a whole week in Flint?...I'll say a prayer for you...

Oh No! Yes, I am driving to Flint on Sunday afternoon (about a 6 hour drive) and driving home on Friday. Sounds like it could be a boring week.

Here are a couple websites with attractions for the city:

http://www.flint.worldweb.com/SightsAttractions/

http://www.michigan.org/things-to-do/attractions/default.aspx?city=G3045

Not vouching for anything here, as I've never been to Flint (nor do I expect to go there in future, given what I've heard about the city). Also not sure if any of these attractions have evening hours, though I'd bet not.

Glad to hear you are coming this way. Flint is my hometown and I now have the honor of serving as Mayor. Your post came up on one of my google alerts so I thought I would share a few of my favorites. Sure we have more than our fair share of problems, mostly with folks involved in gangs and drugs like any city. But I think you will have a good time and come away thinking that there is much more here than the media often credits.

You will definitely want to visit the Flint Cultural Center area near downtown, especially the Flint Institute of Arts which is open until 9pm on Thursdays: http://www.flintarts.org/ It's a gem for a community our size. Current special exhibits feature everything from Rembrandt to abstract expressionism.

My favorite place for dinner near your hotel is Redwood Steakhouse and Grill. Food and ambience are excellent for modest price. http://theredwoodlodge.com/ And its a micro-brewery with a nice wine selection too.

Another place to try not too far from where you will be is Da Edoardo's in Grand Blanc. Zagat-rated, about the best Italian food anywhere. http://www.daedoardo.com/Grand_Blanc.html

Few other local traditions to try while you are here: Michigan's best burgers at Halo Burger, best coney dogs at Tom Z's Original, and the historic arches and brick streets in downtown Flint near the University of Michigan-Flint campus.

Hope you enjoy. And email me for any other info, mayor@cityofflint.com or @MayorWalling

NOW THERE is a public servant. Great job.

Try that when you visit NYC....

mlm59... I would ask for a small parade and a key to the city...

Mayor Walling, that is some excellent PR. Now I want to go!

After having just read some very bad PR about Flint it was refreshing to have the mayor of a large city take the time to help a visitor. Gives me a new perspective of Flint.

I would also suggest going north up I-75 about 25-30 minutes to Birch Run and Frankenmuth. Birch Run has a big outlet mall with a few chain restaurants. Frankenmuth is a small Germany town with 2 restaurants famous for their chicken dinners and the worlds largest Christmas store. It is a walkable downtown so it is nice to just wonder around after dinner.

That is a great idea. We have only gone through Michigan one time, but did stop in Frankenmuth--it is "somewhat" kitsch but with going out of big weekend stuff, you can maybe find good delis and other great food.
You know, EVERY town has its "good" sides--find them.
Flint has suffered from the "times". We can hope for ALL of us that they will recover.

Wow!! I am so impressed to hear from the mayor, as well as the others who replied.

What an ambassador you are Mr/Ms Mayor for your city. You have truly made a great impression.

I will google the suggestions you have made for dining and places to visit. I look forward to visiting the Flint Institute of Arts on Thursday evening. Any suggestions for parking and dining in that area?

I have read a bit about Frankenmuth and that is definitely a possibility for one evening. Since the days are very long, I hope to get there and look around bit, have dinner, and get back to my hotel before dark.

Thanks again to all of you who have been so helpful. I have been a bit concerned about spending the week in Flint alone, but I definitely feel better today after reading your replies.

I will start looking into all of the suggestions you have given me.

Glad to see we have a good conversation going here. Of course I am biased towards Flint, but Frankenmuth is a treat if you haven't been there before. It is Michigan's largest tourist destination. Zehnders and Bavarian Inn serve the classic German meals. My new favorite there is Frankenmuth Brewery. Over 150 years old (through many owners), wonderful menu of food and amazing German-style beers. It is up the hill a few blocks as you come into town from the south and pass the main few blocks of stores.

For a few more Flint details, parking at the art institute is free and right on site so you can pull in. Yes, not surprisingly, Flint is very car friendly.

Afterwards for dinner, just head west on Kearsley Street through the UM-Flint campus and into downtown. Free evening parking in the large lot you will see on your left. Then a few nice dinner choices: 501 Bar and Grill (tapas-type menu and cocktail bar); Blackstones (Irish and American pub and sports bar); and also Cork on Saginaw (wine bar with inspired contemporary American cuisine). All three of these are within 1-2 blocks of the parking lot, all on South Saginaw Street.

I hope you enjoy and I hope some others who follow this will come through at some point.

Since the mayor has been so helpful and upbeat, I can't bring myself to tell the joke about Flint.

So..

Bill tells Fred that he, Bill, won first prize in a contest.
Fred said, "what'd you win?"
Bill, says, "a week in Buffalo".
Fred says, "what was 2nd prize?"
Bill say, "two weeks in Buffalo"

hey tomboy... I live in Buffalo... not funny

my favorite joke...

Bill tells Fred that his best friend is tomboy...

Fred says, I'm sorry...

Actually, the joke would be more appropriate nowadays if Detroit (my ex-hometown) were the brunt of the joke. I read today that in 1950 it was the wealthies per capita large city in the country....now it's the second poorest.