Hamtramck, Michigan: Disneyland, 12087 Klinger Street and the Polish Village Cafe, 2990 Yemans Street ~ 2021

Hamtramck was established in 1798, became a village in 1901, and is surrounded by the City of Detroit on most sides. We were passing through and visited what Hamtramck calls its Disneyland. 

That is what it is called but it's really an artist created environment on two adjacent properties in a residential neighborhood. Dymtro Szylak immigrated from Ukraine, worked at GM, and after retirement he started his art project. Some of the items were made and others were purchased.  He was constantly modifying his project from the 1980s (or 90s) until his death in 2015. 

In 2016, a local organization, Hatch Art, purchased the property for $100,000.00 and have since maintained it. The two houses contain 3 rented apartments and one apartment for an artist-in-residence.

Here are some photos we took from the alley.

If you want to see the yards and take an actual tour, you'll have to arrange that ahead of time. But the alley is always available.

It reminded us more of The Heidelberg Project in Detroit than Disneyland but that is an entire neighborhood full of found objects/art and this is two back yards/garages. If you're nearby, take a drive by and be entertained.

On our way out of town, we stopped at the historic Polish Village Cafe. The building was first established as a hotel and the restaurant was opened in 1979 by Ted Wietrzykowski. It still serves up authentic Polish food in its basement bar setting.

White bread in individual plastic bags 😊

Great food, service, and old school ambience 😊

The Legs Inn, 6425 N. Lake Shore Drive, Cross Village MI 49723

Built in the 1930s by Stanley Smolak, a Polish immigrant, Legs Inn is now a historic landmark in Michigan. Stanley liked the Cross Village area because it reminded him of Poland. The name of the inn comes from the iron stove legs above the roofline of the building, and it is so unique.

Stanley enlisted the help of the Odawa and other area residents to build it from locally gathered timber and stones. And then he started to carve all the things one sees inside the inn today. He continued to create his art until his death in 1968. So take a look inside 😊

And the Inn still serves decent Polish food, and Polish beer.

There is a beautiful outdoor space behind the restaurant with a patio. On a clear day, you can spot four lighthouses out in Lake Michigan.

We've been here twice and I'm sure we'll visit again. Legs Inn is open seasonally (May to October) and also has five cottage rentals on the property. There is a minimum two night stay, and no wifi, TVs, or air conditioning.

Here's a photo of the inn in the 1940s with Stanley Smolak and his son, Joe.

Legs Inn is one of many treasures that can be found in Northern Michigan but this may be the only one that has Zoltar 😀

Enjoy the food and the view at this historic place in Michigan.