Day Trip Saline: Dine at Dan's Tavern, Sip Wine at the Spotted Dog, and Stop by the Celtic Festival

Saline is a tight-knit community located about 40 miles west of Dearborn. Nestled just south of the bustling city of Ann Arbor, Dearborn residents can take I-94 west and exit at Michigan Avenue to get there.

Saline is known throughout the country as a great place to live and for some of the best schools in the nation.

And for visitors, historic downtown Saline at Michigan Avenue is bustling with independently-owned restaurants, cafés, boutiques and salons.

Perhaps the most famous Saline Party is the annual Celtic Festival, held July 13-14. Born out of Saline’s sister-city relationship with Brecon, Wales, the Celtic Festival features bagpipers, the Highland games, Celtic music and dancing, a 5K run, and much more at .

And while you're in town enjoying some Celtic culture, here's what else to check out.

Dining

For a town of 9,000 people, Saline offers fairly eclectic and internationally-flavored variety of dining options.

On the main corner, in the beautifully restored Murphy’s Crossing, specializes in traditional food from Canada’s east coast. Across the street is an English-style pub and grill, offering burgers, steak and sandwiches. Next-door is Saline’s newest kid on the block, , a family-owned restaurant offering traditional Italian-American fare. On the north side of Michigan Avenue, the recently expanded is known as Saline’s “working man’s bar,” and is known for its burgers and happy hours.

If you’re in town in the morning, the Downtown Diner, Mark’s Coney Island, the Saline Inn and City Limits Diner and Pancake House are good spots for breakfast. Saline also has a couple Chinese food offerings in Joyful House.  Biwako Sushi is Saline’s only sushi bar.

The east-side plazas offer restaurants like Mancino’s, Ruby Tuesday and Gabriel’s Hoagies. East of town, near State Street, there are more dining options, including Mi Zarape Mexican restaurant, Leo’s Coney Island and Wings Pizza-N-Things.

Always percolating, Saline has also become known for its independent coffee shops, including Brewed Awakenings, My Favorite cafe, and the Drowsy Parrot.

Shopping

Historic Downtown Saline offers more than restaurants. Some of Saline's most well-known retailers draw customers from all over the region.

and are Saline’s signature downtown businesses. Cobblestone Rose offers hard-to-find and one-of-a-kind home décor items in a peaceful, relaxing environment. Pineapple House, located at Saline’s main intersection, also sells home and garden décor in an enchanting environment.

Another downtown gem is the , which is home base for the whose wine can be found all over Michigan.

Saline is also becoming a destination for antique and thrift shoppers. Resale Boutique and Reincarnations are two of Saline’s downtown consignment stores.

Another popular Saline-are retail store is . With a playspace and learning center, My Urban Toddler is more than a place to buy clothes and gifts for children and young families.

Parties

Saline knows how to throw a party. If you're going to miss the Celtic Fest, here are some other upcoming events to check out.

Saline Summerfest, held Aug. 10-11, 2012, is Saline’s summer homecoming party. It features hours and hours of live music and dancing, the Saline Street Machines car show, casino games, a trolley tour, and more.

Oktoberfest and Harvest of the Arts takes place Sept. 28-29. The Oktoberfest party celebrates Saline’s sister city relationship with Lindenberg, Germany featuring a bier garden, quilt show, music, dancing, kids activities and more. Harvest of the Arts is Saline’s art fair, featuring the work of local artists and creative people from throughout southeast Michigan.

Saline’s newest festival is Winterfest. The 2013 Winterfest takes place Jan. 26.  Past events have featured ice-skating, sled dog demos, a euchre tournament, ice carving, a 5K run, kids activities and more. Winterfest is also where Salinians compete in the Snowman Building Championship of the Free World. Saline won the championship in 2011 and still holds the title, as 2012 didn’t bring enough snow for competition.

Each Thursday in the summer, the Saline Summer Music Series presents a free concert in downtown Saline.

At Play

Saline loves to play. You can golf, at courses like , or

is a great place for picnics, with open fields, natural settings and a giant playscape for kids. Across Michigane Avenue, features nature trails through wooded areas, dedicated nature interpretive areas, an observation deck over the Saline river and more.

Culture

Saline’s culture mixes a little bit of Ann Arbor’s college town hipness with Saline’s old farm town Americana

is the heart of Saline’s cultural scene. Two Twelve Arts Center is one part gallery, one part community center, and one part classroom.

, a converted church, has become home to weddings, banquets, and, in the wintertime, is home to a music series and monthly art shows.

Saline is also well known for its student fiddling groups. The Saline Fiddlers and Fiddlers ReStrung have played their brand of bluegrass, folk and Celtic fiddle music all over the country.

The Saline Big Band and Saline New Horizons Band are also two bands that play events all over the region, while given adults the opportunity to continue their music pursuits.

Agriculutral Heritage

A small village in the middle of a farming community, Saline survived and then thrived because of the railroad. Even today, some of the subdivisions are still freshly carved out of corn and bean fields.

Saline pays homage to its agricultural history with two historical museums. The Rentschler Farm Museum, open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from May to December, allows guests to see what life on the farm was like in the 1930s. Guests can tour the home, visit the farm animals, look at farm equipment and check out the crops in the garden. The Depot Museum is located in the town’s former railroad depot, is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays all year long. Visitors can see a station agent’s room, a furnished caboose and a freight room.

Up the road, the Washtenaw County Farm Grounds is home to events every week, from rodeos, 4-H fairs and the Saline Community Fair, to antique shows and gun shows.

And if you just want to get away from it all, aim your car south or west until you see a dirt road, and then keep driving.

For more information about Saline visit these sites:

• Saline Chamber of Commerce
• Saline Main Street
• Saline Downtown Merchants Association
• Saline Historical Society
• City of Saline
• Be Saline
• Saline Area Schools
• Two Twelve Arts Center