6 Extraordinary Michigan Attractions That Are Often Overlooked!

It’s no secret that Michigan is home to amazing destinations and tourist attractions. From the mesmerizing wonders of nature up to magnificent man-made architecture, Michigan has it all.

We already covered lots of family friendly Michigan attractions and destinations at this blog. Some of them are so popular not only with the locals but even in international grounds. But did you know that there are lots of extra-ordinary Michigan places that don’t get that much attention? Some of them are listed down below.

American Museum of Magic – Marshall, Michigan

This is the largest magic museum in the United States of America. It’s the home to more than half a million pieces of magic memorabilia. The museum was founded in 1978 and it resides in an old Victorian structure (formerly a saloon, clothing store and billiard house establishment) in Calhoun County.

The museum holds more than 10,000 books, 24000 magazines, 46000 photos and letters about magic and magicians. One of the most popular items that this museum has is the escape apparatus used by Harry Houdini in his famous Milk Can Escape trick.

So close to Houdini. Before leaving Kalamazoo I had the gift to visit the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan. A place full filled of history and props owned by the legends of magic. Here is me, staring at one of Houdini’s milk can , the escape himself described as his most sensational death defying act, before bringing on stage The Water Torture Cell. @houdiniwild #americanmuseumofmagic #houdini #Houdiniexpert #escapology #magic #theescapologist #ANDREWBASSO

A post shared by The illusionists Andrew Basso (@andrewbassoofficial) on Oct 9, 2015 at 8:24am PDT

Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum – Farmington Hills, Michigan

This establishment or destination has an astounding collection of coin-operated games and automata. It houses vintage arcade games, automata, model airplanes, vintage fans, and other old items and objects that are suited to the establishment’s theme.  One of the most popular and strangest items that you can find in this museum is the Dr. Ralph Bingenpurge “Country Food Inspector”. It’s an automaton built to continuously vomit onto a pile of old bottles for no reason.

Today only, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is closed, in remembrance of its founder, Marvin Yagoda, who died just a few days ago at the age of 78. I visited yesterday for the first time, and it was the best. Full of old, working novelty machines and arcade games and “stuff”, it’s sensory overload to the max. I stayed for a couple of hours taking some pictures and playing some games and having a snack, and spent a total of six dollars. Don’t take your kids here, though…I want this place to myself forever ? (JK) #metrodetroit #marvinsmarvelousmechanicalmuseum #arcade #kidfriendly #novelty #antique

A post shared by AJ (@solegleaux) on Jan 12, 2017 at 7:42am PST

Earl Young Gnome Houses – Charlevoix, Michigan

If you are a fan of the movie “The Lord of the Rings”, you will surely appreciate this unique and one of a kind Michigan attraction. Residents of Park Avenue in Charlevoix Michigan are truly proud of the amazing houses built by Architect Earl Young. The houses are called Gnome Houses because they resemble the Hobbit Houses seen at The Lord of the Rings movies. The homes’ rooftops and walls are made from fieldstone, redstone, limestone, quarry stone and boulders. They are simply amazing and truly mesmerizing to look at.

My mom critiques architecture with one of two sayings; “oh wow that’s cool” or “I don’t care for that one”. She’s been sending me pics of Earl Young homes from Charlevoix, Michigan all morning. The man’s credited with 52 homes in northern Michigan without being a registered architect. #earlyoung #earlyounghouse #puremichigan #dropout

A post shared by Jeremy Sportel – Chicago (@00jspo) on May 23, 2016 at 11:09am PDT

#charlevoix #earlyounghouse #michigan

A post shared by Shalom Tova Korn Medwed (@shalomphoto1) on May 30, 2016 at 4:24am PDT

The Bottle House – Kaleva, Michigan

In Kaleva, Michigan, there’s one house that stands out from the rest – the John J. Makinen Sr. Bottle House.  As the owner of Northwestern Bottling Works, John has limitless access to used glass bottles. He took advantage of it and built his dream home using some bricks, woods and more than 60,000 glass soda pop bottles.

#Kaleva #BottleHouse #Museum #PureMichigan @PureMichigan #weirdandlovingit

A post shared by Weird Review John Collins (@weirdreview) on Oct 8, 2014 at 12:15pm PDT

#Kaleva #BottleHouse #Museum #PureMichigan @PureMichigan #weirdandlovingit

A post shared by Weird Review John Collins (@weirdreview) on Oct 8, 2014 at 12:16pm PDT

Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Robot fans and die-hard followers of robotics will surely love this place. This establishment has robotic kits that can help anyone build their very own robot or even an army of bots! It’s a place to be for all soon-to-be scientists and alike. Kids will surely love this place too!

For all your robot needs.

A post shared by Francisco Arranz (@panchoscantina) on Apr 13, 2014 at 3:29pm PDT

A post shared by Jimi R (@jimirules) on Oct 17, 2016 at 7:44pm PDT

The Brain Biodiversity Bank – Lansing, Michigan

The brain collection of Michigan State University has literally lots of brains (35 years worth of brain collection) than you can imagine. It houses over 275 mammalian brains, sectioned and categorized to emphasize its different regions.  There are exotic animal brains in display and some familiar ones. There are brains of African bush elephants, flying lemurs, dolphins and humans!

Featured Image Credits: Battle Creek CVB