We were fortunate this past month to visit the Bavarian Inn, in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Now, in case you don't know, Frankenmuth is a German-settled town, and it's a lot of fun to explore the small town. Fudge shops, a historical museum, the Bavarian Inn's famous Golden Chicken, cheese and sausage shops, gorgeous shops with handmade sweaters and textiles, and of course Bronner's Christmas Wonderland.

Frankenmuth Downtown

Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center

Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center 

We stayed at the Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center. The Bavarian Inn is a trip back to Olde World Europe, with its half-timbered facade, Bavarian hospitality, an authentic wooden covered bridge, and lots of family fun. One of the cool things about the Bavarian Inn Lodge is the photo galleries in the hallways - each year, there is a photo contest and they pick the top ones that guests submit, and then display them. It is so much fun to walk the hallways and see how much fun people have had there!

Regarding Handicap accessibility, I had no problems. We had an accessible room with a roll-in shower. Some of the rooms are for left-handed or right-handed guests. The whole lodge has no steps - from the entrance, to the pools, to the restaurants and shops. There is close handicap parking, ramped entrances, and wide elevators. Two of the pools have no steps to enter, as well. I was very pleased with the accessibility of the Inn!

There is plenty there for families to do - there's an indoor play area for very small kids; two arcades; an indoor waterpark with 5 pools and three whirlpools; mini golf; and several restaurants and gift shops. The pool rooms boast gorgeous murals of scenes in Germany. There is also an exercise room, and outdoor tennis courts.

If you DO decide to leave the hotel, then cross the historic covered wooden bridge and head to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant for authentic German cuisine. In the Bavarian Inn Restaurant's building, head downstairs and explore the Castle shops - including a bakery!  Also in the Bavarian Inn Restaurant is the Glockenspiel - be sure to be outside at the top of the hour to see it in action!

Downtown Frankenmuth

Historic Covered Bridge

The Bavarian Inn Lodge has plenty of space for weddings, and group meetings. We toured the conference rooms - such a lovely setting for group meetings. They can accommodate up to 500 people - while we were there, a nursing convention was taking place. The traffic flowed smoothly and the rooms seemed perfect for hosting so many people. There are beautiful stained glass murals throughout the Conference center, depicting the history of the Bavarian Inn.

Lastly, I'd like to share about the rooms themselves. There are 360 guest rooms, and each room is focused on a local family. There are photos in the room of the family, and a description as to the family's arrival in Frankenmuth (sometimes a hundred years ago or more), their contribution to the community, and newspaper clippings about them.  I enjoyed reading of the family in our room - photos of their great-grandparents in Italy, photos of weddings and kids through the ages, and more. It was such a unique touch, and I definitely enjoyed learning more about Frankenmuth this way.

The Bavarian Inn is a family endeavor.  According to the website, "The William (Tiny) Zehnder, Jr. family owns the Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth. Tiny & wife Dorothy purchased the restaurant in 1950 from the Fischer family.  Tiny had a passion for transforming the restaurant so that the authentic German heritage would be reflected in the buildings and costuming of the staff. He spent nearly 50 years of his life assisting and encouraging other Frankenmuth businesses to either build or remodel their buildings in the Bavarian style. Due to poor health, Tiny resigned from active management of the Bavarian Inn Restaurant in 2004. He remained Chairman of the Board of Bavarian Inn, Inc. until his death May 23, 2006. Dorothy has a passion for cooking and teaching others to cook and continues working six days a week in the kitchen at Bavarian Inn Restaurant.

Three generations of the Zehnder family now are actively involved in the day-to-day operations. At the restaurant Dorothy Zehnder is joined by son William A. (Bill), President, his wife, Karen and daughter, Amy Zehnder Grossi, Co-General Managers. Tiny & Dorothy's daughter, Judy Zehnder Keller, is President of the Bavarian Inn Lodge and Gift Shops, Inc. Judy's son, Michael Keller Zehnder, is Manager at the Frankenmuth River Place and her husband, Don Keller, is the Corporate Treasurer."

We loved staying at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. Thanks to Joanna Morris of the Bavarian Inn Lodge for meeting with me and sharing so much about the Inn. I remember going there as a kid - as do so many of the guests. If you've not yet been, visit and start your own family traditions! 

http://bavarianinn.com

Bavarian Inn Lodge
One Covered Bridge Lane
Frankenmuth, MI
989-652-7200

This is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby - head over there to see photo essays from around the world!