Hi everyone, Going on a family trip to Michigan starting next week. We are spending 2 nights in Grand Rapids, and will be traveling from the Mackinac Island area in advance of that. Basically we have 3-4 nights open, and plan to stay as close to the Lake Michigan as we can On the way, Shorts is a must stop. In Grand Rapids, we'll check out Founders, Hopcat, and probably make the drive out to Odd Side. My hope is to work in one or two more beer related stops along this path; any suggestions? Bells? Livery? I should mention my favorite styles include stouts, barleywines, old ales.. not a huge IPA fan but do enjoy APA's (Zombie Dust, pseudoSue are 2 of my favorites) Other things I'm wondering about: 1) are bars/breweries/taprooms in MI generally kid friendly? We'll be traveling with our 5 year old. 2) will places that fill gowlers fill one I bring in? 3) any general tourist advice? We have a hotel in GR booked, but the rest is open.. thought about Traverse City, Ludington; we definitely want to check out Sleeping Bear Dunes.. The lakeshore is a big draw for us; ideally we'd love to find a lakefront or lakeview room, or a spot close to a nice beach at the very least, but I'm unsure how likely this is given the time of year (at least without spending $300/night on lodging) Any local advice would be much appreciated!! Cheers! PS I know it's a longshot, but Bells BB Batch 9000 is one of my all-time favorites; if anyone wants some combination of limited Surly beers (Darkness, Pentagram etc.) for a bottle of this, I'd be interested in an IP trade.
You didn't mention Belgians but if you like them go to Brewery Vivant while in GR. Bell's is kid friendly. If you're leaving the state southbound hit up Greenbush on your way out. BTW - your kids will love the Sand Dunes.
I agree with fredmugs about Brewery Vivant. They make Belgian-inspired beers, but they are not real Belgiany if you are not into Belgians. Their food is outstanding too. Also agree about Greenbush in Sawyer. Close to it is The Livery in Benton Harbor, and it is a worthy stop. Nearly any brewpub in Michigan is kid friendly, although some are not so much so after 8-9 pm. HopCat I think falls into the late-night category as being restricted, but you should have no problem at dinner time. The breweries are all different with regards to filling growlers (although I think the Michigan law says it has to be the brewery's own glass). If it is not a brewery's own glass that you have then some will fill it and relabel it, but some will not do that. Bell's is one place that DOES NOT FILL GROWLERS AT ALL, so don't go there with that in mind. This time of the year is difficult to get a hotel room in popular places (or anywhere near some places) so plan ahead and make reservations so you're not searching for a room and getting frustrated. The beaches in Grand Haven and South Haven are very popular, and I think there is one near Ludington that is also a busy one that is in a state park. St. Joe also has a good one. Other touristy places of note: Grand Rapids has a zoo near downtown, and also the Meijer Gardens out on the northeast side of town, and Kzoo has the Air Zoo if you are into aviation, and close by in Hickory Corners (15 miles NE of Kzoo) is the Gilmore Car Museum (a must-stop if you are an old car lover).
I take my boys with me to almost every brewery. They are "regulars" at Bell's and love to run around in the beer garden outside. Odd Side has a lot of tabletop games, and they always like playing Jenga there. Short's is very family friendly and has a kid's menu for food. Vivant is a little more upscale on the food side, but they do have a nice outside area with a few beanbag/cornhole boards set up. Founder's is generally OK, but can get busy. I haven't been there in a few months, but they were working on a beer garden area that I assume would be good for kids. Up in Traverse City, Right Brain is kid friendly and has a little play area. Getting a place in Traverse on or near the water shouldn't be too difficult. Last time I went up there we stayed at Park Place right in downtown. It was 3 blocks to the beach, close to everything, and reasonably priced. There are a ton of other TC hotels right on the beach too.
There is a really excellent beer bar in Ludington, The Mitten Bar. Great beach and camping in that area, too, if you're into that. There's also a brewery, Jamesport Brewing Company. Can't comment on the quality of that one as I have never been. In between Ludington and Grand Rapids, you could hit up Silver Lake for dune rides...I imagine a little dude/dudette might have a lot of fun with that! Odd Side is awesome and Grand Haven has excellent beaches...just be prepared for it to be pretty busy. Good luck and have fun! www.mittenbar.com/ www.jamesportbrewingcompany.com/ www.thinkdunes.com/
Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. Highlights so far, in order: Shorts, Odd Side, Hopcat. Non beer highlights: Sleeping Bear Dunes, beaches in Ludington, and esp. Grand Haven. I'm going back to Bellaire sometime to stay, just so I can sit at Shorts for 5 hours. What a great place; missing it already. We're in GR now, and will check out Founders tomorrow, and probably Siciliano's as well, unless there is a better bottle shop?
As far as rare beers on shelves not sure what you can find at this point, Sicilianos is solid as is Smittys and international beverage. See you tomorrow at founders!!
