Frankenmuth, Michigan
Michigan’s “Little Bavaria” is full of German heritage. Established by a group of German pioneers in the 1800s, this US Bavarian village has become a dynamic community with lots to see and do.
It’s famous for entertaining festivals like Oktoberfest and the Bavarian Festival. And the German Christmas market you’ll find here features horse-drawn carriage rides and a giant holiday display.
There’s also Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the world’s largest Christmas store, which you won’t want to miss.
You can also visit the Frankenmuth Historical Museum to learn about the community’s past, and then take a ride on the Bavarian Belle, an entertaining riverboat. There are several restaurants and biergartens in the area that offer German entertainment and specialties.
And if you want to learn some Bavarian secrets, try a strudel-making class or pretzel-rolling workshop. Or you can do some German wine tasting or beer sampling while you’re here. This US Bavarian village also happens to be well-known for its fried chicken dinners.
We recommend checking out Zehnder. It’s been dishing up all-you-can-eat family-style food since 1856.
There are also lots of shopping spots to choose from, including River Place Shops and the Castle Shops, which make exploring numerous unique stores at once fun and easy. We also love the Frankenmuth Cheese Haus, which boasts over 120 kinds of cheese.
Stop in to see over 150 adorable cuckoo clocks at the Frankenmuth Clock Company. Afterwhich, you can wind down with a glass of wine from the tap at Prost!
Wine Bar & Charcuterie or a craft German beer at Frankenmuth Brewery. The comfy Bavarian Inn Restaurant and Lodge is the perfect base to dive into the local scene.
You should have included Helvetia, WV. It’s a Swiss-German inspired town that has a yearly festival called Fasnacht where people don masks and march around town, ending in a bonfire to burn an ‘old man winter’ effigy.
I HAVE BEEN TO HELEN GA, A FEW TIMES MY FAMILY AND ME ARE GOING BACK AGAIN WE LOVED EVERY IT, EVERY TIME WE GO
We found Hermann, MO, by chance years ago on our first cross-country trip west (where we’d moved) to east (where we are from & where all relatives reside). We were looking for an interesting place for gas & lunch. We ended up spending half the day there, soaking in the architecture/ambiance, & lunching on best ever home-made loose sausage sandwiches(& that’s sayin’ something b/c I grew up in Amish country in PA) & a split of local wine, with best sparkling grape juice ever for our kids. We all still recall it fondly years later. Would make it a destination in a heartbeat.
Dont forget to Mention Sugarcreek Ohio which is a German Swiss style town also with an Amish Mennonite Flair and Holmes County Ohio.
Leavenworth! WA! I am 90 miles West of this place and Yes I been there More than a few times, very cute! Close to Lake Wenatchee as well thee BEST PLACE to camp in the PNW! The thing I do not like about the situation is that its really kool to visit here for christmas BUT the mountain Pass is treacherous! ALSO Shops charge a killing for stuff! Still I love this town!