123-Year-Old Wolverine Gardens near Buchanan Might be the Best Dive Bar in Michigan
You could easily be mistaken for driving past Wolverine Gardens in the southwest Michigan hamlet of Glendora, near Buchanan, and thinking it's abandoned. I grew up in the county and knew the building and that's exactly what I thought.
Turns out, it's not only an active bar but one of the oldest in the state having been established in 1898.
Wolverine Gardens is at 12891 Cleveland Avenue at the corner of Glendora Road. The bar's hours are 2-9pm Tuesday-Saturday.
We get clued in to the existence of Wolverine Gardens thanks to a posting on the Abandoned, Old and Interesting Places in Michigan Facebook group.
Yelp users had great advice and experience to give on the place. Here are two:
Drove past this place a few times over the past 15 years, thought it was just an abandoned building, Surprise, still a functioning bar with Bob the bartender. Once you get past the run down look, the drinks are cheap and the service is good and we ran into a nice crowd who was on a dive bar tour. Small TV so not a place to watch a game, but certainly worth the experience and the story you can tell others. Not many bars around open since 1898.
Best dive bar ever!!! Yes ... the place is actually standing. It's a local watering hole where bartenders and patrons are friendly. They used to have Drewrys on draught but now only have Busch Light although ... I recommend anything in long necks. Unbelievable! Off color and politically incorrect signs, silly sayings and layers of dust on everything. Wolvrine Gardens ... that's how it's spelled on the sign. If you truly like 'dives' this place is legit as it gets!
Google users give Wolverine Gardens almost universal 5-star reviews. So take the bike out for a ride and try a spot that will give you all the bona fides for drinking in Michigan.
Wolverine Gardens is known a little wider than the crossroads in Glendora. The bar was featured by the Chicago Tribune in 2004.
And bonus, it's not too, too far away from the actual oldest bar in Michigan, the Old Tavern Inn north of Niles. The 1835-established tavern is known for thier fluffed ham sandwiches.
And because you can't live on beer alone, check out these best burger joints in the state: