Bay City, Michigan: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Breweries, and more

We have visited the beautiful riverfront town of Bay City several times, and you can find more information about the area by clicking on the Bay City label at the bottom of this post. You can find more information about the DoubleTree Hotel in my March 2019 blog post.

Sunset from the riverwalk behind Real Seafood Company in Bay City

 November 2022, weeknight, one night, suite 431

Other than the fabulous suite upgrade, this stay was similar to previous stays. I have previously stayed in this hotel with gold and diamond status, and have always received an upgrade to a river view room. This time, when I looked on the app before arrival, our room assignment was a suite on floor 4. I had noticed that there is also a suite on floor 5; however, I did not try to exit the current room assignment to see if that one was available. I did not want to take a chance of losing the suite we had been assigned! 

Suite 431 in DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City, Michigan

We stopped at the front desk to get an extra key, cookies, and water when we arrived. The front desk agent did not say anything about breakfast, so I asked if I just needed to provide the guestroom number for breakfast. She said yes, although she did not recap how much I would receive. Our entire meal was comped the next day.

Balcony and view from suite 431 in DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City, Michigan

Michigan Tri-Cities Area: Saginaw, Frankenmuth, Bay City, Midland

 March 2021, Weekday and Weekend days

Covered bridge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Recreation: hiking, bicycle trails, etc.

We loved all the hiking and biking trails in the towns we visited! We were disappointed we missed a few, which we will try to visit next time.  😊

Gunzenhausen Street Walkway in Frankenmuth looking south.
Holiday Inn Express straight ahead on the right.

In Frankenmuth, we walked through River Place Shops, over the covered bridge, along Cass River (Gunzenhausen Street Walkway, and the area north of the bridges), and to Frankenmuth Brewery. All of the walkways are paved, and beautifully landscaped. Some of the concrete and landscaping was brand new.

You can cross the river in three spots: the covered bridge, the pedestrian bridge next to Main Street, and there is a walkway alongside the road on Main Street.  

Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Riverwalk Trail is located in Heritage Park north of Bavarian Inn Lodge. We did not walk this trail because it was windy and cold out, and we did not realize until later, that we could have gotten to the park by walking through the Bavarian Inn parking lot and then out to the sidewalk. This would have been an easy addition to the route we took, if we had known. 

White peacock in front of Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Be sure to stop and see the peacocks and doves on the grounds of Bavarian Inn Lodge near the covered bridge!

Bavarian Belle Riverboat area, and River Place Shops
in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

We enjoyed a peaceful and scenic walk through River Place Shops, as the stores were still closed when we walked through the area in the morning.

Woodland Trail map in Saginaw, Michigan. 

In Saginaw, we hiked Woodland Trail [nature area]. I could not find a trail map online before our visit, so I have included a photo of the map that is in the parking lot. I suggest printing this, or taking a photo when you arrive, as the trails are not well marked. There were signs at the beginning of the trail where River Trail splits off; however, we did not see any signs when we rejoined Woodland Trail from the river.

Tittabawassee River from River Trail in Saginaw, Michigan.

Bay City and Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Riverwalk Trail, Lumber Barons Brewery, Tavern 101, Soaring Eagle Casino...

March 2019, weekdays-weekend

Walking south from the DoubleTree along Saginaw River

Recreation: trails, parks, boating

Bay County Riverwalk Trail runs along both sides of Saginaw River, around Bay City, and as far north as the state park. Future plans include connections to BayZil Rail Trail on the south, and Pere Marquette Rail Trail to the west. I could not find information about when the connections will be completed.