The Traveler's Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum.....gone but not forgotten.

Weren't they supposed to re-open in a new location?  Their webpage said “Our new concept will have a more limited menu, but most of our favorites! Designed for easier take-out and delivery.”  They closed in 2012 and were going to re-open in 2013. But Nope. Not Yet.

This little brick restaurant, formerly located on the northwest corner of Hamilton and Okemos Roads, was one of my favorite places to eat. The “Latin, Asian, & Middle Eastern dishes” were my favorite ones to try...especially the Szechuan dishes. Yeah, they had all the usual sandwich, burger, and breakfast stuff, but what made them stand out was the diverse menu – something to please just about everybody.

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It made its debut in 1982 and was instantly the only restaurant in the entire world that had a tuba museum.

The Tuba Museum sub-title was a novelty – just tubas used for wall decoration and atmosphere -  but I didn't really pay attention to that...I went for the food.

Forget about it re-opening on the same corner – that classic structure was demolished in 2021. Yes, that historic brick building that was there for well over 100 years was unceremoniously torn down along with Bottoms Up Lingerie and Okemos Ace Hardware.

Why?

According to Meridian Township's Village of Okemos Project, the plan is to “transform two full blocks along the west side of Okemos Road between Clinton and Methodist Streets, with Hamilton becoming a 'focal point for street trees flanking quaint shopping and eating offerings'.”

Oh yeah, well how about bringing back one of our favorite “eating offerings”? Namely the Traveler's Club!

There are plenty of admirers and fans of the Traveler's Club & Tuba Museum still around, some hoping it will re-open, others have probably given up hope.

Send a message to any one of their pages (including Facebook) and let 'em know we're still wanting and waiting.

Traveler's Club & Tuba Museum, Okemos

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