10 small towns near Detroit you should be spending more time in

By Metro Times editorial staff on Sat, Jun 16, 2018 at 12:40 pm

Lexington What to do: This small town has the cutest downtown area with a vintage flare. Head over to the general store and stock up on tons of candies or head over to the old fashioned fudge shoppe. The Lexington Village Theatre also has a wide selection of concert and theatre performances for your enjoyment. Photo via Instagram user @elena_in_america Places to eat: A hugely popular spot in this town is Wimpy’s Hamburgers. Enjoy a variety of burgers, sliders fries and more at a price that won’t break your budget. If burgers aren’t exactly your thing, head over to Steis’s Village Inn and enjoy a huge variety of American Classics. We recommend their insta-worthy pizza. Photo via Facebook user @ Steis’s Adrian What to do: This cute college town offers a lot of fun attractions for any age. First stop by the The Book Abbey Art Gallery and enjoy the town's extensive collection of local artwork from 55 Adrian Artists. After, spend your last few hours bike riding on the gorgeous trails of Trestle Park. Photo Via Instagram User @lishbug69 Places to eat: Adrian’s downtown has plenty of food option no matter what you’re in the mood for. A popular dining destination is Mandy’s Uptown Bar and Grill which serves up classic American Cuisine. Other popular places include Lotus Place Chinese and The Pizza Bucket. And for dessert top off your meal with a waffle cone from local favorite, Frosty Boy Ice cream. Photo via Facebook user @Frosty boy of Adrian Metamora What to do: Sandwiched between Oxford and Lapeer, this place has plenty of nostalgic attractions. Visit the historic Old Town Hall or the Sutherland Nature Preserve and take super cute photos. And stop by the downtown shops and scope out a cute vintage knick knack, because, why not?? Photo via Facebook user @ The White Horse Inn Places to Eat: If you’re in town for breakfast, head over to the Sundance Grill for a great homemade breakfast complete with a gigantic stack of pancakes and sunny-side up eggs. The Pickel Barrel is also a popular “hipster-ish” spot, as it is complete with a fast food restaurant, grocery store and Ice cream shop. Photo via Facebook User @ The Pickle Barrel Marysville What to do: This small town has a few cute options for visitors to enjoy. Stop by the town on Wednesday evenings to enjoy summer concerts at Marysville outdoor amphitheater. And if you're a museum lover, stop by Will’s St. Claire Automobile Museum and Marysville’s Historical Museum. Photo via Instagram user @randallperry7 Places to Eat: This town is packed with tons of yummy food spots. Head over to Four Star Grill and enjoy a wide selection pork chops, burgers, ribs and steak that won’t break your budget. Lynwood Bar also offers tons of great discount food and drink nights and all-you-can-eat nights on Friday and Saturday. Photo via Facebook user@ Sherry Yax-Doan Armada What To Do: A popular town attraction is the Armanda Bat Garden, a certified bat habitat and bat house. And during the Autumn months this town offers plenty of haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes. Blakes Ciderhouse & winery is also a year-round destination for visitors. Photo via Instagram user @starry_katie Places to Eat: Blake's Hard Cider and Co is a popular dinner destination, complete with a winery and great food options, it’s a complete winner in our book. Pizza and Paradise is another great option because of their stone oven pizzas that are loaded with THE BEST toppings. Photo via Instagram user @ blakefarms

We love exploring small towns in Michigan, but sometimes you don't want to drive four or more hours to get there. That's why we made a list of small towns that are near Detroit that are worth checking out. We've got info on what makes the town so fun, plus a place for you and a friend to grab a bite to eat or down a cold brew.

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Lexington What to do: This small town has the cutest downtown area with a vintage flare. Head over to the general store and stock up on tons of candies or head over to the old fashioned fudge shoppe. The Lexington Village Theatre also has a wide selection of concert and theatre performances for your enjoyment. Photo via Instagram user @elena_in_america

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Places to eat: A hugely popular spot in this town is Wimpy’s Hamburgers. Enjoy a variety of burgers, sliders fries and more at a price that won’t break your budget. If burgers aren’t exactly your thing, head over to Steis’s Village Inn and enjoy a huge variety of American Classics. We recommend their insta-worthy pizza.
Photo via Facebook user @ Steis’s

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Adrian
What to do: This cute college town offers a lot of fun attractions for any age. First stop by the The Book Abbey Art Gallery and enjoy the town's extensive collection of local artwork from 55 Adrian Artists. After, spend your last few hours bike riding on the gorgeous trails of Trestle Park.
Photo Via Instagram User @lishbug69

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Places to eat: Adrian’s downtown has plenty of food option no matter what you’re in the mood for. A popular dining destination is Mandy’s Uptown Bar and Grill which serves up classic American Cuisine. Other popular places include Lotus Place Chinese and The Pizza Bucket. And for dessert top off your meal with a waffle cone from local favorite, Frosty Boy Ice cream.
Photo via Facebook user @Frosty boy of Adrian

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Metamora
What to do: Sandwiched between Oxford and Lapeer, this place has plenty of nostalgic attractions. Visit the historic Old Town Hall or the Sutherland Nature Preserve and take super cute photos. And stop by the downtown shops and scope out a cute vintage knick knack, because, why not??
Photo via Facebook user @ The White Horse Inn

