Plymouth, MI

Plymouth was first settled in 1825 but grew exponentially as it became a railroad hub in 1871 when the rail station was built and trains came in from four different directions. The town’s founding industries were Luther Lincoln’s Sawmill, Plymouth Flour Mill and Hendrick’s Rake Plant. In the 1920s, Henry Ford built a small plant building taps to feed the large Rouge assembly plant.

The Plymouth Historical Museum takes visitors back in time to show how the advent of the railroad and invention of the automobile changed small towns such as Plymouth. It shows what life was like more than 150 years ago in 26,000 square feet of exhibits including a museum store.

Plymouth is also a western hub for festivals in western Wayne County. The city celebrates winter with a magical Ice Festival, welcomes artists for Art in the Park and does Halloween like no one else.

Plymouth has a good mix of restaurants in its downtown core that range from fast food to elegant sit-down dining. The town is a regional hub for good food and fun as it has the ethnic varieties like Middle Eastern, Thai and Greek food that consumers crave. In Plymouth any musical entertainment is mixed with a food or drinks venue.

The Sardine Room, on Main Street across from Kellogg Park, is somewhat unlike its name. The tapas restaurant indeed has sardines on the menu, but it specializes in other delectable food as well. The cheese board provides a healthy assortment of tasty cheeses with truffle honey that can be matched with a large selection of wines or innovative cocktails that include ingredients like crème de violette and rosemary.

If you are more low key, the Plymouth Coffee Bean is a great place to relax and listen to music because there is live music every weekend, and it’s open mic night on Mondays. In addition to coffee, it has a wide selection of teas and tasty hot chocolate. The Coffee Bean is also a great stop for yummy sweet or savory crepes.

For nightlife head over to Penninman Avenue’s Sean O’Callaghans, a traditional Irish pub and venue for bands. It has a great menu of pub food, such as shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash, while not losing sight of it's Michigan address by also having sliders and mac n’ cheese on the menu. Since it is a pub, it has 21 beers on tap including drafts from Ireland as well as several microbreweries from Michigan.

After eating, some diners hit the Penn Theatre, which is a historic 402-seat single screen venue to watch movies at an incredibly cheap price. The theatre sits across from Kellogg Park and runs slightly current and classic movies. Line ups for tickets often run around the building. Movies cost $3 and the theatre relies on volunteers to operate.

There is no public transportation in Plymouth other than a service run by the township for seniors. Senior Transportation offers the elderly rides to pick up prescriptions or go to doctor appointments and get groceries. The service is available by appointment and costs $1.

The Fish of Plymouth–Canton runs Dial-A-Ride which is defined as neighbors helping neighbors. The service runs during the weekdays at no charge and reservations must be made a week ahead.

While downtown Plymouth is considered a very walkable community, there aren’t designated bike lanes. Along with the wide shoulders of the 15-mile Hines Drive that runs through Plymouth, the Dixboro-Plymouth Bike Route runs 11 miles along Ann Arbor Road and Ann Arbor Trail, and the roads have wide paved shoulders.

Taxis can be accessed by telephone reservations, although they are rarely seen looking for fares. Uber service is also not available in the area.

The main way residents get around is by car. Highway M-14 is easily accessible to the north and the town has an entrance off I-275 to the east. Downtown has a lot of parking and most of it is free with two-hour parking limitations.

For such a small town, the community has a lot of small parks. There are 12 parks and eight have playgrounds for children, while three have softball diamonds and one has a basketball court.

While Plymouth parks don’t have any obvious exercise opportunities for adults, about 5 miles of Hines Drive, a 15-mile winding road with wide shoulders favored by cyclists and runners, goes through Plymouth. There are four playgrounds, picnic tables and other amenities along the Hines Drive route.

Tonquish Creek Nature Walk has a partly paved and dirt track that runs along Evergreen and Harvey streets. Miller Woods on Powell Road has a natural dirt trail that runs through the woods.

Residents with dogs use the dog parks in neighboring towns of Northville and Canton. Bilkie Family Park is home to the Miracle League of Plymouth, which has a softball diamond especially designed to accommodate disabled children.

Kellogg Park, which used to called the Plymouth Green at Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail, is the town’s oldest park and the heart of entertainment activities. There are outdoor music concerts weekly in the summer and festivals held throughout the year around the park and its fountain.

Art in the Park is held over three days in July and features inventive artists who create pottery, photographs and environmentally-friendly products. The festival is held throughout the downtown core as it outgrew Kellogg Park.

The Ice Festival welcomes ice carvers who use chainsaws and picks to carve beautiful ice statues. Kellogg Park is full of the ice monuments over three days in January, making a frigid period during winter fun. There’s also a main stage for music to get attendees warmed up, a light show and cross-country skiing exhibit.

Halloween is another holiday where the town goes all out. Kellogg Park is full of scarecrows made by local service groups and businesses. Some are scary, some are sweet. About a week before Halloween, all downtown streets close and shops bring in magicians and street entertainers, while children and parents dress in costumes and trick or treat at local businesses. Sometimes there is even a flash mob lead by the local dance studio.

Living in a hip and historical town has its advantages and its premium price. The general cost of living is 10 percent higher than in the rest of Michigan, although it's 1 percent lower than the national average.

The town has lots of expensive historically restored homes, but also apartments and condominiums above shops downtown. Housing costs in Plymouth are generally more expensive than the rest of Michigan. The median price for a one-bedroom apartment is $795 per month, which is 5 percent higher than the rest of the state. Thirty-nine percent of abodes are rented, higher than the state and national averages.

The good news is beer and wine are cheaper. Beer is almost 3 percent less expensive than in the rest of the country, while wine is a better bargain as it is 22 percent less expensive than the national average. The cost of gas is 2 percent higher than the national average, while phone service is 3 percent lower.

The nice part about shopping in Plymouth is that small businesses have selections not seen in malls. No two shops are the same, and there are dozens to explore, including clothing and accessory stores, as well as boutiques that sell picture frames and kitchen gadgets. There is a wide selection of stores that are mostly affordable and artsy. All the shops are on Main Street and any side streets that intersect with Kellogg Park. One of Plymouth's most unique shops sits on Wing Street. Earth Lore provides its consumers with unusual gifts and spiritual supplies. Find candles, spirit dice, crystals and much more throughout the boutique. Many female residents visit frequently to scour the large jewelry collection.

The Alpine Chocolate Haus, focusing on handmade chocolates and caramel corn, is one of the two stores that focuses on sweet treats in Plymouth, while the other, Candy Trail, has bulk and packaged candies and throws holiday plays for children in the back room.

Make hand-crafted gifts at Creatopia Pottery, or buy a toy at Genuine Toy Company on Forest Avenue. The unique Hands On Leather has hand-crafted leather purses, belts and wallets while also selling name brand bags from Brighton, Ameribag and Osgoode Marley. If you like smoking cigars, La Casa de la Habana has a large selection.

The Farmer's Market is held every Saturday from May to October and features fruits and vegetables grown locally. The market accommodates early risers and is open from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm. For everyday food errands, Kroger's is located in a strip mall on Ann Arbor Road and Sheldon Road.