Going to Bronner's this summer to look at an outdoor Nativity Set..don't want to buy sight unseen...is there anything else nearby...a hidden gem perhaps? A special little restaurant...forget BirchRun and Frankenmuth..there must be something off the beaten path to make our trip worthwhile

In a word, No.

Chesaning has the Bonny Mill Inn B&B and the Heritage Restaurant across the street is located in a Victorian Home.The food is good. However Chesaning is a very small town with a few shops on Main St. They do have the Showboat in July. Kind of down home but fun. It is about 30 miles from Bronners

The Heritage House in Chesaning is closing so cross that off the list. If you are going the third week of July the Tall Ships will be in Bay City.

I don't know if this is of any interest to you, but IKEA will be opening in June about an hour south of Bronners

Hey Suzietrue surprised about the Heritage House--thot it would be there forever--are they retiring? We will be in Michigan actually Bay City the month of July so thanks for the heads up on the tall ships--dh will love that.

SiestaLinda,
Business was just too slow according to the owners. Too many other places for that special dinner out I guess.

SiestaLinda...check out the downtown area on the waterfront when in Bay City. THey have reportedly, the biggest antique mall in Michigan and also some very cute shops, the Nut House and a few really good restaurants all along the water....its a favorite getaway for me!

Bay City is having a tall ship festival in July that you might want to hit if you're at Bronner's that particular weekend. Ikea opens June 7. I would say that it is probably more like 1 1/2 hours from Frankenmuth to Ikea, but to go to Ikea, what's a few extra minutes??? ( I don't think I would hit Ikea the first weekend that it is open, however! They are allowing people to camp in the parking lot starting 48 hours before the opening.)