A Trail On Michigan's Breathtaking 'Thumb Coast' Is The Ultimate Antiquing Destination

If you're even a little bit familiar with Michigan, you'll know its lower peninsula resembles the shape of a mitten (hold out your left hand and you'll see it), with a thumb-shaped peninsula sticking off its southeastern edge. What you might not know is that the "Thumb Coast" is a particularly good place to experience a favorite Michigan pastime: antiquing. Forget the musty, overcrowded booths of a flea market (although there are some of those too); the antique malls along the shores of this Thumb offer everything from mint condition baseball cards to model trains, all while traveling along in a scenic beauty that will make you feel like you're on a vintage railroad ride.

From Detroit to Bay City, the region boasts cute Midwestern coastal towns with 19th century downtowns, where dealers have spent decades collecting popular culture and design items that they're pretty sure someone will appreciate — maybe it's you. Your trash-to-treasure hunt will move you from the carpometacarpal joint (that's the base of the thumb) to the distal phalanx (that's the tip of the thumb) — or, if you prefer, south to north — on this trail of vintage finds.

Starting on the fancy side of antiquing, visit DuMouchelles at 409 East Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit for a chance to acquire fine art and vintage collectables at auction, or to put your most valuable item up for bidding. A more down-to-earth antique shop, voted "Best Of" for antiques by readers of Hour Detroit Magazine, Odd Fellows Antiques is a collection of 50 trusted dealers in an historic hall at 3248 12 Mile Road in Berkley, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Professional antique hunters from the Treasure Hunters blog say its selection of furniture and art, from rustic to mid-century modern, is "an interior designer's dream."

Heading up the coast of Lake St. Clair, which separates Michigan from Ontario, Canada, stop at the Detroit suburb St. Clair Shores to visit Pat's Garage at 22275 Harbor Ave, a unique shopping scene that is an antique lover's dream. Continuing up the Thumb to the northern shore of Lake St. Clair, you can find vintage furniture from Victorian times to the "Mad Men" era at Attic Finds and the adjacent Attic Finds Marketplace on 8832 Dixie Highway.

North of the lake along the St. Clair River, stop in Marine City, where the Discover the Blue antique trail guide lists a handful of small locations to add to your hunt. Old Times N Such, Rantiques MC, Back Porch Antiques, and M29 Outpost are all clustered along Broadway Street. Marysville has its own collectable cluster along Gratiot Boulevard, with Blue Water Coins, Marysville Blast from the Past, and Trezure Hunt.

From the southern shore of Lake Huron, across the entire coast of the Thumb, antique shops, flea markets, and vintage malls are littered along M-25/Lakeshore Road, which snuggles up to the water on Michigan's eastern coast. Stops along the trail in Port Huron (Relic Vendor Market, Storehouse, and Everything Classic), Fort Gratiot, Lakeport, Croswell, and Lexington (Trash to Treasures, Past Relic, and Gatherings) offer chances to find that one-in-a-million item your grandmother used to own, or the final Victorian armchair to complete your eclectic living room.

After you've crested Michigan's thumb by visiting 146 Thrift in Harbor Beach and Port Hope Antiques in Port Hope, wrap up your Thumb Coast tour in Bay City, The antique lovers' beach town is home to one of TripAdvisor's traveler favorites: Bay Antique Center (1010 N. Water Street) scores a 4.5 on TripAdvisor, with over 50 reviews from satisfied customers. The historic red brick building, which was originally home to the Campbell House Hotel, hosts three floors (including a basement) and more than 400 booths in a monumental 60,000 square feet of antiques and collectibles that will leave you spoiled for choice. It's located at 1020 N. Water Street, where you can easily find free street parking, and is open seven days a week.