Trips Experiences Courses Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
West Africa djembe
Benin • 13 days, 12 nights
NEW - Rhythms & Rituals: West Africa's Spiritual Traditions
from
Oaxaca Mexico tamales
Mexico • 7 days, 6 nights
Flavors of Oaxaca: Markets, Mezcal & Home-Cooked Meals
from
View all trips
Upcoming Experiences
View All Experiences »
Members Only
Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: The Albatwitch
Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders
Members Only
Accidental Discoveries
Members Only
Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Frankenstein
Members Only
Antiques and Their Afterlives: Holiday Gift Guide
Upcoming Courses
View All Courses »
Cosmic Life: Astrobiology & the Search for Extraterrestrial Life With Dr. Graham Lau
Tree Communication With Annie Novak
Piecemaker: Sewing a Sampler Quilt With Aaron Sanders Head
Paper Botanicals With Kate Croghan Alarcón
Bee-licious: Taste Honey Like a Sommelier With C. Marina Marchese
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Conwy Suspension Bridge
Conwy Suspension Bridge
The blue spruce on the right symbolizes the spirit of John Denver.
John Denver Sanctuary
Patan Dhoka
Argyll and Bute Hospital
Argyll and Bute Hospital
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Chef Boyardee Statue
Cevapčići at Sarajevo ‘84
Sarajevo ‘84
In this salad, rice gets topped with pinches of toasted coconut, dried fish, finely-sliced herbs and vegetables, bean sprouts, a tiny knot of noodles, crushed black pepper and dried chili. 
Thai-Islam Phochana
With fat chunks of crab meat swimming in a lush coconut milk curry, it's no wonder this dish is so popular.
Raya
Meet boba tea's ancestral cousin.
Kanomwaan Pakee
Recent Stories
All Stories Puzzles Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Inside Sacré-Coeur Hospital lies an unassuming lab that peers into the mysteries of our sleeping minds.
Inside Montréal’s ‘Dream and Nightmare Laboratory’
Team Kwe's 2024 sculpture “Wenabozho and Dadibaajimad Journey on the River of Souls,” illustrating a traditional Ojibwe story of two figures—Wenabozho and his brother Dadibaajimad—on an otherworldly journey.
5 Stories for Native American Heritage Month
The sophisticated club sandwich combines ham, pineapple, bacon, peanut butter, and avocado.
This Book Contains a Century of Historical Sandwiches
Each fall, amorous male tarantulas prowl the Colorado plains in search of mates, who may or may not kill them.
Why Did the Spider Cross the Road?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Experiences Courses Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
All United States Michigan

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Michigan

259 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Michigan

Updated August 19, 2024

Email

Cities

Top Cities
Detroit
Ann Arbor
The primary tunnel.
Traverse City
Steelcase Pyramid
Grand Rapids
Mechanical Camel, invented by J. H. Kellogg
Battle Creek
Dymaxion House
Dearborn
All Cities
  1. Ann Arbor
  2. Baldwin
  3. Battle Creek
  4. Bay City
  5. Cadillac
  6. Carp Lake
  7. Cedar
  8. Charlevoix
  9. Crystal Falls
  10. Dearborn
  11. Detroit
  12. Durand
  13. East Lansing
  14. Grand Rapids
  15. Grayling
  16. Hickory Corners
  17. Holland
  18. Ishpeming
  19. Kalkaska
  20. Lansing
  21. Leland
  22. Mackinac Island
  23. Mackinaw City
  24. Marquette
  25. Midland
  26. Mount Pleasant
  27. Paradise
  28. Port Austin
  29. Port Huron
  30. Saugatuck
  31. Sault Ste. Marie
  32. South Lyon
  33. Traverse City
  34. White Pigeon
  35. Williamsburg
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Michigan

Prehistoric Forest Amusement Park.

Onsted, Michigan

Prehistoric Forest Amusement Park

The remains of an abandoned dinosaur theme park litter the woods just off the highway.
The stacks of John K. King Used & Rare Books.

Detroit, Michigan

John K. King Used & Rare Books

This sprawling bookstore spans four floors and has more than a million books in stock.
Kitch-iti-kipi

Manistique, Michigan

Kitch-iti-kipi

This freshwater spring fills with 10,000 gallons of water per minute.
Grande Ballroom

Detroit, Michigan

Grande Ballroom

Abandoned concert venue legendary for its rock counterculture.
Inside St. Agnes Church

Detroit, Michigan

St. Agnes Church and School

This Detroit ruin was once a gothic bastion of its community, but now it stands as a haunting ruin.
Hell, Michgan

Hell, Michigan

Hell, Michigan

Hell on Earth is actually a small town in Michigan where anyone can be mayor for a day.
An aerial view of the lavender labyrinth

Shelby, Michigan

Cherry Point Farm and Market Lavender Labyrinth

A lavender labyrinth so large it’s visible on Google Earth.
A postcard from the inside of the aquarium, dating to 1907 or 1908.

