Itinerary

  • We will arrive by motorcoach in Grand Rapids, MI in the early afternoon and stop at The Downtown Market.  The Market is home to 20+ indoor vendors and 2 full service restaurants. The Market Hall hosts a culinary collective of butchers, bakers, fishmongers, and even a shop that makes alcohol-based ice cream floats. You will have time to wander, shop, and grab lunch on your own.
  • After lunch, we’ll travel to Founders Brewery where we will welcome our very own local guide from Tours Around Michigan. We’ll tour Founders’ Grand Rapids brewing facility and learn the ins and outs of the brewing and packaging process and little bit of Founders history.  Of course, there will be tastings, because everything is better when there’s beer.
  • After the tour, we’ll check into our well-appointed hotel, the Canopy by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown,.  This brand-new hotel features decor inspired and influenced by the local surroundings. The hotel’s mid-century-modern design is a nod to Grand Rapid’s “furniture city” history and the upscale, local biergarten-themed rooftop bar features fantastic views of the city.
  • After settling in your room, the group will travel to New Holland Brewing at The Knickerbocker for craft beer tastings and dinner.  Save room for a special dessert made with their award-winning brew Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout. Fun fact- New Holland is also the largest distillery producer in Michigan, so the gift shop has lots of great options for souvenirs.  
  • After dinner, you can return to hotel by motorcoach. Or, stay in the vibrant neighborhood to explore other Bridge Street breweries at your own pace using the Beer City Brewsader App. You can return to the hotel with a 20-minute walk to hotel, use the free Dash West bus until 1am, or call an Uber.
  • After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll start the day by welcoming our Tours Around Michigan guide who will lead us on a City History Tour to highlight hidden gems and the quirks that make Grand Rapids what it is today. This local guide will stay with us the rest of the day to share his expertise of the area’s best craft brewing operations.
  • The next stop is Brewery Vivant where we will sip Belgian and French inspired beers in one of the coolest breweries ever, a 1915 funeral home chapel with ornate Belgian monastery architecture. Vivant has the distinction of being the first LEED certified production brewery in the nation. We’ll take a production tour to learn how this brewery’s award-winners were inspired by European methods. 
  • After Brewery Vivant, we will enjoy lunch at an exclusive Beer Cooking Experience developed for our group by Local Epicurean Chef. We will take part in a hands-on class to make our 3-course lunch with IPA infused ingredients and spent grain from a local brewery. Lunch items will be paired with a Michigan beer sample at each course.
  • After lunch, we will return to the hotel where you can take advantage of the amenities.  Or, you can head out on foot, free DASH bus, or Uber to explore the many craft beer establishments in the surrounding neighborhood at your own pace.  There is no shortage of delicious places to try and they will be easy to find with the Brewsader App. You can use the app to locate nearby craft breweries and the check in features to verify the locations you’ve visited.  Visit eight breweries and you’ve earned “Brewsader” status and a t-shirt to commemorate your adventures!
  • After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll board our motorcoach and head for home,   But before we wrap up our visit, we will stop for the exciting opportunity to travel the Saugatuck sand dunes.  We’ll hop into our very own dune schooner and spend 40 minutes riding across the dunes enjoying beautiful views of Lake Michigan.
  • After, we will have time for one final craft brewery experience at the Saugatuck Brewing Company complete with lunch, tastings, and the chance to shop for Saugatuck SWAG.
  • We’ll depart for home and a 3:45 PM Chicago Rosemont arrival; 4:45 PM College Ave arrival; 5:00 PM Downtown Milwaukee arrival; 5:15 AM Brown Deer arrival;  and 6:00 PM Sheboygan arrival