Abandoned Buildings Found During a Michigan Backroads Roadtrip

Awhile ago I took a jaunt through Gratiot & Midland counties on the back roads exclusively.

What's the sense of doing a Michigan roadtrip if you just stay on the main highways? That's no fun at all. When you travel the back roads, side roads and dirt roads, you come across more interesting things...things that remain hidden from the highway traveler.

The main thing you come across when you drive down the less-traveled roads in the northern Michigan counties, are the abandoned buildings. Also, many of the crossroads and intersections you come across out in the middle of nowhere frequently turn up to be former downtowns of defunct Michigan towns & villages! Next time you come across one, write down the street names and then Google 'em when you get home and see what might turn up.

Take a look at the pictures below and you'll see a few of the old buildings I saw while cruisin' the back roads of Gratiot & Midland Counties.

While it can take too long to stop at EVERY old building you come across, you can do what I did: when I came across an old interesting building, I jotted down the street it was on or near, then looked it up on Google Maps when I got home and got the picture (but as you'll see in the gallery above, I did get out and pose with one of the old buildings).

Michigan has so much untapped things to see by so many of us...get out and explore our state!