LTPD Travels from home to Oktoberfest in Frankenmuth, MI

Willkomen!

(vil-koh-men) - Welcome!

Open the windows, light a pumpkin candle and grab a cozy blanket - we're going to Oktoberfest in Michigan's "Little Bavaria"! This fall we were scheduled to take a bus trip to Frankenmuth, MI. We had reservations to stay at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, participate in strudel making and a wine tasting, a city tour and of course time set aside to have German food, drinks and take part in some dancing and shopping at Oktoberfest. Due to the pandemic the bus trip has been postponed to 2021, which leaves us plenty of time to explore all of our possibilities to make memories before arriving!

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"Lord Mayor Christian Ude and the German Parliament from Munich gave an official proclamation in 1996.Frankenmuth's Oktoberfest was declared the first Oktoberfest to operate with the blessing of the original Oktoberfest in Munich.  With this proclamation, the event was moved into September to coincide with the opening of the Munich event. Also, for the first time in history, the world-famous Hofbrauhaus brewery of Munich exported their beer to the United States.  The Hofbrauhaus became the official beer sponsor of the Frankenmuth Oktoberfest in 1997. With Frankenmuth's unique German heritage and culture, the Frankenmuth Oktoberfest strives to preserve the sights and sounds of the Munich Oktoberfest.  The event features authentic entertainment, dancing, Oktoberfest souvenirs, various food selections, and authentic Hofbrauhaus Oktoberfest beer."

For more history and information on the Oktoberfest festival in Frankenmuth

visit their website here.

What to wear

When attending the original Oktoberfest in Munich almost everyone is dressed in Bavarian attire. The men wear lederhosen and the women wear dirndls (dern-dull).

In Frankenmuth it's more casual, but if you're looking to plan ahead or would like to feel the full affect from home when cooking up some German recipes you can find Bavarian attire and all of your German needs at a few different sites online including:

https://www.ernstlicht.com https://www.lederhosenstore.com or even amazon!

To host your own Oktoberfest celebration, check out this website here to get ideas!

What to see

From wiener dog races to German dancing, food and beer! Oktoberfest celebrates Frankenmuth's German roots in all kinds of ways!

Get up and dance in your living room to The Bratwurst Boys!

Click here to see their show from last year's Oktoberfest.

Or if the wiener dog races sounds more of your style, click here!

You can have your wiener dog race at home, wiener dog or not, fenced in yard preferred!

The Bavarian Inn Lodge (pictured to the right) offers an array of hands-on activities and things to do that are just plain fun! Like strudel making, wine tastings, authentic German dinners with a glockenspiel (musical bells), and even a city tour with a guide dressed in Bavarian attire. To learn more about the glockenspiel tower, visit their website here.

More fun things in Frankenmuth

While the festival has many things to keep you entertained what many don't know is that Frankenmuth has river running right through it! The Cass River flows right through town and offers cruises on The Bavarian Belle. The 150-passenger riverboat cruise entertains and educates guests while floating along the river.

Any time of the year Frankenmuth has events going on and your sure to find one fit for you and your family. Whether you're looking to celebrate your German heritage, or surround yourself with classic cars - there's always something going on!

A popular thing for tourists to do when visiting Frankenmuth is to search for gnomes! You can actually stop at the visitor's center and pick up a gnome hunting map! A fun idea from home is to start looking for gnomes everywhere you go! Whether it be in your neighborhood or while out shopping you can feel like you're a tourist at home!

Click here to watch a video on Frankenmuth's history and some of their must-see attractions and activities!

Shopping

While Oktoberfest gets the tourists dancing in the fall, a season that is year-round in Frankenmuth is Christmas! Our bus trip to Frankenmuth couldn't possibly miss a visit to

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland! They are open year-round, and you can shop in-person or, since we are traveling from home, online! Find all kinds of gifts and decorations to fill your holiday spirit at https://bronners.com/ .

Order your own free travel guide straight from Frankenmuth on their website - click here!

What & where to eat

From chicken dinners, weisswurst (Bavarian sausage), pretzels, bratwurst w/ kraut, even New Orleans style beignets, you'll be sure to find something to entice your taste buds

while in Frankenmuth!

The chicken dinner is the most popular entrée at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant and at Zehnder's, both owned by the Zehnder family but operated independently. The entrée comes with plenty of sides, served

family-style and all you can eat! It is said to be worth every penny!

For an authentic German pretzel "brezel" recipe you can follow along to this YouTube video here and view other videos for recipes on their page at My German Recipes. If you'd rather read along or print out the recipe click this link.

You can't have a visit to Oktoberfest without sampling German beer! Oktoberfest in Frankenmuth is known for having Hofbrauhaus Oktoberfest beer straight from Munich, Germany. You're sure to find some at local German restaurants or you might just have to wait until our trip next fall to try some!

Local Restaurants offering German cuisine:

Chef Klaus Bier Stube - Frankfort, IL

The Bavarian Lodge - Lisle, IL

Hofbrauhaus - Rosemont, IL

Know the Lingo

Hi - Tag (tahk)

Good Morning - Guten Morgen (goot-en mor-gen)

Good Day - Guten Tag (goot-en tahk)

Goodbye - Auf Wiedersehen (owf vee-dair-zayn)

Bye - Tschüs (tchews)

Thank you - Danke

Please - Bitte (bit-tuh)

Cheers, Friend! - Prost! Mein Freund (Proist mine frund)

Frankenmuth offers a glimmer of hope for tourists to return to traveling in their video here.

AUF WIEDERSEHEN!

Hopefully you enjoyed your visit to Frankenmuth, MI from the comfort of your home! Keep a look out for more travels from home with LTPD Travel by subscribing to our blog!

LTPD Travel is a travel program through Lockport Township Park District offering day and overnight trips from Lockport, IL.

Check out our website at Lockportpark.org!