Another one of my favorite traditions come Christmastime is traveling to Frankenmuth with my family. Frankenmuth is a historic German town in Michigan that dates back all the way to 1845. It has since grown into a bustling vacation and tourism center.
Frankenmuth was featured as one of the Christmas towns in the United States on the Travel Channel. Our two favorite places to visit when we go to Frankenmuth are Zehnder’s and Bronner’s.
Zehnder’s is my absolute favorite restaurant in the entire world. It is a family style chicken restaurant that’s been around since the early 1900s. It is world famous for its fried chicken meals, and they are DELICIOUS!!!
Zehnder’s isn’t completely safe for me. I can’t have their bread (but I usually can’t have bread in restaurants), and I can’t have their stuffing, but their main attraction, the chicken, is safe for me! Their chicken is so good, that people travel across the country just to taste it. Zehnder’s is sort of like part historic landmark part chicken heaven all rolled into my favorite restaurant ever.
After stuffing our faces at Zehnder’s, my family hits up Bronner’s. Bronner’s is another major Frankenmuth landmark, as it is literally the biggest Christmas store in the world.
Bronner’s was founded in 1945 by Wally Bronner. Back then, it was just like any other store, but through a series of major expansions and renovations, it has grown into a 7.35 acre space. That is the size of 5.5 football fields!
Whenever my family visits Bronner’s, we always each pick an ornament or two to put on the tree. I usually pick something pig-related, as I love pigs, and my sister ends up picking a mouse-related ornament.
I had such a tough time choosing my ornament that my parents let me get two this year. Of course, they were both pig ornaments. I really really love pigs.
It’s quite a drive to get to Frankenmuth, but boy is it worth it. It is pretty much an entire day of fun, and I look forward to it every year.
Since Zehnders does serve products that contain nuts, please make sure to contact the restaurant to discuss your allergies before visiting.
Until next time!
Gary