The city of Frankenmuth is one of Michigan’s top travel destinations as Michigan’s Little Bavaria. They are well known for their festivals, world famous chicken dinners, German heritage, and so much more! Take a step back in time when you visit the Christmas capital and get a taste of Bavaria without leaving the United States!

A Quick History on Frankenmuth

In 1840, Frederick Wyneken wrote to the Lutherans in Germany as a request for more missionaries. By the time missionaries had built a log church and schoolhouse, the Chippewa peoples had already begun leaving the Frankenmuth area in search of better hunting grounds away from the cleared land. The efforts by the missionaries to “Lutheranize” them weren’t very successful. By 1847, they taught and baptized 35 Indigenous Peoples into St. Lorenz Church. So although the mission wasn’t successful and eventually closed, the immigrant congregation continued to grow and prosper. By the end of the 19th century, Frankenmuth established a well-known reputation in crop production with half a dozen hotels.

After World War II, the development of interstate highway led even more traffic to the area. The tourism industry and town began capitalizing its assets and culture, boasting their local pride. In 1928, William Zehnder opened a hotel and a restaurant shortly after the hotel. Wally Bronner, another local resident, opened a Christmas store in 1945 that boasted Christmas ornaments and other decor. It’s now the biggest Christmas store in the world known as Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland and serves more than two million visitors annually.

How to Get to Frankenmuth

If you are flying in, the closest airport to Frankenmuth is Saginaw (MBS) Airport which is 22.6 miles away. Alternatively, you could fly to Flint (FNT) which is 24.9 miles away, Lansing (LAN at 58 miles away, Detroit (DTW) at 80.5 miles away, and Grand Rapids (GRR) at 96.1 miles away.

If you are driving, you want to take I-75. Heading northbound, you’ll take exit #136 for Birch Run/Frankenmuth. Once you reach the exit ramp, turn right onto Birch Run Rd. Follow Birch Run Rd. for about 3 miles to a stoplight. At the light, you’ll turn left onto M-83/Gera Rd. Follow this for about 4 miles to Frankenmuth’s southern city limits where it will become Main Street.

If you’re heading southbound, you’ll want exit #144 for Bridgeport/Frankenmuth. At the end of the exit ramp, you’ll turn left onto Dixie Hwy. Stay on Dixie for about 2.5 miles to a stoplight. At the light, you’re going to turn left onto Junction Rd. Take Junction about 4 miles to Frankenmuth’s western city limits where it will become Genesee St.

When to Visit

There’s no wrong time to visit for a world famous chicken dinner and a pint of Little Bavaria Pilsner. I feel like I say this in all my travel guides, but it’s true - I promise! There really is no wrong time to visit! Frankenmuth hosts incredible events year round and their landscaping boasts the best flowers spring through fall. If you are looking for the best time to visit, October-November would make a perfect fall trip. October-November falls at the end of peak travel season, so it shouldn’t be nearly as busy as the summer travel season. Plus, the temperatures are fairly moderate. The summer season, as mentioned before, is the busiest time. But, it also hosts the longest (and warmest) days. You can find special events all throughout the summer, including a Sunflower Festival! There’s quite a few rainy days in the spring, but the landscape artists make sure to make up for the rain with stunning flowers lining the streets, windows, and parks. Frankenmuth’s Hot Air Balloon Festival is a must-see spring event! Another busy time will be Christmas in Frankenmuth, but between the lighting displays, snow sculptures, winter events, tree lighting, and parades, it’s another phenomenal time to visit if you are wanting to celebrate the holiday with something special.

What to Do in Frankenmuth

Events

Zehnder’s Snowfest

Jan 25th - 29th 2023

A wonderful winter tradition showcasing larger than life snow and ice sculptures throughout the community, entertainment, food and beverage.

Funtown Chowdown Food Truck Festival

May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, 2023

Admission: FREE 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Mouth watering food trucks fill the parking lot east of the River Place Shops to feature a variety of cuisine and desserts, live music, craft beer, non-alcoholic beverages, handicap parking, and activities for the whole family.

World Expo of Beer 2022

May 19 - 20, 2023

Admission: $30 (includes 6 beer sample tickets + 1 cup)

Fridays 5:00 - 10:00 PM Saturday 2:00 - 10:00 PM

With over 350 different beers from all over the world, you’re sure to find something new and interesting at Michigan’s largest beer sampling event! Admission includes a free collector beer sampling mug. Must be 21 or older to enter.

Balloons Over Bavarian Inn 2022

May 26 - 29, 2023

Admission: FREE

You don’t want to miss this stunning display of hot air balloons over Frankenmuth during the Balloons Over Bavarian Inn event! From morning to evening, more than 25 hot air balloons take flight. You can find nightly balloon glows taking place in the grassy field near River Place Shops.

Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival

June 8 - 11, 2023

Admission: $10

Step back in time to enjoy traditional costumes, sing and dance to Bavarian music, traditional entertainment, and two parades! You can watch the Children’s Parade on Saturday of the big Sunday Parade on Main Street.

Frankenmuth Flower Festival

August 4 - 6, 2023

Admission: $16 (does not include tickets to special events)

Fri/Sat 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Sun 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Head to Grandpa Tiny’s Farm for garden tours, entertainment, flower and art vendors, food, displays, sunflower u-pick, dinner in the sunflowers, yoga, color run, and photo opportunities!

Shopping

Enjoy a stroll down main street or the cobblestone paths of River Place Shops to enjoy stunning boutiques, quilt shops, cuckoo clocks, woolen sills, handcrafted shops (with free smells!), European-inspired shopping, or hop in the car and head a little out of downtown for the world’s largest Christmas store!

You can find a full list of shops here.

