🍁 40th Anniversary • Maine Bound 🍁

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Our home for the last couple of days was St. Lorenz Lutheran Church/ School that had a campground behind it. (Add link to Church Grove Park in Frankenmuth, MI.)This was an absolutely lovely place to park and enjoy the sites for a few days. Please tell more about Church Grove Park Campground.

Before this journey to witness the turning of leaves, the name Frankenmuth, Michigan had never crossed our radar. Yet through gentle, unhurried conversations with friends at church, the town surfaced again and again — mentioned with such warmth and enthusiasm that we took it as a sign we simply had to go. And so we did.

Nestled in the heart of Michigan’s Thumb region, Frankenmuth, Michigan is a town steeped in Bavarian heritage, founded in 1845 by German Lutheran immigrants and affectionately known as “Michigan’s Little Bavaria.” Its cobblestone charm, flower-draped facades, and the irresistible aroma of slow-roasted chicken dinners drifting from its famous restaurants make it a destination unlike any other. The town wears its Old World roots proudly — and visitors are all the better for it.

We sat down to a proper Bavarian meal at the inn, and it did not disappoint. The portions were generous, the flavors rich and deeply satisfying — the kind of meal that anchors a memory and makes you want to linger long after the last bite.

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Beyond the table, Frankenmuth offers a Bavarian-themed shopping experience that is as impressive as it is festive. The storefronts along Main Street are picture-perfect, and no visit would be complete without stepping inside Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland — the world’s largest Christmas store, a sprawling, glittering wonderland that manages to make even late summer feel like the holiday season.

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We had simply followed the word of friends — and Frankenmuth rewarded our trust a hundredfold.

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We have always had a fondness for covered bridges — those quiet, weathered passageways that seem to belong to a gentler time. Frankenmuth offered a lovely surprise in that regard. A covered bridge graced the town, and on the afternoon of our visit, an antique automobile show happened to be underway. We stood and watched as magnificent classic cars rolled slowly across the bridge, one after another — a scene so perfectly composed it might have been painted.

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May every road you travel lead to a wonderful discovery.

Nancy