How to Spend a Day Indoors in Bay City
You’ve arrived for a weekend getaway in Pure Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region and you’re ready to explore! But, it’s downpouring with no end in sight, suddenly sleeting — it’s just too freezing to handle! Now what?
When your itinerary includes outdoor gallivanting but Mother Nature has other plans, look to this guide for weatherproof ways to make the most of a day indoors in Bay City!
Harless + Hugh Coffee
Harless + Hugh Coffee
Breakfast: If the weather outside has you down, let Uptown Grill brighten your day with Banana Bread French Toast or a Lobster & Brie Omelet, or head into Mandy's Diner for classic, downhome favorites. Enjoy coffee and house waffles (maybe mimosas?) at Harless + Hugh Coffee and warm up by their wood-burning fireplace if you’re escaping the cold.
Stop inside Populace Coffee or Live Oak Coffeehouse for locally roasted specialty coffee and handcrafted beverages, and experience Beatles & Beans Coffee Emporium where you can’t begin to “Imagine” all the Beatles-themed memorabilia!
Mid-Morning: With more than 400 booths across 60,000 square feet, spend as much time inside as you’d like at Michigan's largest antique shop, Bay City Antiques Center/Bay Antique Center! Discover Americana Company Antiques for an eclectic mix of antiquities, and nearby Retro Attics Studio, open Saturdays only for exquisite mid-century modern finds.
Lunch: Leave bad weather & stormy moods outside, and catch lunch at BarqueBC to taste their specialty smoked meat tacos. Let Chef Craig roll your favorite sushi at Fusion 1 Cafe, the only sushi bar in Bay City, or try a fresh, deconstructed take on the dish with a custom poke bowl at Sushi Remix. And, if a beer-forward restaurant with 54 taps sounds like the bad-weather antidote you’re looking for, Tavern 101 is your place to be!
Mid-Afternoon: Try your hand at paint-your-own pottery studio Painterly Pottery, or create a unique souvenir at the Craft Bar before strolling through the gallery at Studio 23/The Arts Center.
Add a little retail therapy to your unexpected day indoors with uplifting gifts and home decor from Half Mile Handmade, My Secret Garden, Violets Blue, Little House, and G.T. Homestead. Add new clothing to your suitcase, too, at Ferne Boutique, Omoni Boutique, Panache Boutique, or SoCal Threads.
Treat yourself to everything good — including small-batch cheeses, gourmet jellies, dried fruits, cured meats, craft beer, and wine — inside Artigiano Artisan Cheese Shoppe! Stroll beneath the red-and-white-striped awning and into St. Laurent Brothers for ice cream, assorted nuts, and vintage candy, and discover hand-dipped specialty chocolates inside Sarah's Sweet Escapes.
Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie in Uptown Bay City | @prostwinebar
Dinner: Experience MI Table, a farm-to-table restaurant that highlights Michigan's produce, fish, and game through a seasonal menu (and serves an unforgettable Chicken Pot Pie with Michigan-shaped biscuits). Dine casual-upscale at Old City Hall and enjoy prime rib, blackened salmon, or the mainstay OCH Bistro Burger.
Savor fresh-catch seafood and waterfront views at Real Seafood Company on the Saginaw River, or venture into Costela Brazilian Steak House, an authentic churrascaria where you’ll find an array of meats carved table-side, a gourmet Brazilian market table, fine wines, and a full bar.
Experience "a gathering place built on the love of wine" at Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie in Uptown. Share regional charcuterie or split heartier plates like Duck Breast & Pear Sacchetti as you sample from a global wine list and six rotating selections served on tap.
Evening: No need to let bad weather dampen your night! Take in live music or a comedy show inside the historic State Theatre of Bay City, or witness a theatrical performance at Michigan's oldest continuously operating community theatre, Bay City Players.
Play all the classics inside Crazy Quarters Arcade, throw for fun at Underground Axe Club, or toss ‘em back inside Tri-City Brewing Company or The Public House, to name a few.
Things To Do
Shop antique centers to artisan boutiques, sample eclectic coffee shops and eateries, belly up for craft beer and handcrafted cocktails, and even board a tall ship to sail off into the sunset! It’s all available (and ready when you are) on your weekend in Bay City!
Read More +
Things To Do
For Downtown, Uptown, and all-around experiences — shows to catch, boats to board, antiques to find, and flavors to never forget — read on to discover our top things to do in Bay City, Michigan, an eclectic and historic waterfront town!
Read More +
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
