Rochester Travel Guide

Arts and Apples is a late summer event that combines the oncoming apple cider season with artists from across the nation and sometimes Canada or South America. The city park is transformed into an artists' market. Musicians and street performers give impromptu shows along the way.

Along Main Street there are several pubs good enough to turn into a Crawl. Starting at the south-end of town there is Main Street Billiards. A few blocks north and on the same side of the street is Mr. B's- a Rochester tradition! A little farther north is The Paint Creek Tavern which is a local/townie mainstay. Peppered along the way and off the main drag are The Rochester Brew Company- a micro-brewery and Loui's ( a diner with booze.)

Dress Code: Everything here is casual. Several other upscale restaurants like Bistro 227, Kraus and Muer's, Andiamo's, and the Rochester Chop House still have a casual feel to them but aren't big on revelers.

The Village of Rochester Hills offers the opportunity to create a special, community-based gathering place. As the first true lifestyle center in Michigan, The Village of Rochester Hills will showcase a mosaic of prestigious, upscale local and national retailers and dining establishments. It will cater to the demanding tastes of an affluent marketplace and be a destination for consumers throughout southeast Michigan.

The Village of Rochester Hills is located in the heart of northeast Oakland County, one of the wealthiest counties in the nation. Situated just east of I-75, the state's main north/south thoroughfare, The Village of Rochester Hills is easily accessible to both area and visiting shoppers.

The upscale demographics of this trading area has led the developer to create a mosaic of lifestyle retailers, anchored by a 120,000-square-foot Parisian department store, only the second in Michigan, and a 55,000-square-foot Farmer Jack Food Emporium.

Consider this:494,000 people live within a 10-minute drive from the center.
In this same area, more than 17,000 new homes have been constructed
in the last four years.

An average household income within this same radius of $103,457, with the DSTM trade area potential of $702,896,000.

An average of 78,000 vehicles per day pass through the intersection of Walton Boulevard and Adams Road.

Over 550 homes-each starting at $1 million-being constructed within three miles of The Village of Rochester Hills.

A dynamic business and university population in close proximity to the center. Among the highlights: Oakland University-a traditional university offering bachelor's and master's programs to over 15,000 full-time students, is located directly across the street from The Village of Rochester Hills. Additionally, the 2.5 million square-foot world headquarters complex for the Daimler Chrysler Corporation, which employs 60,000 people, is located within two miles of the center.

What to buy: Stores such as Parisian, Abacrombie & Fitch, Black and White, Eddie Baeur, Eddie Bauer Home, J.Crew, Pottery Barn, Moosejaw, Orvis, Limited, Ann Taylor, Williams-Sonoma, and of course Victoria Secrets are among a few of the various places to shop. Select retaurants have also found their way to The Village such as Kruse & Muer, Max & Erma's, Gourmet Garden,

What to pay: You would think that due to the location the prices would be inflated but they have remained the same as other locations.

Noticed my dogs were nipping at the air one day and so sprayed around my deck. A few days later, while mowing the back forty, I came across a rather large bee hive growing on the underside of a shrub.

For those who have long sought the elusive gigantuous Muffler Men statues, one can be found in nearby New Baltimore. Head west on 23 Mile Road out of Rochester for about ten miles and there stands a Muffler Man that looks oddly like pro-golfer Greg Norman. Check out the history of the M-Men and Women at http://roadsideamerica.com/muffler/index.html

Paint Creek Trail grew out of the abandoned railroad tracks that once connected some of the auto industry's major production plants. In recent years it has been plowed and the tracks removed to provide a walking/hiking/biking trail between downtown Rochester and Lake Orion which is roughly twelve miles north.

Equipment: All types of bikes are used along the trail. A good pair of walking shoes or hiking boots for those who wish to hoof it would be appropriate. Motorized vehicles are not allowed. There are no 'stops' along the way, although about midway there is a restaurant on Orion Road that hikers and bikers can access by leaving the trail. Bring water bottles. The trail ends in a narrow footpath that comes out near a service plaza in Lake Orion.