A Visit to the Bavarian Inn Lodge & Bavarian Inn Restaurant – Frankenmuth Michigan

My sister and I recently took a quick get away trip to the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth with our 4 daughters. The Bavarian Inn Lodge invited us to try them out and we were very happy to do so. Frankenmuth is just a little over an hour away from many areas in metro Detroit and an easy trip. Perfect for when you want to get away but don’t want the hassle of a long drive.

Frankenmuth has so much to do but we wanted to focus on a great girls bonding trip and we spent most of our time at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. The Lodge has four indoor pools and three whirlpools, mini golf and a great arcade. There’s even one pool and whirlpool reserved especially for adults without children. We first visited the waterfall pool and the girls had a blast swimming.

We then moved on to the main event – the two water slides. The Bavarian Inn Lodge has two great water slides. The first is the Tower Twister Body Slide and the other is the Bavarian Blast Tube Slide. We visited mid week and the pools and the slides were not crowded at all. The girls could ride the slides as fast as they could climb the stairs to ride again. There is a life guard at the bottom and top so you can feel very safe. There are height requirements for each slide. The Tower Twister Body Slide height requirement is 42” and the Bavarian Blast Tube Slide height requirement for is 48” or 42″ when riding with an adult. Luckily all the girls are tall enough.

Right next to the water slide is the kiddie pool. This is great if you have kids of varying ages. You could easily watch over the little ones while the older ones are riding the water slides.

My favorite spot though was this hot tub. It has a fun Bavarian feel with a gazebo and is conveniently located near the slides and the pool.

We let the girls swim until they got hungry for dinner. We ate dinner at the Ratskeller restaurant located right near the pools and arcade. There are all kinds of food options (link to menu)  but we went with a large pizza and antipasto salad to share. All that swimming made everyone hungry and we almost finished a 20 inch pizza!

After dinner we had to decide between mini golf and swimming but the girls unanimously  choose more swimming and mini golf the next day.

After a few more hours of swimming, we were all worn out and headed back to the room. As we were getting ready for bed, we were alerted that a tornado had been spotted nearby. We headed back downstairs to the Ratskeller restaurant that is underground. I was so impressed by the staff at Bavarian Inn Lodge during this event. Everyone at the hotel was notified and brought to a safe area. They staff even brought around pitchers of water and glasses to keep everyone comfortable. They also kept us up to date with the status of the tornado. Luckily, it moved past Frankenmuth without touching down.

The next morning we all swam and rode the water slides some more. After that, we decided to play a round of mini golf. The mini golf is all indoors and has 18 holes with fun Bavarian theming.

For lunch we headed across the covered bridge to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. You can’t visit Frankenmuth without having a world famous chicken dinner. Celebrating 125 years of service in 2013, the Bavarian Inn Restaurant has become a Michigan landmark. Generations of diners, lodgers and tourists from around the globe have discovered true Bavarian hospitality thanks to Dorothy and her late husband William “Tiny” Zehnder. Guests experience the old-world European charm of the Bavarian Inn – whether it’s the famous chicken dinners, fresh baked goods or Michigan’s greatest selection of German beer. Bavarian Inn also prides itself on being one of the top consumers of Pure Michigan agricultural products. Nestled within a backdrop of authentic German architecture, a variety of shops and other fun activities, a trip to Frankenmuth would not be complete without a visit to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant.

If you are looking for a fun family getaway, the Bavarian Inn Lodge is a great choice. It is has lots of fun swimming, slides and mini golf that will keep your family busy and happy. If you are able to visit mid week, I would highly suggest it. The crowds were very low. The Bavarian Inn Lodge is a great home base to explore Frankenmuth or just enjoy the activities in the hotel like we did. It is a quick and easy get away from Metro Detroit and great family fun.

Learn more about the Bavarian Inn Lodge and book your own trip at the Bavarian Inn Website. 

Disclosure:  The Bavarian Inn Lodge and Bavarian Inn Restaurant hosted our stay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.