Where I’m From: Memories of Genesee County

06 January 2020 - Just for Fun

A tour of my neighborhood, just ‘cause

The Huckleberry Railroad in Genesee County.

I’ve lived in Rochester Hills for close to three years, but I wasn’t raised in Metro Detroit. In this just-for-fun article, I look north and share some memories from conversations, restaurants, shops, and places to visit in and around Genesee County that were part of my life growing up.

I’m not affiliated with nor speaking on behalf of any businesses mentioned here; all views are my own.

Flint or Grand Blanc? A tale of two townships

I went to Grand Blanc Schools, but telling people what side of town I lived on often lead to a common question: “Wait, are you from Flint or Grand Blanc?” I had something of a unique situation growing up due to some municipal boundary weirdness.

According to my address I’m from Flint, but I didn’t live in the city. Socially speaking, I grew up in Grand Blanc — that’s where most of my friends are from and where I spent most of my time outside the house.

My childhood neighborhood straddles the border between two charter townships: Mundy Township and Grand Blanc Township, both of which are about four miles south of downtown Flint. I lived on the Mundy side.

My neighborhood sits on the dividing line between Mundy Township (Blue) and Grand Blanc Township (Green). The city limits are shown in yellow.

There’s no post office in Mundy Township, so building addresses are listed according to the location of the post office that serves the zip code they’re in. Zip code 48507, which covers the northeast corner of the township, is bizarrely plotted and also includes Flint’s southernmost neighborhoods and Bishop International Airport, which was partially built on land the city annexed from Mundy.

Addresses within 48507 have their mail delivered from Cody Branch, a post office within Flint city limits. All residences that fall within this zip code are, as such, listed as part of Flint, so I had a Flint address and a Flint landline despite residing outside the city. If you pick up an old phone book and flip to an entry in my neighborhood, you’ll see a lot of addresses prefixed with a “G-”. This used to signify “Greater Flint Area,” but most places have dropped it in recent years.

The Grand Blanc school district boundary was drawn to cover a portion of northern Mundy Township that Carman-Ainsworth, the next closest district, didn’t pull from. That included my house, so the result was me being assigned to the Grand Blanc school system by default despite not having a Grand Blanc address.

The orange line is zip code 48507, with Cody Branch highlighted. The dark green line is the Grand Blanc Community Schools district boundary.

Fun fact: See the small, discontinuous patch of 48507 east of my neighborhood, just north of the City of Grand Blanc? That’s the only other neighborhood with Flint addresses that’s part of Grand Blanc Schools, and it’s also where the Grand Blanc Township offices are. Yep — that means the Township office buildings and the giant water tower that says “Grand Blanc Township” on it actually have Flint addresses. Isn’t that something?

Charter Township of Grand Blanc Police Department. Address: Flint, MI 48507. (Source: Google Street View)

So, according to my address I’m from Flint, but I didn’t live in the city. Socially speaking, I grew up in Grand Blanc — that’s where most of my friends are from and where I spent most of my time outside the house.

It’s like another version of the “I’m from Detroit” thing. People from out of the area haven’t heard of Grand Blanc just like they haven’t heard of Rochester Hills, but saying “I’m from Flint” isn’t really the right thing to do if you’re not from the city neighborhoods. I usually go with “south of Flint” or just “Mid-Michigan.”

But enough about cartographic boundaries. Let’s talk about some of the great places in the community.

The neighborhood tour

I’ve compiled all of the locations below into a map. Have fun exploring the area!

Venus Family Restaurant

Venus, now called Antonio’s after an ownership change, was my local coney. All of the staff there knew me and my family by name. Like any good coney in the Flint area, they served food on paper placemats with a crossword puzzle and ads from local businesses printed on them.

Personal confession: I’m not a fan of coney dogs, I like coney islands for their breakfast specials instead. But if you want to try a Flint Style Coney, this is a great place to do it.

Venus Family Restaurant. (Source: Google Street View)

5516 Fenton Road

I’m referring to this one by address rather than name because the space is currently on its fourth restaurant. It struggles to hold tenants as it shares a parking lot with the ever-overcrowded Secretary of State Supercenter for Genesee County and is barely visible from the road. Two dollar stores, Oriental Buffet, El Potrero, and Mint Cuisine of India (later Tulsi) each only lasted for a year or two there. The Burger Bar And Tap is the current restaurant, and they’re about a year in. Here’s hoping they can buck the trend and stick around.

