Frankenmuth

Unlike some themed towns the German basis here is real: fifteen Lutheran missionaries from Franconia founded the settlement in 1845 intending to convert the Chippewa, the language was spoken locally for generations, and the Bavarian styling applied from the 1950s was built on an existing identity rather than invented. What the town runs on now is chicken dinners - two large restaurants have served family-style fried chicken since the 1920s and between them feed enormous numbers - and Bronner's, which calls itself the world's largest Christmas store, a 27-acre site with hundreds of thousands of ornaments, open every day except a handful and lit year round.

Background

The name joins two German words, Franken for Franconia in Bavaria, home of the first settlers, and Mut, once spelled Muth, meaning courage, so it reads as "courage of the Franconians". The settlers sailed from Germany on the Caroline on April 20, 1845, reached New York's Castle Garden seven weeks on, and went on by canal and across the Great Lakes to Detroit, arriving in August 1845. The settlement became a village in 1904 and a city on October 1, 1959. Its population grew from 693 in 1910 to 4,987 at the 2020 census, with a median age of 53.5 years. The best known nickname is "Little Bavaria".

Source: Wikipedia, "Frankenmuth, Michigan"

The main sights

• A genuine 1845 Bavarian founding - the theme rests on real history.
• Family-style chicken dinners - served since the 1920s at scale.
• Bronner's Christmas store - 27 acres, open all year.
• A covered bridge and river walk - through the town.

When to go

May to December; Christmas season is the peak. Half a day.

Before you go

It is heavily commercial and aimed at coach traffic. Chicken restaurants have long waits at peak times. Christmas weekends are extremely busy. There is little to do beyond eating and shopping.

Nearby

Saginaw is north-west; Birch Run outlets are south.

Key facts