Day One on our Frankenmuth Adventure

We woke

Rooster and I jumped out o bed, excited to get our Frankenmuth adventure underway. My husband longed to visit this tiny Michigan city since he read about it online. We planned to stay two days in this tiny Bavarian village transplanted to the United States by immigrants. We saw signs lining the highway informing us we were getting close to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, which is located in Frankenmuth. I worried the entire village would a Christmas advertisement. Don’t get me wrong. I like the holiday as much as the next person, but enough is enough. It thrilled me on day one on our Frankenmuth adventure to discover the small town centered around the Bavarian culture more than the holiday,

Rooster chose the Bavarian Inn Lodge as the place where we would stay during our two night visit. The motel accommodations reflected the local Bavarian culture. While standing at the customer service desk, one of the guests gave us the low down on all the attractions we needed to experience during our stay. He’d came here with his family since he was a kid. Frankenmuth is a priceless family vacation destination. The lodge has two pools. one for families, and one for adults. They also have a family fun center where adults and kids can have fun. Rooster said the place thought of everything when it came to the layout of the lodge.

One of the best features of this Bavarian village centered around the idea of parking the car and walking to all the attractions. Rooster and I decided a riverboat ride would be the best place to start. We followed the signs from the lodge to the dock.

Floating down the Cass River on Day One on our Frankenmuth Adventure

The Bavarian Belle sat in the water, waiting to take on passengers.

The first leg of our trip down the Cass River took us under the covered bridge. Rooster and I marveled at the intricate way they built this structure.

We heard the story on the evolution of the collapsing smoke stack as we floated down the river. They had to come up with a way to lower these apparatuses when after building bridges across rivers became standard practice. At first they lowered them all the way, which caused the cotton they transported to catch on fire.

Someone came up with the brilliant idea and made a way to lower them in the middle.

Things we saw floating down river on Day One on our Frankenmuth Adventure

Rooster and I learned many interesting things while we floated down the Cass River. The first interesting thing centered around the Bavarian Belle and how it was purchased in Arkansas and brough to Michigan. The movers had to travel back roads, and the trip became perilous because of a winter snow storm. We also heard about how the once blue river turned muddy because of farm run off.

We saw the ingenious way they launch kayaks and canoes. They have a device that allows people in wheelchairs access to this activity.

We got a good view of the Bavarian Lodge from the water.

A blue heron enjoyed the cool shade while we floated down the river. The beautiful bird flew past the Bavarian Belle, but I could get a picture of the fast moving bird.

The conclusion of the morning of day one on our Frankenmuth adventure

Rooster and I had a great time on the morning of our Frankenmuth adventure. We still had the afternoon and evening to experience. I decided there was too much good stuff to talk about in a single post. I hope you decide to join us for part two.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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