MANITOWOC, WI – The SS Badger’s summer season is setting sail. The car ferry began its trips across Lake Michigan between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc on Friday. “Folks just want to come out and celebrate really what it means to them to have this historic ship here and have the exciting tourism season that’s to come,” said Courtney Hansen with Visit Manitowoc.
Badger in Manitowoc, WI. [Lake Michigan Carferry FIle Photo]
Whether passengers were veterans like Diane and Tom Driver from Indiana, who said, “We love Lake Michigan. Love the slow pace. Sitting out, looking at the lake. Very relaxing. Very relaxing. We saw another freighter on the way over to which was fun.” Or first times like Rob Thrasher who added, “It’s actually pretty cool, first time done it. My son’s done it a couple times. My daughter’s done it a couple times. It’s actually cheaper to ride across here than it is for me to trailer it around.”
Sailing on the SS Badger is quite a treat. “Our small businesses, especially in our downtown, our hotels, they just fill up once the sailing season kicks off,” Hansen added. “Everyone extends their hours and they’re so excited to greet those passengers and have recommendations of where they should go to lunch and what they should do and explore but it’s huge for all of our tourism partners here in our community.”
The SS Badger sails into and out of Manitowoc daily. A one-way trip across the lake takes about four hours. And with up to 600 passengers traveling into Manitowoc daily, it’s a boost for the local economy too.
WLUK
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