Lake Michigan Car Ferry

Rode the SS Badger last night from Ludington. My GF and I found the trip to be a very good experience. Every employee encountered was professional, friendly and respectful. The ride was smooth, the vessel was in very clean condition. This is all the more remarkable when taken in context with the age and historical significance of the ship.
If you are on the fence about taking the ferry or driving through Chicago and Indiana, the Badger is the clear winner. We had to drive south from Manitowac to complete our trip and this still was more than worth it.
Small easy inexpensive improvements that could be made to improve the experience even more would be:
1) replacing the «movie» TV with an
appropriately sized screen
2) adding an IPA to the beer selection
(Shorts, huma lupa licious would be my
choice)
Will definitely ride again.

The last queen of the Great Lakes, and an endangered species.
Car ferries have been crossing Lake Michigan since 1892. The Pere Marquette Railway operated its own ferry fleet, as did other railroads like the Grand Trunk and Ann Arbor. The ferries provided railroads a way to get freight past the congested Chicago rail hubs, especially if they did not have trackage rights in Chicago. The Pere Marquette operated as many as many as 13 ferries on Lake Michigan, from 1897 through 1947, when it was acquired by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. Ferries operated between Ludington, Michigan and ports in Milwaukee, Manitowoc and Kewaunee. Car ferry service was abandoned in the 1980s. A private operator acquired the remaining fleet in 1991. The rails were paved over and the old automobile deck was converted to passenger lounge space. The Badger has been offering passenger, automobile and truck ferry service since 1992.
It takes about 4 hours, averaging 18 MPH, to make the trip from Ludington to Manitowoc. A GPS locator in the passenger lounge allows you to see just where you’re located during your cruise. Movies are shown, there are lounge areas and a «quiet room» where you can read or sleep. You can also lounge on deck, but it can get pretty cold out there! The cruise is usually pretty smooth, rough seas can make the ship rock a bit, you might consider Dramamine if you’re not accustomed to sea travel.
The SS Badger is the last coal-​fired ferry operating on the Great Lakes. Built in 1953, she is one of a pair of sister ships built by the Christy Corporation in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The Skinner Uni-​flow engine has been declared a historic landmark by the Society of Mechanical Engineers. Her sister ship, the SS Spartan, is not operational. The ships were named for the mascots of the University of Wisconsin and Michigan State University.
The Badger operates between April and October each year, with two round trips during the peak season and one round trip in Spring and Fall. Check the website for schedule, pricing and availability. It certainly beats driving around the horn and through Chicago!
NEWS FLASH: The Badger has been under fire from the Environmental Protection Agency since 2008. The EPA ordered the ship to stop dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan or cease operation. On October 10, 2013, a federal judge upheld a compromise between the EPA and Lake Michigan Car Ferry Service that will allow the Badger to continue in 2014 with reduced dumping, and by 2015, the ship will retain coal ash on board for disposal on shore. This agreement guarantees the Badger will continue to provide ferry service in the future.

We took the Badger across Lake Michigan is June on our way to visit the inlaws. Considering the option is driving all the way around the lake; the $ 67 cost isn’t a bad deal. There is wi-​fi available on the boat, and ample opportunities to watch TV. There is a «comedian» for kids and a variety of so-​so food, which is the only reason I can’t add one more star. It appears that most of the people on the Badger prefer quantity over quality.
One can also sit out on the deck and catch some sun. It was a pleasant part of our trip.

The SS Badger takes you and your car from Ludington MI to Manitowoc WI in about 3 hours (but depending on which way you’re going, add or subtract an hour as there’s a time change!) — a clear and definite time-​saver over not taking the ferry. Adult fare is $ 67 one way, $ 100 RT, standard auto fare is $ 70 each way.
There are staterooms available.
There’s a movie lounge, restaurant and snack bar, arcade room, a bar, a gift shop — lots of ways to spend the time. But I preferred to grab a lounge chair and enjoy Great Lake Michigan. Nothing like a vessel with a good bone in her teeth.