Tag Archives: Bay City Boat Lines

Event Alert: History Tours are Back!

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Now in its 25th season, the Free History Tours are brought to you by local sponsors and highlight the History of our community along the Saginaw River. 

This unique program is a fan favorite and has been a gift to the community every year we since we started offering it back in 1998. 

Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance. Tours will be offered for 5 weeks this season, beginning June 27 and ending on July 28, Monday through Thursday mornings at 10:00 am only.

Due to limited availability, households may request up to four tickets just once per season, please.

Special thanks to our awesome sponsors for making these tours FREE to you!

Reservations open for the first week of tours on June 13 at baycityboatlines.com/public-events/history-tours/

Bay City’s Princess Wenonah Back in the Heart of the City

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The Iconic Excursion Boat Moved to Wenonah Park in Downtown Bay City on June 9, 2021

June 16, 2021

In 1998, the William M. Miller floated into town and moored at a very different-looking Wenonah Park. Bay City was just developing the riverfront. A few visionaries had grand plans for a system of rail trails, downtown housing, and a revamped downtown. Many local residents could not imagine tourists and visitors thinking of hardscrabble Bay City as a weekend destination on par with Traverse City or Grand Rapids. The Wm. M. Miller was christened Princess Wenonah and began offering free tours and hosting private parties from a dock left vacant by the research vessel Lake Guardian.

Bill and Elaine Fournier with the Princess Wenonah at Wenonah Park ind 2004

Over two decades later, miles of trails wind through Bay County and downtown Bay City. New residents call refurbished buildings home. A vibrant downtown offers dining, shopping, and cultural activities. Suddenly, a city that was once a secret is gaining traction as destination for travelers hungry for a Pure Michigan experience.

Wenonah Park, July 2018

The Princess Wenonah began offering tours and private parties in the the early days, and was soon joined by Islander. As the waterfront developed the Princess Wenonah and Islander were moved to several locations, eventually landing 2 miles south of downtown on the Middleground Island in 2014. Tucked away in a quiet location next to local bar known for live music on the river, Bay City Boat Lines worked hard to draw visitors upriver for tours and events.

Scotty’s SandBar on the Middlegrounds Island, Bay City, August 2017

Reeling from the 2020 pandemic year, Bay City Boat Lines along with local economic development organization Bay Future, renewed a push to bring the Princess Wenonah back to her original berth at Wenonah Park in downtown Bay City. With key support from the Doubletree Hotel and help from the City of Bay City, Bay City Boat Lines successfully negotiated a lease for the summer season back where it all began. The Princess Wenonah once again graces the riverfront to host a new generation of locals and visitors for tours, dinner cruises and entertainment.

Princess Wenonah at Wenonah Park, June 2021

The family-owned and operated business provides a unique perspective of the Saginaw River and the community that surrounds it. Tour guides and crew members are happy to share stories and information with guests aboard the 150 passenger vessel on regularly scheduled tours. Several family members and an experienced, close-knit crew are delighted to help passengers have an safe, enjoyable trip no matter the occasion.

The Doubletree Hotel, Bay City Riverfront adjacent the Princess Wenonah’s Wenonah Park Dock

Partnerships and collaborations tie the Princess and Wenonah and Islander back to the region that supports it. Local businesses help provide funding for a series of free tours, local bands, disc jockeys are put to work on dinner cruises, and another family-owned restaurant, Krzysiak House, and the nearby Doubletree Hotel provide catering options for private events aboard the boat. The owners of Bay City Boat Lines still operate a well-known antiques store just blocks away and believe in the power of local businesses to drive growth and change.

The Princess Wenonah will offer a variety of public events from Wenonah Park beginning in June and continuing through October. For more information see www.baycityboatlines.com or call 989-891-BOAT.

Celebrating 20 Years of Cruising the Saginaw River

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Over the past 20 years, a 65 ton steel lady has become an icon on the Saginaw River, plying the waters from downtown Bay City to the edges of the Saginaw Bay.  Originally built as the M/V Wm. M. Miller in 1954, and re-christened the Princess Wenonah upon her Bay City debut in 1998, this popular excursion boat has been hard at work for 64 years.

From her very first season, the 150 passenger Princess Wenonah has been a popular attraction for children and adults, attracting attention wherever she travels on the river. Three partners originally joined forces to purchase the ship from Miller Boat Lines in Ohio, converting her from a car and passenger ferry to a full-time passenger excursion use. A few years later, the Princess Wenonah was joined by Islander, a 53 foot former ferry which lay dormant after operating on Lake Superior and on the Chicago River, but found new life in Bay City.

Over the past two decades, over 250,000 passengers have enjoyed cruising aboard the Princess Wenonah and her fleet-mate Islander. Original partner William Fournier, his wife Elaine, and daughter Michelle Judd still play host to public guided tours, dinner cruises with entertainment, and private parties each season. A dedicated crew (to which several grandchildren have now been added) takes pride in welcoming guests onboard from May to October each year.

Showing off the beauty of the local waterway, sharing the area’s vibrant maritime and lumbering history and entertaining guests with dinner and dancing is a job the entire staff is proud to take part in. Guests delight in opening each of the city’s four bascule bridges as the Princess Wenonah ventures through town while the Islander specializes in leisurely guided tours and smaller gatherings. Bald eagles, egrets, deer, a great many bird species and small mammals are regularly spotted in their natural habitats along the banks.

Since Bay City Boat Line’s inception, many areas of the riverbank have been improved and developed with charming trails, riverfront parks and new developments.  Three outstanding hotels, hip restaurants, unique boutiques and cultural venues have sprung up and turned downtown Bay City into a growing destination for visitors. First-time visitors marvel at the entrepreneurial spirit of this city, which has managed to blend renovated historic structures with complementary new construction, gradually reworking it’s lumbering and blue collar roots into a small urban gem.

An easy drive from metro Detroit and minutes off I-75 (the main route heading “up North” for many Michiganders) you can find tickets for Bay City Boat Lines’ public events most days of the week in July and August at www.baycityboatlines.com. Tickets range from free to under $50.

What are you waiting for? Come see what has made the Princess Wenonah and Islander one of the most beloved summer attractions in the heart of the Great Lakes Bay Region for 20 years.