and hard ciders — 40 available on tap, and all produced by passionate artisans. Sample from a handful of Michigan wineries, enjoy a signature cocktail, and pair your faves with tasty bites like warm Bavarian Soft Pretzels.
With dozens of brews on tap, head to Woody’s Draught House for an evening of entertainment, handcrafted pizza, and beer! Listen to the DJ or plan for a weekend hang with live music — and test out your knowledge on Trivia Nights.
Bring your appetite for all-things-beer to Tavern 101, a beer-forward restaurant where most everything is about the brew! Relax with 54 beers on tap and a large selection of wines and cocktails, and be ready for regular Trivia Nights and live music!
Tucked inside a bowling alley & entertainment center, explore an unexpected mecca of craft beer, The Taproom at Stardust. With 41 taps of Michigan craft beer, order a flight to taste a few — and fill up a growler or firkin to enjoy at home!
With fresh, fire-roasted artisan pizzas — and a 24-tap system serving up cold brews, wines, and ciders on draft — you're sure to get your fill at Goose Tooth Co.! Create your own custom pie to enjoy with a pint or two.
Sample from 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!
Enjoy 20 domestic and international beers at Zehnder’s Tap Room, 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.
Taste 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 — and polish your game in the golf simulator while enjoying wine, cocktails, and brews.
Relax in the rich, indulgent ambiance of Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie in Frankenmuth or Uptown Bay City, and taste six tap wines, served at the perfect temp! Savor themed flights alongside build-your-own charcuterie boards — or house specialty cocktails like Whiskey Basil Smash.
Take a guided tasting at St. Julian Winery, sample six wines along the way, and enjoy the souvenir glass! Discover Michigan’s most-awarded winery, and taste delicious wine sourced from Michigan fruit, including the ever-popular Solera Cream Sherry.
Discover a seasonal delight aboard a Wine & Chocolate River Tour with Frankenmuth FunShips! Cruise the Cass River on an intimate tour boat, and enjoy five wines paired with five handmade chocolates, plus a full glass of your favorite. Bonus: FunShips’ store & winery is open all year!
Indulge in a flight and sample “worldly wines made local” at Grape Beginnings Winery. With light & fruity, sweet, semi-sweet, dry reds, and white wines (all fermented in-house), sip wines produced with fruit from across the globe and pair your pour with tasty small plates.
Sit back and relax on the couch with a glass of something as cozy as the ambiance at Crazy Vines Winery! Sip on labels like Ole Barn Red or Ole Barn White, produced on-site. Try a flight to decide whether you’ll take home a bottle of Starry Meadows or Wixom Sunset!
Take your wine tasting to a whole new level at Modern Craft Winery. Experience wine born from a proprietary fruit infusion process, and mix your own signature blend! Learn to pair your favorite wines with stouts, spirits, and bar mixes to create customized fusion drinks!
Experience “Up North” through Michigan wines in the Frankenmuth tasting room of Black Star Farms Winery. Sample award-winning wines and discover your soon-to-be-favorite spirits — this tasting room shares a space with Grand Traverse Distillery!
Tucked into historic Old Town Saginaw, step into Artisan Urban Bistro to taste the fruits of a boutique, in-house winery, paired with an unforgettable artisan meal. Discover a cozy bistro setting, and wine made with grapes from France, Spain, and California.
Serving all-natural beverages and handcrafted bites in a warm & intimate space, find your cozy quarters at Neighbors Natural Wine and Bottle Shop. Grab a glass of wine or a craft cocktail, sink into soft seating by the fireplace, and simply relax.
Situated in Downtown Bay City, enter into Old City Hall and pick a pour from more than 150 wines from around the world! Discover two dozen brews and hard ciders on tap, an inventive martini list, and plenty of other specialty cocktails.
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.
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 linger over traditional Italian cocktails.
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 locally sourced cuisine and delicious flavors in the historic neighborhood of Old Town Saginaw.
Step into an artisan trio of distillery, brewery, and winery — Three Bridges Distillery & Taproom! Watch the distilling process through a viewing wall, and sip your specialty to live music on select evenings. Try the frothy Blue Jasmine Fizz or Cold Brew Old Fashioned!
Sip cocktails made with handcrafted vodka, rum, whiskey, or Moonshine — distilled on-site at Old Town Distillery! Try Taco Tuesdays or delicious pizza anytime, and order Moonshine craft cocktails like the Orange Creamsicle or an Old Town Fashioned with fresh cherry muddle.
Brought to your glass by the minds behind The Bourbon Junkies, treat yourself to an exceptional tasting experience at EverNorth Spirits Co.! Taste the difference of community-driven whiskey as you sample single-barrel bourbons, rye whiskeys, and beyond.
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.
Pick up a cocktail with attitude at Aster. Choose from a menu of inventive options — including the Chef's featured Culinary Cocktail — and elevate the experience by pairing your drink with delicately crafted farm-to-table fare.
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 +Gather in an intimate setting to experience craft cocktails and artisan spirits at The Public House. Choose from craft beers, natural wines, and house or classic cocktails, each created with fresh-squeezed citrus and house-made syrups.
Drink whiskey your way at Beaver’s Pub, a whiskey bourbon bar with signature smoked cocktails! Order inventive options like the Butternut Old Fashioned, garnished with a flaming roasted marshmallow.
Pair your Michigan-brewed craft beer flight with a MI Burger 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 enjoy the Affogato for dessert.
Seasonal craft cocktails, brick-oven-baked pizzas — what's not to love about Vinny's Pizzeria? Order up your (Pepperoni Hot Honey, Pancetta & Arugula...) pizza and sample from specialty cocktails and an extensive wine list while you wait!
Unwind at Oxygen Lounge inside The H Hotel, and enjoy a cocktail, beer, or wine in casual elegance. Featuring soft seating for intimate gatherings and conversation, experience the comfortable space — and an after-dinner brandy or bourbon nightcap.
Relax amidst mid-century modern décor at ONe Eighteen, and revel in a robust menu of craft brews, wine, and classic cocktails — including the Old Fashioned, New Fashioned, and Americano.
Sip unique & seasonal specialty cocktails — while drinking in views of the Saginaw River and a picturesque marina — at H2O's Waterside Grill. Whether you're warming up with an espresso martini or cooling off with an island-inspired fishbowl drink, enjoy every sip... and the scenery!
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 like Tranquility with Amass Riverine, pineapple, coconut, ginger, and matcha — or Into the Fray with Seedlip Garden, pomegranate, cinnamon syrup, and lemon.
Read More +Find yourself feeling carefree at these memorable outdoor spaces that will quench your thirst for good brews & great times when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Pure Michigan!
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!
Read More +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