Michigan indoor water park to feature state's first adults-only, swim-up bar

• The Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth now offers Michigan’s first adults-only swim-up pool bar 
• The swim-up bar is part of an $80 million expansion to the property, which includes a water park with 16 waterslides 
• A bill signed in 2022 allows hotels, resorts, water parks and other pool operators with liquor licenses to open swim-up bars

Michigan is about to get its first adults-only swim-up pool bar, two years after a state law allowing them went into effect.

The swim-up bar is one of the central features of Bavarian Blast, an indoor water park opening soon at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth. The water park, part of an $80 million, two-year expansion project of the lodge, will feature 16 waterslides, a wave pool and other aquatic attractions.  

The park is expected to open in late fall but a date has not been determined yet,  said Joanna Nelson, general manager of the lodge.

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The pool bar will be the first in the state since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation in 2022 that allows hotels, resorts, water parks and other pool operators that have a liquor license to operate swim-up bars for adults. 

State Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, said entertainment options such as the swim-up bar can help attract visitors to Michigan resorts. “The hope is it's going to spur additional jobs and investment in Michigan communities,” said Cherry, who co-sponsored the bill. 

Michigan is now one of 25 states that allow swim-up bars. Prior to that, Michiganders had to drive to resorts like Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio, to drink at a swim-up pool bar.  

“This will enable hospitality business operators the opportunity to provide a new experience for their guests, which will boost the Michigan tourism industry,” said Michael Keller Zehnder, president of the Bavarian Inn Lodge.

Adult visitors to Bavarian Blast will be able to access the swim-up bar from indoor and outdoor pools. 

“Even in the wintertime, guests will be able to swim outside and enjoy the crisp air in the warmer water and then the actual swim-up bar,” said Nelson.

She said the lodge plans to offer a variety of mixed drinks, seltzers and frozen drinks. 

“We've had many guests that have asked for it, as they have visited some other resorts in the country, and we're just happy that we could provide this new experience for them.”