The Thunder Bay Inn is located in Big Bay MI just 25 miles north of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula. The Thunder Bay Inn offers 12 guest rooms furnished with antique and period-style furnishings and a friendly restaurant that is open daily serving lunch and dinner. The Thunder Bay Inn is the Historic Ford Hotel, the Film Location of "Anatomy of a Murder". Open year round, the Thunder Bay Inn offers a spectacular view of Lake Independence and the surrounding area.

Innkeepers Wayne & Gretchen Peacock reopened the Thunder Bay Inn during the winter of 2009 restoring the feeling of yesterday to this historic Inn.

The family friendly grill is open daily from 11 am until closing serving lunch and dinner. Our menu offers a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, South of the Border Items, dinner selections, homemade Pizza, and deserts. Stop by on Friday for our delicious fish fry or on Saturday for our Angus Prime Rib Special.

	Enjoy your favorite beverages and our friendly atmosphere. When the cold winds blow, you can warm up in front of the wood stove.

Guest Accommodations

The Inn has twelve comfortable guest rooms including three suites. Some accommodations have a private bath, others a half-bath or a shared bath. The shared bathroom is dormitory style with showers. Guest rooms have double or twin beds and are furnished with antique furniture. All of our guest rooms are on the second floor with a nice view from the windows.

Suite 202& 203: Two twin beds, one queen-size bed, sitting room, and a full bathroom
Three of our comfortable guest rooms.

Guests will enjoy a continental breakfast of fresh fruit, juice, cereal, bakery, and beverages before they head out into this great recreational area. There is a spacious, historic lobby with a wood-burning fieldstone fireplace for relaxing, reading, and conversation after a day of recreational activities. The screen in front of the fireplace is the original screen used by Henry Ford.

Meeting Facilities.
The spacious first floor offers facilities for group meetings, seminars, showers, small weddings, reunions, and parties. Catering can be arranged with Duke for a menu for your event. Call for information.

The historic Thunder Bay Inn was built in 1911 by the lumber barons of yesteryear. It was originally used as a warehouse, general store, office and barbershop for the lumber companies that were the mainstay of the economy in the Upper Peninsula at the turn of the century. In 1940, Henry Ford purchased and renovated it to serve as a vacation retreat for himself and his executives. Known at that time as the Ford Hotel, it overlooks Lake Independence and the sawmill which produced the wooden panels for the early models of the Ford station wagon (the woodie).

The Ford Hotel was the 1959 setting for scenes in the classic film, "Anatomy of a Murder," starring Jimmy Stewart and Lee Remick. The novel and movie were based on a true event which took place in Big Bay in 1951. The present day pub was built onto the hotel for the filming of the movie.

The hallway by the restaurant contains interesting photographs and newspaper clippings of the history of Big Bay, the Inn, and the movie, "Anatomy of a Murder". In 1986 the hotel was renamed the Thunder Bay Inn, the fictional name of the hotel in the novel and movie, "Anatomy of a Murder".

Recreation and Attractions

Big Bay has year round activities for the outdoor enthusiast. Fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, biking, camping, snowmobiling and off roading are very popular here. The town is in on Lake Independence next to Lake Superior, surrounded by water and wilderness. To the west of Big Bay is the McCormick Wilderness Tract, 16,850 acres of wilderness with 18 small lakes and the Yellow Dog Wild and Scenic River. Enjoy Charter fishing, guided fishing trips, and guided silent sports in Big Bay.

Big Bay offers hiking, visiting waterfalls and overnight wilderness camping. Try an exciting snowmobile trip from Big Bay to Baraga through the Huron Mountains, or go ATVing in the forest. This is real wilderness country where it's easy to get lost. The Thunder Bay Inn is on the ATV and Snowmobile Trails.

Big Bay MI, one of the finest recreational areas in the Upper Peninsula, is nestled at the base of the Huron Mountains on Lake Superior and Lake Independence.

Rates for our guest rooms range from $70 to $120 per night.

Sorry, No Pets

Exploring Big Bay, MI

Bed & Breakfasts & Historic Inns

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Winter Photo by Fred Fleury, Big Bay, MI

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