The Port Austin Farmers Market is, in my opinion, the best farmers market in the entire state of…read moreMichigan--and it's not even close. I've been coming here for more than 20 years, and it continues to be one of my favorite parts of visiting Port Austin. The market is beautifully curated and whoever is behind organizing it clearly knows what they're doing. There's a fantastic mix of vendors, amazing fresh and organic food, local products, unique finds and genuinely cool small businesses. The pricing is also refreshingly reasonable. It doesn't feel like one of those tourist markets where everything is unnecessarily marked up just because they can. The atmosphere is fantastic, the vendors are great, and the entire market feels like part of what makes Port Austin special. I've been to farmers markets all over Michigan, and nothing compares for me. Port Austin itself is one of the greatest little towns you can visit up north, and this market is a huge part of its charm. After 20+ years of coming here, I still look forward to it every time. Absolutely the best farmers market in Michigan.

The best farmers market in Michigan! It's huge! They have amazing fresh farm, growing produce,…read morejewelry, clothing, dog apparel, and really just about anything you ever want! People are friendly prices are reasonable- several bathrooms on site.

"In Berlin, by the wall You were five foot ten inches tall…read moreIt was very nice Hey Honey, it was paradise" (Lou Reed) A big arch over the main drag welcomes you with a big "Willkommen" , bids you farewell as you leave with a big "Auf Wiedersehen", and even the trash cans get into the act by thanking you for using them with a printed "Danke Schon". So, what on Earth is the deal with Frankenmuth? Well, it was settled in 1845 by 15 Germans hoping to convert the area's Native Americans. Today, their legacy is a shopping and dining tourist mecca with a decidedly German accent. Frankenmuth is about 90 miles north of Detroit and 75 miles northeast of Lansing. It measures just over 2.5 acres in size. Known as "Michigan's Little Bavaria," its famous for Bavarian-style architecture and rich German heritage. As we walked the sidewalks of Frankenmuth, we saw gorgeous flowers and landscaping everywhere. There was oom pa pa music playing and the smell of chocolate seemed to be everywhere. PRO TIP If you love Christmas, check out Bronner's Christmas Wonderland: The world's largest Christmas store.

We were in town visiting from Detroit. It's a fun little town that is geared to tourists, but has…read morethe history to back it up so it's also great for history buffs. No wonder they can spend all the money to put up those billboards along the highways since it was bustling when I went during the three day weekend. I loved how everything was walkable, and the numbet of shops selling knickknacks. Everything was also very clean- there wasn't any litter despite packed streets. It was also the Frankenmuth dog bowl when I visited, and the organization was second to none. There were clear signs on where to park, as well as a great vendor area and restrooms. There were several events; we watched the Disc Dogs of Michigan and the International Dockdogs Competition. Both were very, very entertaining. There was plenty of room to set down a blanket and watch. The dogs there were all very well behaved too. I don't have a dog, but I am seriously considering it after watching the events.

Within the rural farmscapes near Port Austin, in the tip of the thumb of Michigan, sit three barns…read moreconverted into amazing art installations. I had absolutely no clue these were here but my husband is friends with one of the artists and he'd been wanting to check them out for some time now. So, when we were up in the area for a wedding, we spent the following day checking them all out. All three are products of 53 North, a group of artists and curators with ambitions to complete 10 pieces like these in the region. So far there are these three barns and one sculpture (that we did not make it to see). This was our second barn of the day and my personal favorite of the three. The piece, by Scott Hocking (the friend of my husband's referenced above) is formally called, "Celestial Ship of the North (Emergency Ark), aka The Barnboat (2015)" and it is the only barn to be completely dismantled and rebuilt it into something else. The previous, deteriorating gothic-style 1890s barn was repurposed into this piece, and will continue to change and decay over time, much like the barn it was made from. It's remarkable! Moving from one place to another around it you can see the ship take on different shapes, shadows, and lines. No two vantage points look the same. There's no cost to see these pieces, though this barn, like all of them, is on private property. So if you swing by (and I encourage you to do so!) be sure to be respectful and keep your distance as this is someone's land and property.

One of the best gf crusts we have tried. Normally, we make our own crusts at home. We were away…read morefrom home and traveling with another Celiac person. Small town Michigan is not where we expected to find such amazing crusts! Service was good, albeit stressed. Our server was covering over half of the restaurant and doing very well. My only suggestion is bigger TVs to attract the sports viewing crowd

Darling Italian restaurant in downtown Bay City. My…read moremargarita was OK. I had the BLT Pizza, but it lacked bacon. Sat outside, which was nice.

I came to this establishment thinking it was going to be average, but this restraint proved me…read morewrong. The food here is exquisite and I definitely recommend anyone to come here. sincerely, Happy Customer

Mom ordered the Potato Cheese soup, which was more like a bowl of potato chunks in quarters,…read morecovered in gravy. The potatoes all had to be cut into smaller pieces to eat them. Unfortuately, this is another restaurant that uses those cheap thin utensils that hurt your fingers when you have to cut something up. She also ordered the stuffing, which after one bite she said was too salty to eat. I had the small pizza but the edge of the crust was more like a cracker than a nice pizza dough crust. We had a very nice, thoughtful waiter, but we agreed we won't be going to Grandpa Tony's again.

Within the rural farmscapes near Port Austin, in the tip of the thumb of Michigan, sit three barns…read moreconverted into amazing art installations. I had absolutely no clue these were here but my husband is friends with one of the artists and he'd been wanting to check them out for some time now. So, when we were up in the area for a wedding, we spent the following day checking them all out. All three are products of 53 North, a group of artists and curators with ambitions to complete 10 pieces like these in the region. So far there are these three barns and one sculpture (that we did not make it to see). This was the first barn we visited and it was created by Hygienic Dress League (HDL). On one side is the logo for HDL, who, despite being registered as a corporation, provides no products or services. According to their website "HDL uses its status of the corporation as an art medium, serving as a platform for critiquing contradictions in contemporary society through symbolism and public interventions." On the back is a spoof of the famous "American Gothic" piece by Grant Wood, though in their version HDL has them donning gas masks which urges the viewer to think about the the relationship between large corporations, food, consumerism, and profit. The pieces are immense and stunning and absolutely worth of a visit if you're in the area. There's no cost to see these pieces, though this barn, like all of them, is on private property. As far as I know, the owner still does use it (you can also see another storage building and all the working fields around it) so if you swing by (and I encourage you to do so!) be sure to be respectful and keep your distance as this is someone's land and property.