Detroit, Michigan

Belle Isle Aquarium

The Beaux-Arts aquarium boasts a vast collection of saltwater and freshwater fish on an island in the Detroit River.
See All 259 Things To Do in Michigan

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Michigan

The Raven Cafe

Port Huron, Michigan

The Raven Café

Located in a Civil War era building, this café is engrained with the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe.

Detroit, Michigan

The Raven Lounge

One of Detroit’s oldest blues clubs stands in defiance of the passage of time and the city’s shifting fortunes.
The entrance decked out for the holidays.

Detroit, Michigan

Grand Trunk Pub

The grandiose interior of this bar speaks to its past as home to famous jewelers and railway offices.
Giant carrots.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Food Gatherers' Giant Carrots

The 10-foot-tall vegetables belong to Michigan’s first food rescue program.
See all 18 Places to Eat in Michigan
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

7 Mechanical Marvels in Michigan

Michigan is famous for its steep, sweeping sand dunes, freckling of lakes, and unique fossils—but across the state, you'll find slews of automated wonders, past and present. From old animatronic toys to the ruins of early assembly lines, here are seven places to be dazzled by industry.

View Itinerary
Diego Rivera's mural sprawls across a light-flooded room in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Explore Michigan

Museums 30
Architecture 23
Architectural Oddities 18
History 17
Water 15
Transportation 13
Parks 13
Abandoned 13
Roadside Attractions 13
History & Culture 13
Animals 12
Art 11
Unique Restaurants & Bars 4
Places To Stay 3

Michigan Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for rickbbiking
    rickbbiking
    39
  2. Avatar image for nbj914
    nbj914
    20
  3. Avatar image for Johnmeszaros
    Johnmeszaros
    12
  4. Avatar image for Rebecca Byrne
    Rebecca Byrne
    8
  5. Avatar image for jase
    jase
    7

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for nbj914
    nbj914
    40
  2. Avatar image for Rachel
    Rachel
    22
  3. Avatar image for Collector of Experiences
    Collector of Experiences
    15
  4. M
    Martin
    15
  5. Avatar image for ccesare
    ccesare
    11

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for Ian Sanwald
    Ian Sanwald
    168
  2. Avatar image for kevbot
    kevbot
    165
  3. Avatar image for apbreuhan
    apbreuhan
    136
  4. M
    marionchristiansen
    125
  5. Avatar image for rickbbiking
    rickbbiking
    100

Recent Michigan Activity

  • A

    aidenekutcher

    has been to Hell, Michigan

  • A

    aidenekutcher

    wants to go to Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial School

  • A

    aidenekutcher

    has been to Petoskey State Park

  • A

    aidenekutcher

    has been to Lake Michigan Crucifix

  • A

    aidenekutcher

    has been to Legs Inn

Stories About Michigan

A potential source of the mysterious Windsor Hum.

Podcast: Atlas Obscura Presents 'Windsor Hum' From Twenty Thousand Hertz

In 2011, residents on the U.S.-Canadian border started hearing a strange rumbling noise.
by The Podcast Team
April 29, 2024

How the Great Lakes Formed—And the Mystery of Who Watched It Happen

Skilled hunters adapted to the changing landscape and left tantalizing clues to who they were.
by Gemma Tarlach
January 11, 2024

Podcast: It’s Getting Hot in Here

A history of Michigan's own personal Hell.
by The Podcast Team
August 29, 2023

The Rise and Fall of the Mormon King of Beaver Island

Rumors of piracy, polygamy, and betrayal shape the tumultuous history of King James Jesse Strang.
by Roxanne Hoorn
August 28, 2023

Podcast: Moose Boulder

How far would you go to find the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the United States?
by The Podcast Team
April 27, 2023

These Intrepid Surfers Chill Out Riding the Great Lakes' Wintry Waves

Stressing the need for proper gear and training, members of this close-knit community say their sport gets them through the long, cold season.
by Eden Arielle Gordon
February 23, 2023
Adam Johnson (center) dresses up as Heikki Lunta as part of the Upper Peninsula's Heikinpäivä festival in Hancock, Michigan.

The Dancing Snow God That Brings Blizzards to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Heikki Lunta even has his own song.
by Daniel Bromfield
January 5, 2023
The Milky Way and curtain-like auroras fill a clear southern sky off Nugget Point, at the edge of New Zealand’s remote Catlins. While the island nation is too far north to see the aurora australis regularly, aurora-hunters flock to the Nugget Point lighthouse area for its dark skies and unobstructed view off the South Island’s southeastern coast.

Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights

A curated collection of images shows why this natural phenomenon has fascinated and inspired humans for millennia.
by Gemma Tarlach
December 21, 2022

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads and no pop-ups.

Learn More

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Puzzles
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Art & Culture Trips
  • Food Trips
  • Hidden City Trips
  • History Trips
  • Wildlife & Nature Trips
  • FAQ
  • Experiences
  • Online Courses
  • Online Experience FAQ
  • Online Course FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2024 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.