Craving a small Christmas town? Head to Frankenmuth, Michigan, one of the best small Christmas towns in the Midwest. People come from all over the world to Frankenmuth to immerse in all things Christmas. I’m sharing some of the best things to do in Frankenmuth, where it’s Christmas all year!
Things To Do in Frankenmuth – Where It’s Christmas All Year
Calling all Christmas lovers! Frankenmuth, Michigan is the Christmas Town you’ve been looking for. Enjoy the beautiful German town with glimpses of Christmas all year round. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you’ll be awed by all that Frankenmuth has to offer to excite the yuletide fun. With more shops to visit than one day could hold, to activities and entertainment that make Christmas bright, you’ll want to come back again and again.
Where to Shop
Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland
If you only make it to one shop in all of Frankenmuth, make Bronner’s the place. Your senses will be delighted by all to experience here. You’ll find more than 300 decorated Christmas trees scattered throughout the 96,000 square feet of retail space. Overflowing with 50,000 trims and gifts, Bronner’s has everything you could ever need for Christmas. During the holiday season, stop by to see Santa any day of the week. Take a stroll along the 27 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and find the Silent Night Memorial Chapel. This 56-foot-tall landmark is a replica of the original St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf/Salzburg, Austria where two men first performed the beloved Christmas carol, Silent Night.
The Christkindlmarkt
This Frankenmuth Farmers Market is an excellent place to stop by all year long, with all the local goods you could want. Near Christmastime, Christkindlmarkt offers food, fun, festivity, and of course plenty of shopping. Stroll through the heated tent and feast your eyes on a wide range of Christmasy products from food to decor and everything in between. The Christkindlmarkt is open for only two weekends before the holidays so don’t miss out!
River Place Shops
You’ll be enchanted by all this outdoor shopping mall has to offer. It celebrates the German roots of Frankenmuth with its German theme throughout. Step into a shop that offers Michigan cherries, and another that carries magical fairy items. Stop into one of the many varieties of candy and sweets shops. Don’t miss out on the events offered throughout the year, but especially during the holidays where the shops are all beautifully decorated for the season. Join in on the Christmas tree lighting the day after Thanksgiving which involves a candle walk through the shops and Christmas caroling. You just might run into Santa while you shop!
Downtown Shopping
Take a trip down Main Street where you’ll not only find the River Place Shops but a whole lot more. You’ll need an entire day to take it all in and could easily finish off all of your Christmas shopping in one fell swoop. White House Boutique carries coveted name brands like Pandora. Rau’s Country Store has literally everything from candy to clothes to knickknacks and shoes. The kids will love the Frankenmuth Toy Company & Kite Kraft which carries toys new and old school. You just might shop til you drop.
What to Do in Frankenmuth
Magic with Santa
For a unique take on Christmas, enjoy this live magic and illusion show in December. Found at the historic Fischer Hall, you’ll not only be wowed, but you’ll laugh til your sides hurt. Stay after the show to take a picture with Santa on stage.
Zehnders Restaurant
At this 160-year-old restaurant, enjoy breakfast or lunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus the first and second Saturdays of December. After the holidays, come to the incredible snow sculpting event called SnowFest. Not only will you be amazed by the beautifully detailed ice carvings, but you’ll find all sorts to do for the whole family inside a warming tent, including a petting zoo and children’s activities. A spectacular fireworks display is also a town favorite.
Holiday Home Tour
On only one day in December, enjoy the gemuetlichkeit (German hospitality) of the Women’s Club by visiting several homes, beautifully decorated for Christmas. Each year opens different private homes, each featuring their own pleasing and unique decorative styles.
St. Lorenz Lutheran Church
Every year, this German church hosts a Christmas concert featuring vocals, instruments, and handbells. If you want to soak up some of the German heritage that Frankenmuth proudly carries on, visit St. Lorenz, the very first structure built by the earliest Frankenmuth Settlers. Take a tour of the church and attend one of their German worship services on the second Sunday of every month.
If you’re looking for a place to visit over the holidays or simply love Christmas too much to wait til Christmastime to celebrate, come to Frankenmuth, Michigan for all things Christmas! I recently took a day trip back to Frankenmuth because I was craving some Christmas in the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Ultimate AWD. It’s been a minute since I’ve driven the Hyundai Santa Fe (2014), but I’m loving all the changes they’ve made to it.
The technology is remarkable
There is a lot of technology happening in the world, I was curious to see what the technology would be like in the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0. Town driving doesn’t need to be boring driving. I personally love that when I’m driving, even through town, the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 can detect another car in the lane. If it detects the other vehicle in the lane, the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 slows down and keeps a safe distance.
Let’s be honest too, there are so many distractions while driving. Sometimes I drive not even realizing I’m distracted. While my main goal is to keep my eyes on the road, that may not be the goal of every other driver out there. The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 has Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection. The vehicle can help you detect blind spots and can let you know when your vehicle is getting out of the comfort zone of your lane.
I’m also loving the rearview camera, this is always a feature I look for in a car. For those of us who need even more safety, they have installed side and front cameras too. It’s never a bad thing to know what’s going on around you, especially while driving.
Photo Credit: Hyundai
Pure luxury inside and out
Looking on the outside of this vehicle, you know the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 has lots of luxury happening. The outside of the car is well thought out and a pure beauty. Let’s talk about the luxury of being able to drive such a majestic car around. Living in Michigan, I’m always down for a car that has seat warmers. I mean, who wouldn’t? It sure does get cold up here and my body is always willing to warm up quickly. Stay tuned for this remarkable feature, when your Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 knows you, it knows you. The vehicle has an Integrated Memory System, all you have to do is press a button and the driver seat and mirrors adjust to you. Another luxury that I don’t want to forget about is the gas mileage. Doing everyday life with the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 was sublime for the pure fact that it has great gas mileage. No mom wants to spend more than she has to on gas for her car. {You can see more photos by going here}
There is no hiding the fact that doing everyday life with the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 is pure bliss. It seats a family of 4-5 comfortably. I loved every minute of driving this vehicle around and so would you! Learn more about the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 by visiting their website.
Disclosure-Thank you to Hyundai for providing the Santa Fe Sport 2.0. on loan for my Frankenmuth road trip. All opinions and thoughts are 100% my own.
AnnMarie John says
I’d love to visit here one day. We have our own Christmas village called Santa’s Workshop, and you can see Santa year round as well. Nothing as fancy as this, but the kids LOVE it!