The city of Frankenmuth, also known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria is best known as one of the top Christmas towns in the United States. Frankenmuth is filled with rich German heritage, festivals, world famous chicken dinners, and is also home to the largest Christmas store in the world – Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland. It is no surprise this charming town continually finds itself on the list of must visit Christmas towns in the United States, giving you a taste of Bavaria without needing a passport!
In the past few years I’ve spent two fall weekends in Frankenmuth for a mother-daughter weekend. It has become somewhat of a bi-annual tradition for my mom and I!
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HOW TO GET TO FRANKENMUTH
Since we are located in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have driven to Frankenmuth each time. From the Cincinnati area it is about a 4.5 hour drive.
If you are considering flying, the closest airport to Frankenmuth is Flint (FNT) which is 28.5 miles away. Other airport options include, Saginaw (MBS) which is 31.6 miles away, Lansing (LAN) at 80.1 miles away, or the largest, international airport would be Detroit (DTW) at 101.1 miles away.
WHEN TO VISIT
While Frankenmuth has events going on year round, I am partial to the fall for the gorgeous leaves and upcoming holiday season. Christmas is easily my favorite holiday, so I personally have only visited Frankenmuth during the month of October as a way to kick off the holiday season.
WHERE TO STAY
There are no shortage of hotels, vacation rentals and B&Bs in Frankenmuth. The two most icon hotels would be Bavarian Inn Lodge and Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel & Waterpark. With how much I travel for my full-time job, I am a Marriott loyalist. Luckily for me, there are two Marriott properties located within walking distance of all downtown Frankenmuth has to offer! I have stayed at both the Fairfield Inn & Suites and the SpringHill Suites.
Keep in mind when you are looking to book if it is peak season, rates will likely be higher in Frankenmuth. You can also look at Sagniaw, Michgian (about 15 miles away) if you do not mind driving in each day of your visit.
IS FRANKENMUTH WALKABLE?
Absolutely! This is one of my favorite things about Frankenmuth and is also why I recommend staying in town if you can! The only time we drive is when we head to Bronner’s or the Rivertown shops
BRONNER’S CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND
Do you love Christmas? If the answer is yes, Frankenmuth must be on your travel bucket list. Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland is the world’s largest Christmas store (over 8,000 square meters of floor space) and is visited by over 2 million people annually.
Bronner’s features an enormous selection of Christmas ornaments, trims, trees, Christmas lights, nativities, and collectibles, like Department 56. You can also count on finding a variety of garlands, stockings, Advent calendars, wreaths and more! With more than 6,000 styles of ornaments there is quite literally something for everyone!
WHERE WE ATE DURING OUR MOTHER-DAUGHTER WEEKENDS
Now I’m going to be honest, Frankenmuth is known for their massive world famous chicken dinners but I personally have not tried them yet. If you plan to add the family-style chicken dinner to your itinerary be sure to check out the Bavarian Inn Restaurant or Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth.
For our two girls weekends, we actually kept our food itinerary nearly identical both years because of how much we enjoyed it the first time!
Friday Dinner: Prost Wine Bar & Charcuterie
576 S. Main St. Frankenmuth, MI 48734
What screams mother-daughter weekend more than wine, meat and cheese?!
The two times we have dined at Prost, we have started with a meat and cheese board. You have the option of building your own or choosing a pre-curated board. We’ve tried it both ways and neither disappointed!
If you do not fancy wine, there is no shortage of cocktails, Beer, NA Beer, and soft drinks.
Prost also hosts brunch on Sundays from 11:00-3:00pm. We have not stuck around town long enough on a Sunday to try their brunch yet, but it’s definitely on a future bucketlist!
Saturday Breakfast/Brunch: Honey B’s Eatery.
525 S Main Street Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Thursday – Sunday 7:30am to 1:00pm
I love this place and it is right across the street from both of the hotels we have stayed at! Almost everything Honey B’s serves is made from scratch in their kitchen. The menu changes routinely so each time you visit you’ll likely be surprised with something new!
A few things we have previously tried and I highly recommend are:
– biscuits and gravy
– eggs benedict
– if the cinnamon roll is on the menu, get it. Trust me!
Saturday Dinner: Frankenmuth Brewery
425 S Main St, Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Fun history fact: Frankenmuth Brewery is the oldest in Michigan!
Just thinking about this place has me drooling. The beer and food alike gets the chef’s kiss from my mom and I. The appetizers are delicious, the mac and cheese (OMG!) and be sure to save room for dessert, you won’t regret it! Truly haven’t eaten something here that I didn’t love.
OUR FULL WEEKEND IN FRANKENMUTH, MICHIGAN ITINERARY
Friday
- Arrive late afternoon and check-in to hotel.
- Walk over to the Holz Brucke Wooden Bridge. Be sure to snap photos!
- Have dinner at Prost Wine Bar & Charcuterie.
- Stop by Frankenmuth Cheese Haus for some weekend snacks and beverages.
- Spend the rest of the evening in – rest up. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day!
Saturday
- Breakfast at Honey B’s Eatery.
- Drive over to Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland.
- I recommend knocking this out in the morning before it gets too crowded. If you are like us and are also Christmas obsessed, be prepared to spend a few hours inside. There is so much to see so be sure to wear comfortable shoes!
- Stop by Frankenmuth River Place shops.
- This outdoor shopping mall has several great stores and very dog friendly
- Explore downtown.
- There are so many cute shops, restaurants and fabulous photo ops to check out.
- Dinner at Frankenmuth Brewery
Sunday
- Walk and grab coffee at any of the following local spots.
- Creation Coffee
- Honey B’s Eatery
- Kaffee Haus
- N’Orlins Beignets & Coffee
- *If you prefer a franchise – Biggby Coffee*
- Head home
I hope you have an amazing weekend in Frankenmuth, Michigan! Let me know how your trip went in the comments below! Looking for travel tips before your next getaway? Click here to read all of my previous travel tips and tricks.
