Saline (Michigan)

Saline is a city of 8,034 people (as of 2000) in Washtenaw County, Southeast Michigan. In 1996, Money magazine named it one of the most attractive small cities in America.

Get in

Saline is just southwest of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti on MI-12 (Michigan Avenue).

Get around

See

• Bixby Marionette Exhibit. Saline District Library, 55 N Maple Saline, [phone]. Collection of handcrafted marionettes from longtime Saline resident Meredith Bixby, who traveled throughout the Midwest and South putting on over 20,000 performances for over 40 years. 
• Rentschler Farm, 1265 E Michigan Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Open 11AM-3PM on Saturdays, and by appointment, between mid-May to mid-October. A frame house and 11 outbuildings from 1901, used as a working farm until 1998. Tours of the farmhouse and outbuildings, live animals on the farmstead. 
• Saline Depot Museum, 402 N Ann Arbor Street, ☎ [phone]. Open 11AM-3PM on Saturdays, and by appointment. Original 1870 railroad depot, converted into a museum in 1995. 
• Weber-Blaess School, 520 Woodland Drive, ☎ [phone]. One-room schoolhouse built in 1867. Originally located in Lodi Township, it was moved to Saline in 2002, renovated, and opened in 2004 for meetings and elementary school outings. 

Do

• Take two self-guided walking tours of historic Saline. Leaflets are available at the Saline City Hall, 100 N Harris Street, [phone].
• Main Street, Saline. Free music on Summer Thursdays, 7-9 PM on Main Street and Rt 12. Free. 

Events

• Spring Fest, Saline Recreation Center, [phone]. Held the first Saturday in April. Egg scavenger hunt, lunch with the Easter Bunny, and an egg dive in the swimming pools. Admission $5 in advance, $10 at the door.
• Spring Time, ☎ [phone]. Rentschler Farm Museum. Held the first Saturday in May that the farm museum opens to the public, from 11AM to 4PM. Guided tours, petting farm, antique phonograph exhibit, basket weaving, beekeeping, spinning and weaving, gardening, blacksmithing, tractor restoration, barn repairs and children's activities. $1 admission for adults; children free. 
• Saline Celtic Festival, ☎ [phone]. Mill Pond Park. Held the second Saturday in July. Established in 1996, inspired by Saline's sister-city partnership with Brecon, Wales. Features Highland athletics (stone, hammer and caber throws), bagpipe and drum bands, music and dance performances, living history enactments, Highland cattle and sheepdog demonstrations, merchant booths, food vendors (including Welsh cakes, Irish shortbread and Michigan pasties) and children's activities. The week of the Celtic Festival is marked by golf tournaments, rugby matches, and music and dance workshops. Shuttle buses are available to the fair, with park-and-ride lots around Saline. Admission $10 in advance, $15 at the door. 
• Puppetry Arts Festival, Bixby Marionette Exhibit, [phone], . Scheduled to be held in conjunction with Oktoberfest Saturday in September 26, 2009 from 10AM-4PM. Puppet demonstrations, puppet-making workshops and puppet shows.

Buy

Eat

• Brecon Grille, 101 W Michigan Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Bar and grille featuring soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, steaks and Celtic fare. Broad selection of wines, beers and ales. Fried pickles were excellent. 
• Jasmine Thai & China Bistro, 447 E Michigan Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Family-run Thai and Chinese restaurant. Try the basil shrimp and choo chee catfish. 
• Mac's Acadian Seafood Shack, 102 E Michigan Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Open from 11:30AM-10PM Monday through Friday, 12PM-11PM on Saturday, and 4PM-8:30PM on Sunday. Emphasis on seafood (including alligator, crawfish and catfish) and Cajun cuisine, with appetizers, soups, salads, seafood, Cajun specialties, beef, chicken and pasta. $8.50 - $30. 
• My Favorite Cafe, 101 S Ann Arbor Street #107, [phone]. Coffee, tea, pastries, salads and sandwiches.
• Pasties & More, 131 E Michigan Avenue, ☎ [phone]. #A. Offers traditional beef, chicken and vegetarian Michigan-style pasties. 

Drink

• Bridgewater Bank Tavern, 8452 Boettner Road, ☎ [phone]. Pub food and sandwiches. 
• Dan's Downtown Tavern, 103 E Michigan Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Over 90 varieties of beer, and daily specials. Live music, darts, video games, and Friday-night karaoke. 
• The Drowsy Parrot, 105 N Ann Arbor Street, ☎ [phone]. Gourmet coffee drinks and fresh baked goods. 

Sleep

Bed and Breakfasts

• Homestead Bed and Breakfast, 9279 Macon Road, ☎ [phone]. 5 rooms, shared baths. An 1851 brick homestead, the oldest bed-and-breakfast in Washtenaw County, on a 50-acre farm. $80. 

Go next

• Ann Arbor is about 10 minutes north on Ann Arbor Rd.
• The other towns and villages of Washtenaw County are a short drive away.
• Detroit is about 45 minutes east on I-94.

Routes through Saline

Coldwater ← Jct N S ← Clinton ←

W  E

→ Jct N S → Ypsilanti → Detroit