Home to the largest outlet shopping mall in the Midwest, Birch Run lies between Saginaw and Flint in central Michigan. It was originally established in 1852 as a station on the Pere Marquette Railroad and named after a creek that ran through a birch grove.
No visit to Birch Run is complete without a shopping spree at the Birch Run Premium Outlets, which originally opened in 1986. It’s home to more than 100 retail stores that include outlets of Old Navy, American Eagle and Under Armour, as well as an UNO Pizzeria & Grill and a Bob Evans restaurant.
Travelling with kids? They’ll love spending a day at the Wilderness Trails Zoo, which encompasses 22 hectares of natural terrain east of Birch Run. In addition to exotic animals such as lions, zebras and lemurs, there is a petting zoo, a reptile sanctuary and a children’s playground.
Getting there
Birch Run is around 20 minutes’ drive from Saginaw and 40 minutes from MBS International Airport, which has regular flights to Detroit and Chicago. The much larger Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is 1.5 hours away. Renting a car is the most convenient way of getting to Birch Run.