8 Picture-Perfect Main Streets In The Northern United States
In Saratoga Springs, shoppers sip mineral water from public springs between stops along Broadway. Other streets put a waterfall, a lift bridge, or a Bavarian glockenspiel right at the end of the block. Several are lined with blocks of 19th-century stone or brick so intact that whole downtowns are protected as historic districts. Food is part of the draw, with pasties, fried chicken dinners, and lakeside cafes along the way. Each of these eight main streets gives a reason to plan a trip around it.
Broadway, Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs built its fortune on mineral water, and Broadway still shows it. Congress Park sits across from the street's grand Victorian buildings and cafes. Inside the park, visitors fill a cup at historic spring fountains and taste the naturally carbonated water that drew 19th-century tourists. Back on Broadway, the restored Adirondack Trust building and other Gilded Age facades make an evening stroll feel like a trip back in time.
Saratoga Race Course ranks among the oldest sporting venues in the country, and each summer it fills the town with racing fans. Saratoga Spa State Park adds more springs, trails, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The gardens of Yaddo, a famous artists' retreat, are open to the public.
Main Street, Middlebury, Vermont
Otter Creek tumbles over a wide waterfall right where Middlebury's Main Street crosses it, so walkers can watch the falls from the bridge between stops at bookshops and bakeries. Middlebury College's stone buildings rise on the hill above town. Just off Main on Park Street, the Henry Sheldon Museum ranks among the oldest community museums in the country.
Local breweries and cideries pour drinks made in Vermont. Just outside town, the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm breeds the state's famous horses and offers tours. In fall, the hills around town turn red and gold. The Trail Around Middlebury, a loop of footpaths through fields and woods, starts within walking distance of Main Street.
Michigan Avenue, Marshall, Michigan
The Honolulu House, an 1860 mansion built by a former US consul to Hawaii, anchors Fountain Circle at the head of Marshall's downtown. Its tropical-inspired design looks unlike anything else in Michigan. Along Michigan Avenue, 19th-century storefronts belong to one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the country for a small town, which takes in more than 800 buildings.
Schuler's Restaurant has served diners downtown since 1909. The American Museum of Magic displays props and posters from famous illusionists, and each September the town's historic home tour opens private houses to visitors. A riverwalk follows the Kalamazoo River a few blocks from downtown.
Main Street, Frankenmuth, Michigan
Two giant restaurants facing each other across Main Street have made Frankenmuth famous for family-style fried chicken dinners. The town was founded by German immigrants, and that heritage shows in the half-timbered buildings and flower boxes along the street. At the Bavarian Inn, a glockenspiel tower plays music and tells the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
A wooden covered bridge crosses the Cass River just off Main Street, and riverboat tours and horse-drawn carriage rides add to the old-world feel. Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, on the edge of town, claims to be the world's largest Christmas store. Winter is the showiest season, when lights cover the storefronts.
Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
A restored woolen mill from the 1860s anchors Cedarburg's Washington Avenue. Known as Cedar Creek Settlement, it now holds a winery, shops, and restaurants. The rest of the street is lined with 19th-century buildings of cream-colored brick and limestone. Many now house galleries, wine shops, and cafes. Antique shops fill the gaps between them.
Each June, the Strawberry Festival fills the streets with food and music. The winter festival brings ice sculptures and outdoor events downtown, and the Cedarburg Cultural Center hosts concerts and local history exhibits. Just outside town, the Cedarburg Covered Bridge is the last original covered bridge in Wisconsin.
High Street, Mineral Point, Wisconsin
In 1971, Mineral Point became the first Wisconsin city with a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. High Street is lined with the sturdy stone buildings left by Cornish lead miners who arrived in the 1830s and 1840s. Today they hold galleries, potters' studios, and shops in a town known for its arts community.
The Pendarvis state historic site preserves stone cottages the miners built, and Shake Rag Alley offers art classes and gardens. Lunch should include a Cornish pasty, a hand pie filled with meat and vegetables that miners once carried to work.
Main Street, Stillwater, Minnesota
Built in 1931, the Stillwater Lift Bridge now carries only walkers and cyclists on a scenic loop across the St. Croix River into Wisconsin. The bridge lands right downtown, where Main Street runs along the river past brick buildings from Stillwater's days as a lumber boomtown.
Stillwater calls itself the birthplace of Minnesota. Antique shops, bookstores, and riverside restaurants fill the historic downtown, and riverboat cruises leave from the dock. Lowell Park, along the riverfront, has walking paths and benches for watching boats. The caves beneath a former brewery are sometimes open for tours, and in fall the bluffs above town glow with color.
Central Avenue, Whitefish, Montana
The Great Northern Railway depot, built in 1927, still serves Amtrak passengers at the end of Whitefish's Central Avenue and houses a small museum. Western-style storefronts, galleries, and restaurants line the rest of the street, with ski slopes visible from the sidewalk.
Glacier National Park's west entrance is about a half-hour drive away, which makes Central Avenue a popular stop before and after trips into the park. Whitefish Mountain Resort draws skiers in winter, and each February the Whitefish Winter Carnival fills the street with a parade. In summer, Whitefish Lake at the edge of town offers beaches and boating, and the Whitefish Trail system winds through the forest around town.
Strolling The Northern Main Streets
Timing shapes each of these streets. Saratoga Springs peaks during the summer racing season, Middlebury and Stillwater are at their best when the fall color arrives, and Frankenmuth and Whitefish come alive in winter with holiday lights and the Winter Carnival. Marshall's September home tour and Cedarburg's June Strawberry Festival give their historic districts a busy weekend of their own. Mineral Point's galleries and studios suit a quieter visit outside festival weekends.