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Places to Eat: If you’re in town for breakfast, head over to the Sundance Grill for a great homemade breakfast complete with a gigantic stack of pancakes and sunny-side up eggs. The Pickel Barrel is also a popular “hipster-ish” spot, as it is complete with a fast food restaurant, grocery store and Ice cream shop.
Photo via Facebook User @ The Pickle Barrel

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Marysville
What to do: This small town has a few cute options for visitors to enjoy. Stop by the town on Wednesday evenings to enjoy summer concerts at Marysville outdoor amphitheater. And if you're a museum lover, stop by Will’s St. Claire Automobile Museum and Marysville’s Historical Museum.
Photo via Instagram user @randallperry7

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Places to Eat: This town is packed with tons of yummy food spots. Head over to Four Star Grill and enjoy a wide selection pork chops, burgers, ribs and steak that won’t break your budget. Lynwood Bar also offers tons of great discount food and drink nights and all-you-can-eat nights on Friday and Saturday.
Photo via Facebook user@ Sherry Yax-Doan

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Armada
What To Do: A popular town attraction is the Armanda Bat Garden, a certified bat habitat and bat house. And during the Autumn months this town offers plenty of haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes. Blakes Ciderhouse & winery is also a year-round destination for visitors.
Photo via Instagram user @starry_katie

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Places to Eat: Blake's Hard Cider and Co is a popular dinner destination, complete with a winery and great food options, it’s a complete winner in our book. Pizza and Paradise is another great option because of their stone oven pizzas that are loaded with THE BEST toppings.
Photo via Instagram user @ blakefarms

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Pleasant Ridge
What to do: This city is known for its historic homes and active citizens. Go for a bike ride through the tree lined streets and marvel at the beautiful homes. You can also go north across the highway to visit the Detroit Zoo.
Photo via Google Street View

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Places to eat: Pleasant Ridge may not have the biggest downtown area, but it sure does have some of the best places to eat. Whistle Stop Diner is an intimate place to grab some buttermilk pancakes or a signature sandwich. The Cork Wine Pub is also another spot to stop at with some of your friends. Their offering of small plates and a slew of wine makes this the perfect place to end the night.
Photo via IG user @ejens3n

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Richmond
What to do: Richmond is the definition of a small town. Located just north of New Haven, Richmond has everything necessary in order to give it a small town feel. Its main street is lined with small stores and shops for your everyday shopping needs. There are also community events throughout the year, so make sure to look at their calendar.
Photo via Four Square user Thomas B.

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Places to eat: As for places to eat in this small town, we recommend Tivoli Pizzeria. This small pizza joint serves up big slices of pizza pie, cheesy breadsticks, salad and oven baked subs. After, visit the local Dairy Queen for dessert. You can never go wrong with a large banana split or peanut butter cup blizzard.
Photo via Tivoli's Pizza Facebook page

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Milford
What to do: Milford is the place to go if you love to shop and eat. The main street of this small town is lined never ending boutiques and small shops. The LaFontaine Family Amphitheater hosts a summer concert series with live music on selected nights and is right next to the main street.
Photo via IG user @ajezajez

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Places to eat: You can’t go wrong with any restaurant here, and there are plenty to choose from. Smoke Street is a great place to go for some southern BBQ and bourbon. If you are looking for something quick, stop at The Burger Joint for fast-food burgers, fries and malts. You can step next door to the Sweet Retreats Chocolate Shoppe for delicious chocolate and dessert to top off your meal.
Photo via IG user @juliemaser

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Wyandotte
What to do: This may be a small town, but there is plenty to do. You can sit by the riverfront and watch the boats go by. There are stores that line the main street downtown that offer something for everyone, from small boutiques to create your own pottery, painting and vintage stores. They even a farmer’s market every Thursday and an outdoor movie series that shows films throughout the summer.
Photo via Downtown Wyandotte Facebook page

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Places to eat: This town is the place to go for some good grub. Visit Angelina’s Mexican Restaurant for Mexican eats or Gregorio’s Italian Restaurant if you are feeling like eating a load of lasagna. The newest place to eat is Whiskeys on the Water, which offers an American style menu with second floor views of the downtown strip. After dinner, visit Sander’s ice cream for a hot fudge sundae. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Photo via Whiskeys on the Water Facebook page

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Algonac
What to do: Algonac is situated on the north shore on the Saint Clair River. If you have a boat, this is the perfect small town to visit. Dock your boat at the Algonac Harbour Club and enjoy all of the amenities that this town has to offer including unique shops, a boardwalk that lines the river and a state park just north of town.
Photo via IG user @michiganacbs

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Places to eat: Catch 22 Bistro is the place to visit in this town. Just across the street from the Algonac Harbour Club, this family oriented restaurant has a variety of offerings from seafood to steak, sandwiches and pasta. If you are looking for something lighter, grab a drink at the Harbour Club Bar and Grille. Sit on their outdoor patio and enjoy a cocktail while listening to one of their live bands.
Photo via Google Street View

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