Frankenmuth, Michigan: Michigan's Own Military and Space Museum

That's its official name. The vision of Stanley Bozich. Everything in it has something to do with Michigan heroes, including its exhibits about the War on Terror and the ill-fated Apollo I.

Michigan's Own Military and Space Museum

Michigan's Own Military and Space Museum is one of those "hidden gems." Just off the main road into Frankenmuth, it lies in a fairly nondescript building with a tank and fighter jet outside.

Inside, however, is a wonderful display of military memorabilia. It is not a museum of war machines or weapons, but rather of the individuals who fought those battles. Each person in the museum is from the state of Michigan. The owner spent many years gathering uniforms, stories, medals and other artifacts to put together these displays. Each tells the story of one individual from the state of Michigan, what branch of the military they were in, their stories, their achievements and if they made it out of war, what they did afterward. There are special exhibits dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients, Distinguished Service Cross recipients, astronauts from the state of Michigan and the Polar Bear expedition into Russia at the end of World War I.

Most people come to Frankenmuth for the chicken dinners and to visit Bronner's, but this little museum is one of those hidden treasures. It's not large, but we spent over 4 hours in there because we went through each of the display cases one by one and read each soldier's story. While not really intended for small children, pre-teens and teenagers may find it interesting.

[Valerie L., 02/06/2011]