This is Michigan’s Saginaw Valley. There are four main visitor communities within Saginaw County, with many small towns in between.

BIRCH RUN
www.birchrunchamber.com

Shopping is the highlight in Birch Run. The famous Prime Outlets at Birch Run has more than 130 stores offering sporting goods, home fashions, designer clothing and handbags and just about everything in between. They also have the only Pottery Barn outlet in all of Michigan. Birch Run is also home to specialty stores and a variety of unique dining experiences.

While you’re here, and if you’re really brave, you can take a walk through the Wilderness Trails Zoo and come face to face with wild and exotic animals. If you are looking for indoor/outdoor entertainment and events, stop by the Birch Run Expo Center where they may be hosting a motorcycle show, a dog, cat or horse show, or even Shipshewana on the Road. Nearby, visit Tony’s I-75 restaurant where they serve more food on your plate than you can imagine!

If that’s still not enough to thrill you, get over to the Dixie Motor Speedway, where you can experience exciting racing, up close and personal. Or spend a few fun-filled hours at Alpine Mountain, an exciting adventure park featuring mini-golf, bumper boats, go-carts and other action-packed activities. After all that excitement, the family will enjoy winding down at Uno Chicago Grill with a mouth-watering selection of pizzas and more! To end your day, relax while enjoying a movie at Cinema Hollywood, where you can recline in stadium-style seating and enjoy an adult beverage; then head back to your hotel to get a good night’s rest before the next day’s adventures!

CHESANING
www.chesaningchamber.org

Chesaning, like many mid-Michigan towns, started as a lumbering community. You’ll see it in the beautifully restored lumber baron’s mansions throughout town.

One of Chesaning’s signature events is the Chesaning Showboat, an annual week-long variety show that draws the likes of the Oak Ridge Boys, .38 Special, Three Dog Night and Lonestar. The Showboat has been providing families with a down-home good time each year since the 1940s.

A stay in one of the luxuriously appointed rooms at the Victorian-style Stone House Bed & Breakfast will take you back in time. The home still features the original leaded-glass windows, hardwood floors and magnificent woodwork of the town’s golden age.

Bargain hunters know Chesaning for its antique shows and sidewalk sales. A new event for the fall is the Saginaw County Harvest Festival held at the Saginaw County Fairgrounds in Chesaning. The Holiday Candlelight Walk features the historic homes decorated for the holidays and open for public viewing. Make your reservations early for the North Pole Express and Santa’s Village, where kids and their families are magically transported to the Santa’s Village at the North Pole aboard an authentic steam train.

FRANKENMUTH
www.frankenmuth.org

Visitors come to Frankenmuth from all over the United States and the world to shop at the world’s largest Christmas store Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, and to eat a world-famous chicken dinner at the Bavarian Inn or Zehnder’s Family Restaurants.

This charming little town, known as “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” is one of the state’s primary visitor destinations, proudly welcoming millions of guests each year. From its historic mills to its wide variety of shopping and dining venues, Frankenmuth promises fun for every member of the family.

Accentuating the town’s strong German heritage is the engaging, old-fashioned glockenspiel clock tower just outside the Bavarian Inn restaurant. The clock, whose cheerful tones drift through the town six times daily, stands two stories high.

SAGINAW
Did you know that many believe the mythical hero Paul Bunyan was based on the factual exploits of Saginaw lumberman Fabian “Saginaw Joe” Fournier? Whether or not that’s true, Saginaw boasts a long, rich history highlighted by the lumber industry that made the city a thriving commercial center in the 19th century. The city was once home to 60 sawmills and even today, if you sit along the Saginaw River, you can almost see the “river hogs” riding the logs downstream. Today, of course, the lumber barons are gone, but their influence remains a vital part of the city’s tradition.

You’ll never forget an evening spent a the Montague Inn, a gracious Georgian bed and breakfast rated one of the nation’s most romantic inns by Glamour. After a delectable continental breakfast, take a stroll. If it’s natural beauty you’re after, visit Ezra Rust Park, with its captivating water fountains, or Ojibway Island.

Spend some time in Old Saginaw City, where you’ll want to check out the engaging mid-to-late 19th century architecture on Court Street, as well as many points of interest along the river on Hamilton Street, including Pit & Balcony, Michigan’s oldest community theatre.

Speaking of culture, don’t miss such Saginaw treasures as the Japanese Tea House, the Saginaw Art Museum and its lovely formal gardens, the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, the Temple Theatre and the breathtaking work of sculptor Marshall M. Fredericks at Saginaw Valley State University. The whole family will enjoy our newest attraction – The Mid Michigan Children’s Museum!