A DAY IN NORTHVILLE, MICHIGAN

Yesterday I visited Northville, Michigan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northville,_Michigan). It’s the perfect place to take a stroll, visit a bookshop, grab a sandwich, browse through art galleries, walk your dog or learn about history.

MILL RACE HISTORICAL VILLAGE

First we stopped at the Mill Race Historical Village (http://ci.northville.mi.us/Community/MillRaceVillage/OverviewMillRaceVillage.asp), a grouping of historic buildings—a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, cottages, a one-room schoolhouse, a general store and more. 

Near the Mill Race Village is lovely Ford Field Park with an elaborate playground for children, an old-fashioned clock, picnic tables and a ball field.

We entered the Mill Race Historical Village via a wooden bridge that went over a stream. I don’t know what it is about streams, but I just love them.

The Mill Race Historical Village has a strict policy about professional photography and, although I don’t consider myself a professional photographer, I am going to stay on the safe side and leave out pictures of the quaint historic buildings. Instead I will just share some of the lovely gardens you will see if you visit.

Here is a link that gives you photographs of the buildings:

http://www.ci.northville.mi.us/Community/MillRaceVillage/AboutUs/MillRaceVillagePhotos.asp.

We stopped at the general store and I almost bought a large wooden rooster.  The shop was filled with a variety of unusual items including vintage hats.  As we continued on through the village, we noticed that a wedding party was being photographed in the beautiful gazebo. It is a gorgeous setting for a wedding.

THE NEXT CHAPTER BOOKSTORE AND BISTRO

We left the Mill Race Village and continued a short way to downtown Northville.  I wanted to check out the Next Chapter Bookstore and Bistro located at 141 East Main Street (http://www.readnextchapterbooks.com).

Inside I found a book I had to have:  Northville: The First Hundred Years by Jack W. Hoffman (http://www.ci.northville.mi.us/Community/MillRaceVillage/PublicationsForSale.asp). This a great place to grab a coffee, salad or hot soup.  Loved it!

GARAGE GRILL & FUEL BAR

By this time we were getting hungry so we stopped at the Garage Grill & Fuel Bar (http://www.garagenorthville.com), which had been recommended to me by a friend.  The restaurant is inside a restored 1940s-style gas station. 

The service was excellent and I enjoyed my meal: a perfect burger with sweet potato fries. Fortunately, we got there early, because the place was getting crowded as the evening progressed.

STREET SCENES

We finished our Northville visit with one last stroll down Main Street. The town is very dog friendly; there were water dishes spaced strategically along the street:

Here are some other photographs of views along Main Street:

Northville was an easy day trip. It satisfied the urge to roam without having to drive too far. It is definitely worth putting on your list of places to see.