Abandoned by the Lake: Garfield Lake Tavern, Olivet

This looks like it was once a pretty cool place to hang out. It reminds me of the old pavilions on the lakes where bands would play and dances were held...and that’s just what this one was, except it wasn’t ON the lake like some were, just beside it.

It was the Garfield Lake Tavern, located at 17711 Garfield Road in Olivet, right next to the lake of the same name.

As with many forgotten old Michigan places, very little seems to have been written or recorded about this place. Believed to have existed - in one way or another - as far back as the 1940s, its appearance seems a mite rustic. It was originally by the side of the road, but it burned and this one by the lake took its place during the 1960s.

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Then the recollections start coming back. Past customers recall quite a few interesting things:
Wet t-shirt contests
50-cent draft beer
Biker fights with the local farm boys
One-dollar pitchers of beer
10 cent hotdogs
Great pizza
Live bands
Dancing
Once went under the name “Pooch’s”
Was a hot spot during the 1980s for students from Olivet College.

The tavern allegedly closed permanently in 2008 and has sat empty ever since. Now it sits back from the road, all alone out in the countryside on the lake, with an eerie ambiance to all who pass by.