Lexington, Michigan- You Only Need The Afternoon

Michigan is truly remarkable. I'm a city girl, as is made obvious if you've ever read me before. I like big cities, big hustle and a grilled cheese sandwich option at any location.
But Sometimes it's nice to get away from the noise and visit a town that still has a shop(pe) that sells wooden toys and homegrown honey.
For those of you who don't know, I'm from JUST above Detroit. And when I say just, I don't mean like how the good people of Lexington say they're from Detroit when out of town (two hours from!), I mean it- I'm 7 minutes away in good traffic. So, to go to a small town like Lexington it's 100% going back in time. 
I went up to Lexington, Michigan recently, my first time, for a theatre gig I sometimes do around the holidays with my friend Mary. The show was in the Lexington Village Theater and was incredible, and hilarious, if I do say so myself! Our call time wasn't until 3pm so I figured I would get to town a little early and wander around, see the sights, do any last minute shopping for the season. What I didn't know is that downtown Lexington is literally one block. Not even a full block, mostly just a busy intersection with a smattering of buildings down one direction.

Well, I decided to take a pit stop ahead of Lexington at the Fort Gratiot County Park on Lake Huron. I hadn't been in Lake Huron in well over a decade, so what is any Michigander gal to do in Mid-December? Take off my boots and wade in, of course! I think I only lasted 30 seconds but I still did it! I also combed the empty beach and found tons of cool rocks, shells and beach glass that I'm going to clean up. So far it's a successful day and I haven't even made it to my destination yet.

Keep driving down Main street (seriously) and hit Lexington Village. Parts of it look straight out of 1908! So, that's really cool. I parked behind the theater, walked over to their part of the lake which had a big rock wall that I had hoped I could walk (I could not), looked like I'd never seen water before to the fisherman and took some photos.
While hitting the streets it was all mostly tourist shops- things that said Lexington on them or cheap jewelry with my name written on it or fudge. Not too terribly exciting since I'm not a grandma or a toddler. I literally stopped a guy and ran across the street to pet his giant dog, though, then wandered around from there for about 6 minutes. Then I sort of ran out of things to do. There was a gas station, a closed brewery and an old bank that looked cool. So I googled Haunted Lexington on the street corner in front of The Cadillac House and lo and behold, I was standing at the stairs of the most haunted (proven!) spot in the whole village. So, naturally, in I went. It is really beautiful there! Everyone was really nice, and since it was a Sunday at 1 in the afternoon it was quiet enough to be nice, but cheery. I felt stupid walking into a restaurant being all "any good ghosts here?" and then leaving, so I ordered some mac and cheese- DO THAT! It was delish. My bartender, Hannah, told me about her spooky encounter there and let me walk around the whole of the first floor to kill time and explore. I felt in the way a little but every staff member I ran into, and even a birthday party I accidentally stumbled into were extremely polite and welcoming. 
Good ol' Audrey!

The Lexington Village Theater is almost shockingly gorgeous. Outside is regular, but inside it's filled with personal touches and one of the nicest crews Mary and I had ever had the pleasure to work with. They usually have musicians in, not stage shows, so the floor plan was changed some to add in some lounge style seating complete with waitstaff! Such luxury! We stayed overnight on the grounds in a gorgeous apartment next to another gorgeous apartment next to a mansion- all on the second floor! For privacy, though, I won't post photos as people have used these spaces as homes. It was incredible! 
Shout out to Steis's pizza!

All in all,  pretty spectacular time. Beach combing, ghost hunting, live theatre, free pizza- all are a passion of mine. Though I was surprised at how tiny the Lexington downtown area really is, and how trapped in time I felt, it was really beautiful. It'd be a great stop or even a weekender.

Be kind to one another.

Comments

  1. This reminds me of how fun it is to check out little towns that you might think have little to offer only to find they are little gems! I am nowhere near Michigan, but I do know someone that lives north of Detroit. I will have to tell her I read a post about Lexington and that it sounds like a fun place to visit! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I'd risk a spook or two for a bowl of mac & cheese!! My husband is from Kalamazoo and I'll have to ask him if he has been to this town.

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    1. Its worth it!! But hanbah says their "spook" is disruptive!

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  3. I love traveling to small towns. My fiance like to vacation is towns like this. Our last was to Pennsylvania and the big adventure of that trip was the farmers market. I am definitely going to consider a trip here. It sounds like the type of location we would love. Thanks for sharing this.

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  4. Small towns have more to offer than expected, you just have to be willing to search a bit. You certainly found some jewels! Have you sought out haunted houses & the like before? This trip sounds like fun!

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  5. I think if we happen drive through this town, then I know where to eat since my son loves mac & cheese.

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  6. That mac and cheese is making me hungry! You're right, it's so fun to discover areas of town that do things homemade, whether it's food or crafts. Homemade is often higher quality :)
    missmolly.tv

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  7. What beautiful scenery! And I love the color of the water.

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  8. Small towns do have their charms. Like you, I prefer the big city life, but the occasional small town visit can be nice. That mac and cheese alone would make it worth the visit!

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  9. I love posts like these that are a great guide for a day trip. Thanks!

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  10. I grew up in Lexington and had never heard the Cadillac House was haunted! We used to order pizza from there.

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    1. That's awesome though, I havent had pizza there yet but I usually go back every December. Maybe this year.

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