Outdoors

There’s so much to do to enjoy the beauty of Frankenmuth out in the fresh air. Just walking down main street you can find flower-lined streetscapes with perfectly landscaped gardens per season. From 18 parks with grassy spaces for casual picnics, waterfront views, the Riverwalk loop, trails for walking, running, or biking, and even fishing down the Cass River, you’re sure to find plenty to do!

You can head to the Frankenmuth Aerial Park for some adventurous tree-top fun or ziplining! One of my favorite things about Michigan is the ample bike trails and bike-friendly cities. Frankenmuth is known for being one of the most bike-friendly with safe, scenic paths, paved, and unpaved trails. You can ride the U.S. Bike Route, Iron Belle Trail, Great Lake Bay Regional Trail, the Saginaw Valley Rail Trail, Harger Line Trail, and Southern Links Trailway. Or, you’d rather just stick to Frankenmuth? Then look for the striped bike lanes on these city streets: Genesee Street, Tuscola Street, Mayer Road, Churchgrove Road, and Schleier Street.

If you aren’t headed to Frankenmuth for the sunflower festival, you still need to visit Grandpa Tiny’s Farm! It’s a working historical and petting farm with personal guided tours included in admission. You can find the historic one-room Hart School that was donated to William “Tiny” Zehnder in 2000. Don’t forget to also head to Frankenmuth Jellystone Park Mini Golf! It’s an 18-hole outdoor minigolf court inside the Frankenmuth Jellystone Park, a perfect family-friendly campground. Want to hit the water? Head over to Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures to explore the Cass River yourself on a self-guided tour.

Maybe you want to see the outdoors without all the outdoor recreation? Don’t worry! They have stuff for that too. You can explore Frankenmuth on the PedAle Trolley. Get some fresh air, light exercise, tour the city, and drink some local brews. You can also take a step back in time and tour the city by horse-drawn carriage rides. There are so many options to tour this historic city! You can even enjoy a narrated tour on the Cass River. The Bavarian Belle Riverboat is a family owned, 150 passenger, authentic paddlewheel riverboat with ramp access and the dock is handicap accessible. If you think a riverboat tour sounds interesting, you can take the Frankenmuth Funships Tasting & Tours to enjoy wines and homemade chocolates all on the unique electric powered boat down the Cass River.

Indoors

Frankenmuth is home of the two top indoor waterparks in Michigan! Head to the indoor waterparks for tube slides, twister slides, family raft rides, indoor arcades, and onsite spots to grab food! The largest indoor waterpark in Michigan is Zehnder’s Splash Village, with a six-story family raft ride, six-story speed slide, lazy river, or pool with water geysers. Or you can stay at Bavarian Inn Lodge Waterpark where you can find four indoor pools, three whirlpools (both with adult-only options), hot tubs, twister slides, tube slides, 15-foot waterfall, mini-golf, and the Midwest’s largest hotel arcade.

Christmas

You can visit Frankenmuth all year long, but Christmas time in Frankenmuth is truly the most magical! Get your ornaments and other decorations (or just browse the beautiful setups) at Bronner’s. You can head to the heart of downtown and go ice skating in the new ice rink! Celebrate the holiday with the tree show and seven-minute light and music show at the Visitor Center. You can also find the full Christmas Experience guide and light tour map at the Visitor Center. There are so many wonderfully jolly events throughout the winter season and friendly decoration competitions.

Museums and History

Want to step back into the history of Frankenmuth? Go back to see what happened when the earliest settlers came to stay. You can read all about Frankenmuth’s history with the historical markers scattered throughout town. Or you can visit these places to dive a little deeper on your history journey:

Castle Museum of Saginaw County History
Frankenmuth Historical Museum
Frankenmuth Woolen Mill
Grandpa Tiny’s Farm
Michigan Heroes Museum

Where to Stay

You can find incredible lodging from B&B’s, vacation rentals, hotels & waterparks, and quaint motels.

Bavarian Inn Lodge

Baymont Inn-Bridgeport/Frankenmuth

Brownstone Haus

Drury Inn and Suites

Fairfield Inn & Suites

Frankenmuth Country Bed and Breakfast

Frankenmuth Jellystone Park Camp-Resort

Frankenmuth Motel

Hampton Inn Birch Runn

Holiday Inn Express & Suites

Marv Herzog Hotel

Mitten on Main

SpringHill Suites Frankenmuth

Tuscola Street Bed and Breakfast

Viola’s Place of Frankenmuth LLC

Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel & Waterpark

Where to Find Food & Drink

Bavarian Inn Cluck Truck

Bavarian Inn Restaurant

Cass River Bar & Grill

The Cheese Trap

DaVinci’s Italian Restaurant

Dig Cafe

Fortress Golf Course

Frank’s Muth

Frankenmuth Brewery

Frankenmuth Fudge Kitchen

Frankenmuth FunShips Tasting & Tours

Frankenmuth Taffy Kitchen

Grand Traverse Distillery

Harvest Coffeehouse

Honey B’s Eatery

Jaami’s Ice Cream & Treats

Kaffee Haus

Kern’s Sausages

La Crepe du Jour

Lazy Dog Pizza Co.

Lorelei Lounge

Modern Craft Winery

N’Orlins Beignets & Coffee

Oma’s Restaurant

Pasty Haus

Poblano’s Mexican Grill & Cantina

Prost Wine Bar & Chacuterie

Ratskeller Cafe

Slo’ Bones BBQ Smokehaus

St. Julian Wine Co.

Station 100

Sticky Tea

SugarHigh Bakery

Szechuan House Express

T-Dub’s Pizzeria & Pub

Tap Room at Zehnder’s

Tiffany’s

Wang’s Bistro

Willi’s Sausage Company

Zak & Mac’s Chocolate Haus

Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth

The Complete Travel Guide: Frankenmuth, Michigan