Michigan Has an Authentic German Town with Oktoberfest, Famous Chicken Dinners & Bavarian Aesthetic

Willkommen to Frankenmuth, Michigan

A slide Germany that’s right in the heart of Michigan. That’s Frankenmuth for you. This tiny town (just 3 square miles) was set up by German church folks back in the 1800s and still keeps its old-world charm alive today.

From the smell of fresh pretzels to folks in German dress serving up famous chicken dinners, it’s like taking a quick trip to Bavaria without the long flight. Here’s why you need to visit at least once.

Named After Courage

Founded in 1845, the settlers promised to stay loyal to Bavaria and keep speaking German despite being miles away from their native home.

They named Frankenmuth by combining two German words: “Franken” for Franconia (the Bavarian region where the original settlers came from) and “Muth” for courage.

The Journey of Frankenmuth’s First Settlers

The 15 first settlers made it through a dangerous 50-day trip across the Atlantic in 1845. They faced harsh storms, crashed into an English fishing boat, and got stuck among icebergs for three days.

After reaching New York, they traveled by steamboat, train, and on foot to the Saginaw Valley and bought 680 acres.

Their first building combined a church, school, and home, finished just before Christmas 1845. Within a year, 90 more people joined them, creating the base of today’s community.

They Tried to Convert Native Americans

These Lutheran settlers actually came mainly to convert Native Americans to Christianity and quickly built a church. This plan fell through when most Native Americans were forced to leave the area within a few years.

St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, named after their original church in Rosstal, Germany, remains central to town life today and still offers services in German on the second Sunday each month.

The Town Built a Flour Mill Before Basic Services

By 1848, Frankenmuth farmers were growing wheat, oats, and corn but had to go all the way to Flint to mill them. The Hubinger family solved this by building the town’s first flour mill, giving Frankenmuth independence for building materials and bread flour.

This mill, later called the Nickless-Hubinger Flour Mill, stayed in business until the 1980s. The historic building recently housed a beer store and brewing museum called the Lager Mill.

Authentic Bavarian Architecture

Buildings throughout Frankenmuth show off genuine Bavarian style with timber frames forming distinctive patterns on the outside walls, windows, and doors. This attention to detail extends to shops, restaurants, and hotels, creating a truly European village feeling.

Frankenmuth’s Beer History

Beer runs deep in Frankenmuth’s story. John Matthias Falliers, a Bavarian who ran a tin shop, opened the first brewery in 1857 with a small 200-gallon setup. Today, Frankenmuth Brewery (started in 1862) claims the title of Michigan’s oldest microbrewery.

During Prohibition (1918-1933), local brewers made “malt extract” supposedly for baking, but nearly all of it became homebrew instead. If you visit in May, you can sample from nearly 300 different beers at the World Expo of Beer, Michigan’s largest beer tasting event.

The Only American Oktoberfest With German Government Approval

In 1996, Frankenmuth became the first place outside Germany to have its Oktoberfest officially approved by the German government and Munich’s mayor.

This big honor came with another first: the famous Hofbräuhaus brewery sent its beer to the United States. The 2025 celebration happens September 18-21 at Heritage Park, with genuine German music, food, and the traditional keg tapping. The town moved its festival to September so it lines up with the original Munich event.

The Bavarian Festival Brings Germany to Michigan Every June

Started in 1959, the Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival has grown into Michigan’s largest celebration of German heritage. Every June, you can enjoy polka bands, German beer, traditional dancing, and colorful parades.

The Friday street party fills Main Street with music, games, and even a zip line. You can watch the traditional raising of the Maypole during opening ceremonies followed by the keg tapping.

The 2025 festival includes special events like a German clothing sale, a children’s parade called Kindertag, and a cornhole tournament.

Frankenmuth’s Memorial Weekend is All About Dogs

Dog Bowl takes over Frankenmuth every Memorial Day weekend alongside a hot air balloon festival. It calls itself the “world’s largest Olympic-style festival for dogs” and includes dock-jumping contests, sheep herding shows, wiener dog races, and pet costume contests.

You can watch beautiful hot air balloons launch in the morning and evening during the same weekend. The event brings in about 100,000 people and their furry friends each year and has been running since 2007.

Walk Across the Largest Wooden Covered Bridge in Michigan

The Bavarian Inn Holz Brücke (wooden bridge) spans the Cass River and stands as the largest covered wooden bridge in Michigan. People take more photos here than almost anywhere else in town.

You can walk across or take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride with either Fantasy Carriage Company or Frankenmuth Carriage Company.

The bridge connects downtown to the Bavarian Inn Lodge and River Place Shops, making it both useful and beautiful with its old-world design.

How Wedding Guests Started the Famous Chicken Dinner Tradition

The town’s well-known family-style chicken dinners began in 1899 when Mrs. Kern served “all you can eat” chicken to a wedding party from Saginaw. Now, Zehnder’s and Bavarian Inn Restaurant, sitting across from each other on Main Street, serve more than a million chicken dinners every year.

Both restaurants belong to the Zehnder family, whose ancestor Johann Stephan Zehnder arrived in 1846. When you order one of these meals, you’ll get multiple courses including soup, bread, chicken, sides, and dessert.

Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland Stays Open Almost Every Day

Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland spans 201,243 square feet, about five acres of holiday cheer. It’s the largest holiday-themed store in the world. Open almost every day, it’s packed with ornaments, trees, and decorations from all over the globe.

The grounds also feature the Silent Night Memorial Chapel, a copy of the church in Austria where the famous carol was first sung. Bronner’s keeps over 100,000 lights glowing all year long and welcomes more than 2 million shoppers annually.

Visiting Frankenmuth, Michigan

Frankenmuth sits about 90 miles north of Detroit just off Interstate-75, south of Saginaw. You can get there in about 90 minutes from Detroit or two hours from Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo.

For 2025, mark your calendar for these special events:

• Zehnder’s Snowfest in January
• Bavarian Festival in June
• Dog Bowl and Balloons Over Bavarian Inn on Memorial Day weekend
• World Expo of Beer in May
• Frankenmuth Oktoberfest from September 18-21
• Summer Music Fest in August

For places to stay, the historic Bavarian Inn Lodge puts you right in the middle of everything with access to the new waterpark.