Monday, Nov. 21, 2011
Frankenmuth, Mich.: A Big Store in 'Little Bavaria'
Visitors to Frankenmuth, Mich., a town of fewer than 5,000 residents, can visit Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the self-billed "world's largest Christmas store." The town, nicknamed Little Bavaria, features charming Franconian-style architecture that enhances the Christmas spirit when tourists check out the holiday cheer. Bronner's site, the size of 1½ football fields, includes the Silent Night Memorial Chapel, the half-mile-long (0.8 km) Christmas Lane and a decorate-your-own-ornament station. The store, opened in 1945, takes in more than 2 million people each year. Visitors can also experience authentic Bavarian hospitality at the Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth.