Michigan: What Is Our Best Small-Town Restaurant?

Small towns are often home to hidden gems, offering a variety of dining options from upscale restaurants to humble diners and roadside shacks. You might even discover a historic farmhouse where you can enjoy a delicious meal. Typically, the food scene in small towns is dominated by family-owned restaurants and cafes that offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Many of these places specialize in classic comfort foods such as homemade pies, BBQs, and hearty stews.

In Michigan, small towns are known for their creative takes on classic dishes, as it's often sourced from local ingredients and unique culinary traditions. LoveFood.com compiled a list of the best small-town restaurants in every state. Their selections are based on user reviews, awards and accolades, and the first-hand experience of their team. 

The Station 100 in Frankenmuth was named the best small-town restaurant in Michigan. "For a rustic, Bavarian-style dining experience, The Station 100 in Frankenmuth is a must-visit," said the site.  This unique eatery is housed in an old train station, with an Alpine feel complete with original flooring and dark wood tables.

Although the site mentioned the restaurant as being pricier, they still said customers rave about the wiener schnitzel. This dish features a thin, breaded veal cutlet served with spätzle pasta and mushroom sauce and has been touted as the best outside of Germany.

The restaurant has been showered with an abundance of glowing reviews from customers, all of which seem to justify LoveFood's ranking. According to one enthusiastic reviewer, dining at this establishment was nothing short of spectacular. "Wow, a great spot in Frankenmuth! Schnitzel here was 10/10! Flavor, presentation, texture -- perfect!" said the Yelp review.

Another satisfied customer left a review praising the restaurant's quaint bistro-style setting, complete with an inspired menu of locally sourced dishes and daily specials. "Great venue for a casual dinner; plan a couple of hours. Friendly and attentive small staff. Would definitely recommend" they said.

There are some strange and peculiar roads around the world which can often make driving an... interesting experience. While many roads are bland, Michigan has some unique roads. And many of those roads have some interesting history.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, the oldest constructed roads discovered to date are in former Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. These stone-paved streets date back to about 4000 B.C. in the Mesopotamia cities of Ur and Babylon.

Here in Amercia, the State Highway Department was created in 1905. In the early 1900s, lcoal leaders, including Horatio S. "Good Roads" Earle and Frank F. Rogers, saw a pressing need to get Michigan out of the mud.

Over time, they accomplished the first mile of concrete highway built, first painted centerline, first roadside park, and the first four-way red/yellow/green electric traffic light built on a solid foundation for a sustainable transportation system in Michigan. The demand for paved roads rose with the use of wheeled vehicles.

When it comes to Michigan’s roads and highways, there are many facts. Most Michiganders would find some of these quite surprising. The Michigan Department of Transportation has compiled a list of facts about the roads and highways in Michigan. With facts about Michigan’s first road map, first four lane road, and others. But which facts do some Michiganders not know about?

Here are 8 Michigan road facts you probably didn’t know about.

Currently, Michigan has one of the nation's shortest signed interstates. The shortest freeway in Michigan is only 1.1 miles long. Though not signed, New York has a  0.70 miles freeway, which is even smaller than Michigan's smallest.

The three-span US-12 camelback bridge in Mottville is Michigan's longest remaining bridge of this type. Constructed in 1922, these bridges are found primarily in Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

The towers on the Mackinac Bridge or “Mighty Mac” (552 feet high) are almost as tall as the Washington Monument (555 feet high). The Mackinac Bridge is currently the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world.

The first Michigan road map, with only three roads on it, was published by the United States Congress in 1826. As a matter of fact, the first surveyed road in Michigan was Pontiac Road (now called M-1 or Woodward Avenue) connecting Detroit and Pontiac in 1819.

M-185 on Mackinac Island is the only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned. Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on Mackinac Island since 1896 because the horses were disturbed by the noisy engines of some of the island's first cars. Furthermore, carriage drivers formed an association, convincing islanders to ban automobiles.

The longest highway in Michigan is I-75, which runs 395 miles from the Ohio border to the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie. I-75 also passes through six different states. At its north end, it starts on the Canada/U.S. border at the top of Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie. Then it heads south to Naples in Florida, where it bends east and runs across to Miami.

MDOT says that there is enough pavement on Michigan roadways to build a one-lane road from the Earth to the moon. Michigan has a total of 120,256 miles of paved roadway. This includes 9,669 route miles of state trunkline, 89,444 route miles of county roads, and 21,198 route miles of city and village streets. However, according to NASA, the Moon us an average of 238,855 miles away from Earth.

Eight Michigan highways began as Native American trails, US-2 (from Sault Ste. Marie to Green Bay); I-75 (from Detroit to Saginaw), I-94 (from Detroit to St. Joseph; I-96 (from Detroit to Grand Rapids), I-94 (from Detroit to Port Huron), US-41 (from L'Anse to Marquette), and US-12 (from Ypsilanti to Chicago). Michigan's three largest tribes are the Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), the Odawa (also called Ottowa) and the Potawatomi (also called the Bode'wadmi). Michigan also federally recognizes these tribes and others in the state.