How to Spend a Day Indoors in Bay City
You’ve arrived for a weekend getaway and you’re ready to explore! But, it’s downpouring with no end in sight, suddenly sleeting — or it’s just too cold out 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 & 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 & handcrafted beverages, and experience Beatles & Beans Coffee Emporium where you can’t begin to “Imagine” all the Beatles-themed memorabilia! Or, slip into Water Street Nutrition for a delicious, healthy shake or smoothie to fuel your day of indoor adventures!
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 mall, 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, or try a fresh, deconstructed take on the dish with a custom poke bowl at Sushi Remix.
The weather won't bother you one bit while lunching at H2O's Waterside Grill, a riverfront eatery with delicious sandwiches, seafood dishes, and O's Famous Burgers, ground fresh in-house daily. Or, if a beer-forward restaurant with 54 taps and tasty build-your-own flatbreads 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 & home decor from My Secret Garden, Violets Blue, Little House, and G.T. Homestead. Add new clothing items to your suitcase, too, at Ferne Boutique, Omoni Boutique, Prim Sage Boutique, or Fran & Dot Boutique, to name a few.
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 & confections 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 pan-seared salmon, jambalaya, or the mainstay OCH Bistro Burger.
Savor fresh-catch seafood and waterfront views at Real Seafood Company on the Saginaw River, or experience "a gathering place built on the love of wine" at Prost! Wine Bar & Charcuterie. Share regional charcuterie or try heartier plates like Duck Breast & Pear Sacchetti while you sample from a global wine list and six rotating selections served on tap.
Evening: No need to let bad weather dampen your night! Play all the classic pinball machines & video arcade games inside Crazy Quarters Arcade or throw for fun at Underground Axe Club.
Toss back pints inside Tri-City Brewing Company or W.H. Ales Brewpub, and taste specialty cocktails, smoked table-side, at Beaver's Pub. Cozy up at The Public House to shake your weather woes while sipping artisan cocktails and snacking on late-night bites, from Parm Fries to Pickled Deviled Eggs. Be sure to visit next-door Neighbors Natural Wine & Bottle Shop, too, for pours of wine and even wine-forward cocktails.
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!
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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!
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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
