by Manistee VB | Jan 23, 2023 | Entertainment & Culture, First Time Visitors, Historic Tours, Local History, Must See Manistee, Tours
In October of 2022, the Manistee County Visitor’s Bureau unveiled an interpretive signage installation that had been in the works for a number of years. This collaborative project brought together organizations and agencies throughout the region to deliver a new way... 
by Manistee VB | Jan 23, 2023 | Entertainment & Culture, First Time Visitors, Historic Tours, Local History, Shopping & Services, Stay, What To Do
Manistee County welcomes you to explore the streets of Historic Downtown Manistee, the Victorian Era buildings are filled with shops featuring local wares and restaurant serving regional favorites. Situated along the free-flowing waters of the Big Manistee River,... 
by Manistee VB | Apr 4, 2022 | Bed & Breakfasts, Historic Tours, Hotels, Local History, Must See Manistee, Self Guided Tours, Spring, Tours
In 2018, in collaboration with the Manistee County Historical Museum and with funding through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Manistee County Visitor’s Bureau introduced a comprehensive tour of the historic sites spanning the... 
by Sherri | Feb 15, 2021 | Featured, First Time Visitors, Local History, Must See Manistee, Tours, What To Do
Hands down my favorite place in town. The Ramsdell Theatre is bursting with magic, music, and art, as well as incredible history and architecture. You can catch a play, see concerts and if you are lucky, wander over into Hardy Hall to view some of our treasured local... 
by Brandon Jensen | Jan 29, 2019 | Events, Local History
During the first week in March of 1869, Manistee was granted a charter by the State Legislature officially making Manistee a city. After the first charter election was held on March 15 of that year, a mayor was elected as were alderman for the city’s (then) four... 
by Brandon Jensen | Jan 29, 2019 | Entertainment & Culture, First Time Visitors, Local History, What To Do
Enjoying entertainment, arts and culture in Manistee County comes with the added bonus of the natural beauty of Lake Michigan, forests and orchards, and dynamic historic architecture.At the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, located in the City of Manistee,... 
by Manistee Tourism | Oct 1, 2018 | Conversations, Featured, First Time Visitors, Local History, Must See Manistee, Outdoors, Uncategorized
Written By: Andrew Allen Manistee is easily one of the most scenic counties in Michigan, so (although thrilled) we weren’t surprised when Pure Michigan decided to begin its Fall and Seek campaign here. Over the next 3 days we were blessed to have photographer Dan... 
by Manistee Tourism | Sep 8, 2018 | Events, Featured, Local History, Uncategorized, Winter
Written & photography by: Andrew Allen Although its been a little over a week since the Sleighbell Parade, Manistee still glows with the warmth of the holiday season. You’d think being a northern costal town our biggest event would be in the summer, but every year... 
by Manistee Tourism | Aug 1, 2018 | Fall, Historic Tours, Local History, Spring, Summer, Tours, Uncategorized
Written by: Andrew Allen Growing up in Manistee County somehow the S.S. City of Milwaukee always seemed to hide right in plain sight. I’d drive past the massive (347 foot passenger/railroad car) ferry without really giving it much thought. Finally, sometime in high... 
by Mark Fedder | Mar 22, 2017 | Historic Tours, Local History
THE ROLLWAY HISTORY Often times before we set out on a trip, we may wonder if the journey (like the old adage says) will be worth the destination. Upon turning onto Horseshoe Bend Road the thought of turning around and the phrase, “There’s not really much down here,”... 
by Manistee VB | Sep 10, 2016 | Conversations, Fall, Featured, Local History, Summer
Farming in Manistee County is not just a job for the families who live and work here- it is part of their history and culture. Each individual farming family is unique in its own way, celebrating the traditions of ancestors through each crop they harvest and every cup... 
by Manistee VB | Feb 17, 2016 | Conversations, Local History
Not far outside the Victorian port city, you’ll find one of Michigan’s favorite gaming destinations, Little River Casino Resort. Located at the intersection of US 31 and scenic M-22, Little River offers over 1,500 slots, BINGO, and a variety of table games 24 hours a... 
by Manistee VB | Feb 15, 2016 | Fall, Local History, Self Guided Tours
I can’t count how many times I’ve traveled across M-55 to get to Manistee County from the east side of the state. What I recently learned is that right before the village of Wellston, you will cross one of Michigan’s rarest truss bridges. The Cooley Bridge is... 
by Manistee VB | Feb 10, 2016 | Historic Tours, Local History, Self Guided Tours
In 1941, a unique home was built in Kaleva out of 60,000 glass bottles by John Makinen. Mr. Makinen owned the local pop bottling factory so he used chipped or flawed bottles from his pop bottling factory for his house. It was designed with artistic placement of the... 
by Manistee VB | Feb 2, 2016 | Entertainment & Culture, First Time Visitors, Historic Tours, Local History, Self Guided Tours
Built in 1938, in the then popular Art Deco Style, the Vogue was part of a large Midwestern chain owned by the Butterfield Theaters. The 935 seat theater continued to operate as a single screen until Butterfield Theaters sold it in 1985 and it was changed into a two... 
by Mark Fedder | Feb 1, 2016 | Local History
As a general rule of thumb, the phrase “Main Street” is normally given to a road in a city, town, or village that runs through a specified area where the foremost business was being done in that community. The main streets of Manistee County are in essence no... 
by Mark Fedder | Feb 1, 2016 | Historic Tours, Local History
While salt was more or less discovered in Manistee, sand, on the other hand, was an abundant problem that residents of the city have had to, more or less, endure. In the past, the area’s sand dunes gave the city a unique reputation for being pretty to look at... 
by Mark Fedder | Feb 1, 2016 | Local History
When examining a grain of salt or a grain of sand, it is difficult using the naked eye to gauge which one is actually bigger than the other. In terms of Manistee’s industrial past, both mineral and sediment have played reasonably equal roles throughout the... 
by Mark Fedder | Jan 27, 2016 | Local History
Prior to the late 1860s, there was no easy access across the Manistee river channel. This meant that the town was actually made up of two areas and two communities, those that resided North of the city limits and those that resided South of the city. The only way to... 
by Mark Fedder | Jan 27, 2016 | Local History
One can imagine that after enduring the Great Fire of 1871, people of Manistee would be extra concerned about fires. Since there was only one bridge to cross the river a theory arose that if the bridge were open for boating traffic or by some chance damaged then there... 
by Mark Fedder | Jan 27, 2016 | Local History
To take a glance into the past is to delve into the world of yesterday where how people lived, worked, dressed, and traveled can all at once be foreign and similar to the way in which we live today. With Manistee’s place in history as a towering lumber industry, the... 
by Manistee VB | Jan 14, 2016 | Fishing & Hunting, Local History
Completed in 1918, Tippy Dam (known as Junction Hydro when it was built) was named after Charles W. Tippy, a board of directors chair for Consumers Power. Tippy is Consumer Energy’s second largest hydro dam producing up to 20,000 kilowatts and providing electricity... 
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