Outdoor Social Districts in the Great Lakes Bay
The weather's gorgeous, our waters are glistening, and our downtown neighborhoods and beyond are ready for friends & families to gather! 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!
Around these new social districts and pedestrian plazas, you’ll find soft green turf and bountiful blooms, outdoor public art installations and live music, comedians and community events — even must-try morning yoga sessions! Experience family-friendly activities & adults-only fun, too, including refreshment areas where cocktails & brews flow freely!
This summer, all are welcomed to these special outdoor spaces for dining, drinking, and gathering in the streets of our Great Lakes Bay cities!
Midland
The Commons
Make your way to Downtown Midland, where the streets are filled with picnic tables a'plenty — lawn games, live music, and delicious local flavors — all summer long!
The Commons in Midland | @downtownmidlandmi
The Commons Pedestrian Plaza
Taste delicious foods together, lounge, listen to live music… dance! All are welcomed to the handicap-accessible & parking-friendly gathering spaces in Downtown Midland!
Main Street’s vibrant Pedestrian Plaza includes live turf areas with trees, plants, and beautiful blooms — and the intimate space offers ample shade and seating. When the sun goes down, solar-powered lights shine on the trees, and firework lights set the evening mood.
With activities including Mini Golf on Main, Outdoor Yoga Flow, and more, The Commons Pedestrian Plaza is the ultimate gathering space. Open to all ages, kids and “big kids” alike will find it the place to be for all kinds of outdoor fun!
The Commons in Downtown Midland | @frommichiganwithlove
Follow Downtown Midland on Facebook for details on what’s happening while you’re here, and come prepared to play cornhole and ping pong — or kick up your feet on cozy lounge seating!
Three Bridges Distillery & Taproom | @three_bridges_distillery
The Commons Refreshment Area
For good-time vibes & adults-only fun, find your way to The Commons Refreshment Area in Downtown Midland — an area where alcoholic drinks are openly allowed outdoors, craft brews and cocktails flow freely, and live music gets people dancing in the streets!
Notably larger than the Pedestrian Plaza, The Commons Refreshment Area is a social district that stretches from Gordon Street to Rodd Street, and Larkin Street to Main Street.
Get to this fantastical spot for downtown fun and bring your dancing shoes! (Or maybe a lawn chair, your call.) Local musicians play from 7 - 9pm every Friday & Saturday night at the intersection of Main & McDonald during The Commons Live Music Series!
The Commons in Midland Find up-to-date street closure information, parking maps, and participating businesses Learn More
Feet on the Street in Bay City | @jeffcaverlyphotography
Bay City
Feet on
the Street
the Street
Visit select areas of Downtown Bay City, day or night, for Feet on the Street events, good vibes, and great times!
Feet on the Street in Bay City | @damianm25951577
Feet on the Street in Bay City
Dancing to dining, live music to yoga — in addition to outdoor restaurant patio seating, serving delicious specials & drinks as we speak — Bay City’s social districts are welcoming & whimsical places to gather outdoors. Made possible by purposeful street closures, Feet on the Street is for everyone to enjoy!
Think late-night pizza and cocktails after whooping it up at live concerts in the streets to mellow morning meetups with friends over a good cuppa — with daytime activities, local business pop-up events, and seating & spaces that simply welcome fun — and you start to get the idea of what Bay City's Feet on the Street is all about!
Families, too, will have a blast at these neighborhood hangout spots! Right out in the streets, you’ll find performers to pop-up shops and more. You’re sure to make memories at Feet on the Street and capture fun photos together with unique backdrops throughout!
Feet on the Street in Bay City Find up-to-date info on local happenings and participating businesses Learn More
More Great
Outdoor
Gathering Spaces
Gathering Spaces
Experience the social zones in Midland and Bay City — absolutely! And be sure to blend your adventure with these beer gardens, outdoor dining hotspots, and food truck hangouts that each make the outdoors so inviting!
Sip in the Sun at
Belly up, sip cold craft brews, and laugh out loud under twinkling lights at these welcoming outdoor watering holes: Drift Shoreside Beer Garden, Drydock Beer Garden, and Tri-City Brewing Company Beer Garden in Bay City, Midland Brewing Company Beer Garden in Midland, or Schnitzelbank Biergarten and Fischer Platz in Frankenmuth!
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Dine Al Fresco On Our
Summertime is primetime for dining al fresco, and restaurants around every corner are offering expanded outdoor seating and exceptionally fresh seasonal flavors. From shoreside eateries with sunset waterfront views to lively patio settings popping up streetside in social districts — be sure to get out this summer & enjoy!
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Grab a Bite at
Fall in love with local flavors at these Great Lakes Bay food truck parks and food truck festivals: Drift Shoreside Beer Garden in Bay City, Funtown Chowdown Food Truck Festival in Frankenmuth, and more.
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Things To Do
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!
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Summer Trip Ideas
It’s summertime in the Great Lakes Bay, and there’s no better way to savor this delicious season than to dine al fresco! Gather up in inviting neighborhoods pleasantly packed with patios — and discover social zones where city streets become one big outdoor dining space!
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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
