Exploring the Frankenmuth Historical Museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan
This past summer, we enjoyed exploring Michigan’s Little Bavaria, Frankenmuth, and learning about the history of the area. The first stop when we got into town was the Frankenmuth Historical Museum, located in the heart of downtown near many shops, restaurants, and other popular attractions. Overseen by the Frankenmuth Historical Association, the ten gallery museum celebrates the people who first protected the land and its resources, the settlers who came from Germany to establish a new world, and the many businesses and trades that helped Frankenmuth develop into a family friendly community and a destination for visitors.
Travel Tips:
12 Ways to Explore the Frankenmuth Museum:
- Step aboard “The Caroline” ship and pretend to travel from Germany to Indiana as one of 15 missionaries going to America to establish a German Lutheran mission in Michigan in 1845. Learn the names and biographies of individual settlers. Most of what we know about the area today are from the letters the original settlers wrote home to family in Germany. Read some of the copies of the letters.
- Learn about the Anishinabek descendants of Winaboozhoo who lived on the land where the museum property is now.
- See the 1895 list of Frankenmuth’s early farmers, loggers, and other tradesmen who cleared the land for growing potatoes and corn.
- Guess which wood sample is pine, oak, ash, elm, beech, and maple and learn the differences between various types of woods.
- Play checkers on an old wooden board, a popular game for the original settlers.
- Imagine steering the Spirit of Universal, a P-51 mustang plane.
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- Listen to the stories of German Americans who were persecuted and disparaged during WWI and WWII.
- Smell various ingredients used to make beer and see the display of local breweries starting with Frankenmuth Brewery, which opened in 1988.
- Slide panels to learn about Bavarian architecture’s unique features.
- Search the large scale mural (it takes up an entire wall!) of scenes from over 200 years of Frankenmuth history to find well known sites in Frankenmuth and the surrounding area.
- Relax with a good book in the Book Nook for children.
- Watch videos of a collection of interviews from locals about what makes Frankenmuth special.
Looking for more adventures in Frankenmuth? Check out our full City Guide and our feature of the Bavarian Inn.
Disclosure: We were given a media pass to explore the museum; all opinions expressed are my own.
