bavarian Inn Lodge resort & indoor waterpark
Frankenmuth, mi
The Inn adorned with lights at night
Another view of the lodge
Time for check in
The Inn adorned with lights at night
Our first stop on the "Indoor Waterpark Tour" brought us to the Bavarian Inn Lodge located in beautifully historic Frankenmuth, Michigan. The lodge was built in 5 phases with the first phase opening in 1986, culminating with the opening of the last phase (as of now), in 2012 which included the the addition of 2 wild water slides!
The Lodge is located across the Cass River from the famous Bavarian Inn Restaurant which you can access via Michigan's largest covered wooden bridge, the Holz Brucke!
Notice the wood carvings in the front of the desk
Local pieces of importance to Frankenmuth
The reason this beautiful establishment exists.
Notice the wood carvings in the front of the desk
From the time you pull up to the lodge you immediately feel as if you are in a european setting as the architecture is spot on. This isn't one of the new "modern Ikea" type hotels, but one that exudes charm and warmth without feeling fabricated or dated.
The lobby houses a large cathedral type ceiling with a terrace over the entrance decorated with items suited to the holiday as there were several Christmas pieces set up directly across from a Christmas tree that if it was in your home, no one would dare touch! O and the tree just happens to be hanging UPSIDE DOWN with every ornament resting perfectly in place. Beautiful during the day, but it really comes to life at night!
The front desk staff are polite in such a manner that it seems as if they not only work here but also own the hotel as you will immediately notice they really have a vested interest in the guest experience. To underscore this fact, Joanna, took the time during check-in on a Saturday, the busiest day of the week, to not only tell us where things were located within the resort, but to also give us a guided tour! Pointing out some very interesting facts about the hotel and the area and the synergy between the two, she explained that each room is named after an original Frankenmuth family and inside you'll find facts on the wall about them. Munchie and myself being huge history buffs found this very interesting as we spent a considerable amount of time not only reading the material on the wall, but researching them further courtesy of Google!
Our Rooms
Our room was accessible via the tower entrance located in the back parking lot
Named after the Dietzel family of Frankenmuth.
Our room was accessible via the tower entrance located in the back parking lot
We stayed in rooms 1203 & 1205 (you didn't think we were going to cram all 8 of us in one room did you?) which are Double Queen rooms with an adjoining door located on the 2nd floor in the Tower section.
Our rooms were relaxing and the beds were comfortable and not the usual stiff hotel mattresses you find at many other establishments. There is also a sitting chair that was so comfortable, I sat in it and while doing some work on my computer, I fell asleep and didn't wake up with back pains or upset that I dozed off there.
Adding to the country or European feel is that our room included a balcony that overlooked the serene Cass River, perfect for sitting out and watching the sun set or in my case, sun rise. If we could ever find time to take a trip sans the kiddos, The ole lady and I could spend half the day sitting out and just talking.
dinner with a surprise!
We are all here at Lorelei Lounge for family night!
Be quick!!!
We are all here at Lorelei Lounge for family night!
A compliment to the hotel is the 3 restaurants on site, Oma's, The Rathskeller in the Fun Center and The Lorelei Lounge. We decided to stop by the Lounge for supper and to our surprise it was Family Fun Night!
The kids played several games with the other kids and everyone had the chance to win Fun Center game cards, Mini Melts Ice Cream and other prizes. It was a real fun event and a great way for all the kids to meet each other and well you know, be kids.
The kids menu has all of the usual suspects (Cheeseburgers, Spaghetti, Chicken, Pizza, etc.), but unlike most places, the portions here are about twice the size of a normal kids meal which is a very, very welcome change as our kids (aside from MJ whom orders off the adult menu) will eat more than a regular kids meal, but definitely not an adult portion, So eating here will be great for families.
the fun center!
"The Largest In ANY Midwest Hotel!"
(Click arrows to scroll thru photos)
The Fun Center is MASSIVE and lots of fun for every member of the family! The first stop after dinner (and in fact the first one after breakfast the next morning) was the Arcade which is loaded with over 160 video & skill games.
The kids went ticket crazy and tried their hand and at what seemed like every game available. Mj and Scoop spent the most time playing "Crossy Road", amassing over 2,700 tickets! While cousin Cali racked up an impressive win at the "Claw Grab" with a 600 ticket band! I'm sure you understand how big of a feat this is if you've ever played these Claw style games, yes THAT GAME, the one where that shiny silver claw grabs the toy you've always wanted and just as you begin to celebrate and call your friends to come look, it slams against the side of the machine, dropping your prize back down into the barren field of dreams inside. Crushing your spirit. Oh well, Go Cali!
Also located in the Fun Center is "Willy's Mini Golf", a cool indoor, 18 hole golf course that's designed like a little village with obstacles, fun colors and capped with a waterfall in the back.
This was the first time we've all played as a family and needless to say we had a blast. Vegas and Syd even joined in with their own mini putters and made a hole in one! Well in keeping with full disclosure, Vegas actually picked his ball up and walked it down to the hole then dropped it in laughing but hey, it was still one attempt right?
The older kids got pretty intense as they battled to see who would win and even made a bet that whomever came in 4th place had to do 20 pushups... Congratulations Munchie... She went above and beyond and did 21 pushups instead 😂🤣
Follow the signs!
Fresh cup of Mini Melts!
Seating and karaoke stage
Follow the signs!
What's a Fun Center without a snack bar? Or better yet, what's a HUGE Fun Center without an equally as big Snack Bar?
The Ratskeller is another onsite restaurant that serves all of the usual suspects and a few things that are "Very Frankenmuth", such as Fudge and not just Chocolate, but several different kinds of Fudge. Quite possibly enough to make Charlie mistake the Rath for the real Chocolate Factory!
I had a Pepperoni Pizza while the kids redeemed the vouchers they won during the games we played earlier in the lounge to purchase Mini Melts, which are similar to Dippin Dots but somehow much better and Tatostix, which are akin to fresh potato chips but a bit thicker, stacked on a stick and flavored with one of 8 different toppings. We tried Cheesy Cheddar, Wild Buffalo, Flame Grilled BBQ and Salt & Garlic Pepper with Cheesy Cheddar and Wild Buffalo being selected as the 6 Kids Crew's favorite. Give them a try and let us know what your favorites are.
The Rath also has a full bar for Mom & Dad and host family Karaoke in the evenings and a host of other fun activities.