17 Quirky Michigan Attractions: Glacial Copper, Gizzard Fest, Big Whopping Pie Pan and Hell (Yes, it Froze Over this Year)

Can you really call yourself a Michigander if you haven’t been to Hell, or taken a course or two at Damnation University? What about the largest piece of glacier float copper in Marquette? What about a pie pan big enough to not only feed a crowd, but also hold it?

The Pure Michigan Blog, which the Michigan Economic Development Corp. uses to promote cool stuff around the Mitten, doesn’t think so.

Here’s the Pure Michigan list:

1. Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, Mackinac Island – Visitors can take a one hour and 45 minute narrated historic and scenic horse carriage tour through the island, which claims honors as the home of the world’s largest horse and buggy livery.

2. Superior Dome, Marquette – The wooden dome, billed as the world’s largest, has a retractable turf, three basketball courts, tennis courts, and volleyball courts.

3. Pine Mountain Ski Jump, Iron Mountain – Built in the early 1930′s, Pine Mountain Ski Jump, the largest man-made ski slide in the United States. It holds the  North American distance record of 459 feet on 140 meters.

4. World’s Largest Weathervane, Montague – Built by Whitehall factory employees in Montague, this functioning weathervane is 48 feet tall with an arrow 26 feet long.

5. Erebus Haunted Attraction, Pontiac – Erebus, located in Pontiac, is a four-story haunted house that was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Largest Walk-Through Haunted Attraction in 2005.

6. Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Detroit – If you like traditional jazz, great atmosphere or if you enjoy just stepping into history, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, The “World’s Oldest Jazz Club,”  is an experience you won’t want to miss.

7. Dawson & Steven’s Classic 50s Diner, Grayling – The Bottle-Cap Museum is the largest private collection of Coca-Cola related items in northern Michigan. More than 10,000 pieces of memorabilia make up the museum, housed in an authentic classic 50s diner,

8.Joe’s Gizzard City, Potterville – Joe’s is known for its ice cold beer and deep fried chicken gizzards. The restaurant also offers a large selection of burgers, burritos, sandwiches and more. Joe’s is the only Gizzard City on Earth (and proud of it) and hosts Gizzard Fest every June.

9. Grand Haven Musical Fountain, Grand Haven – The world’s largest musical fountain is synchronized display of water and lights on the harbor offered nightly beginning Memorial Day through Labor Day.

10. World’s Largest Cherry Pie Pan, near Traverse City – At the Sara Lee Bakery Group stands the world’s largest cherry pie pan, made to hold the world’s largest cherry pie at the time (from 1987-1992). The huge pie weighed 28,350 pounds and was 17 feet, 6 inches in diameter.

11. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, Farmington – If you like magic posters, neon, antiques, advertisings, ceiling fans, slot machines, memorabilia, robots, airplanes and animation, then this is the place to visit. Marvin’s boasts coin operated games from the oldest gypsy fortune-telling machines to the latest in laser hologram video games of the 1990s.

12. Hell – Visitors who enjoy fun excursions and unique destinations will find plenty to smile about when they arrive in Hell. “Sinfully delicious” is the phrase most often heard by patrons frequenting Screams Ice Cream. During your time in Hell, you can enroll in Damnation University and experience some world-class haunted effects. Hell is guaranteed to be appreciated by folks with a great sense of humor.

13. Dinosaur Gardens, Ossineke – A world renowned reproduction of over 25 prehistoric birds and dinosaurs on a 40-acre tract of land split by Devil River. Dinosaur Gardens features a brontosaurus more than 80 feet long and weighing over 60,000 pounds.

14. The Antlers: Taxidermy Restaurant, Sault Sainte Marie – The Antlers is a unique dining experience in northern Michigan. Enjoy viewing more than 200 mounted animals while waiting for your meal. Try the famous Soo Stew Canoes.

15. The Jerky Outlet, Dundee, MI – The Jerky Outlet is one of the world’s largest jerky outlets, offering beef jerky, turkey jerky, elk,venison, buffalo, alligator jerk and even kangaroo. Visitors can bag their own or pick an assortment of pre-packaged jerkies.

16. Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland: World’s Largest Christmas Store, Frankenmuth – The world’s largest Christmas store with more than 90,000 square feet of newly expanded  space. Bronner’s is bigger than 1 1/2 football fields in size and features more than 50,000 trims, gifts,and collectibles.

17. World’s Largest Piece of Float Copper, Marquette – The world’s largest piece of glacier float copper is located in Presque Isle Park. It weighs 28.2 tons and measures 14 feet by 15 feet. Marquette residents are working to assure that this copper specimen will remain in Marquette in a visible place for tourists and residents to enjoy.

What say you? What are the 18th, and the 19th, and 20th and … you get the (snow)drift … wonder of Michigan that can’t be missed? Tell us below in the comments.