The space was originally a Mammoth Video, which was special to me because the staff there let locals take new release posters off their hands when they were done with them. They found a new home in my bedroom for many years.

El Potrero was fortunate enough to move into its own building down the street and is still serving up fajitas today.

El Potrero Mexican Restaurant in its new building. (Source: Google Street View)

Burger Street

A cute little triangle-shaped drive-thru burger place. They do one thing and they do it well. Best burger in town.

Burger Street Grill & Cafe. (Source: Google Street View)

Oliver T’s

This is a classy family-owned store that does a little bit of everything. Deli, bakery, sweets, a wine tasting room, and a huge selection of pop (including Vernors in glass bottles). When the Flying Cauldron “butterscotch beer” first took off because of Universal, this was the only place you could find it.

Oliver T’s exterior.

Interior of Oliver T’s with Christmas trees set up.

Canton Chinese Restaurant

Pronounced CantON, not like the Metro Detroit township, their chicken and duck sauce with hot tea was a childhood staple. The owners lost the original 1995 building to a devastating fire in 2014, but they rebuilt just before I graduated high school in 2015 and have been going strong ever since.

Around Christmas, their kitchen staff and the local Jet’s Pizza have been known to trade meals to help one another survive the busiest business time of the year.

Canton Chinese Restaurant: Cantonese and Szechuan.

Remodeled Canton interior.

Mario’s Pizzeria and the US-23 Drive-in Theater

Mario’s is the first of several Italian restaurants that will appear on this list. My favorite dish of theirs were their baked stuffed shells. Located directly across from the drive in theater (which still operates!), they’re a great place to grab dinner before showtime.

Just north of the drive in is where our local Kessel-turned-Kroger used to be. They were smaller than a typical Kroger, much to the preference of many area shoppers, but closed in 2018. Some residents wonder if the drive-in will try to purchase the space. Time will tell.

The US-23 Drive-In Theater across from Mario’s. (Source: Google Maps)

Honorable Mention: Jellybean’s (Closed)

Jellybean’s was an old-timey vinyl record store where my parents bought me some of my first books. Sadly, it burned down in 2014 after being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. Our neighborhood lost a lot of history that day.

Fortunately another Jellybean’s location lives on in Corunna, a small city about 25 miles west of Flint.

Places a little farther away

Ziggy’s and The Hot Dog Stand

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Grand Blanc grad who hasn’t gotten ice cream from Ziggy’s or tried the Hot Dog Stand’s Red Sauce. Located within walking distance of one another and Physician’s Park in downtown Grand Blanc, these were the places to be during a lazy summer vacation afternoon.

Ziggy’s Ice Cream in Grand Blanc. (Source: Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce)

The Hot Dog Stand. The stairs to the right of the photo lead to Physician’s Park. (Source: Google Street View)

NCG Trillium Cinema

Showcase West (now Flint West 14) at I-75 and Corunna in Flint Township was our go-to theater until 2006, when the state-of-the-art NCG Trillium opened in Grand Blanc Township. Its construction proved to be an interesting case study of a failed commercial development plan.

Before Trillium, the only business in the area was a grocery store called Colony Market. They ended up downsizing into a deli-only downtown Grand Blanc location and rebranding themselves as Colony Meats, leaving behind an empty commercial zone.

Trillium was built a ways back from the road, and a huge clearing of land was prepared to be developed into Trillium Circle, a bustling retail district that would become a “dinner and a movie” destination.

This never happened, and I’d imagine the 2008 crash is partially to blame. As of now, only a Buffalo Wild Wings, a Bagger Dave’s, a Froyo, and a credit union have taken up residence in Trillium Circle.

The theater isn’t struggling by any means — it’s flooded with students every summer and holiday break. I know some students who’ve walked there from the high school in a large group, and that’s nearly a mile.

All of that empty space between Holly Road and the theater was meant to be brimming with businesses. Fifteen years later, only a fraction of the land has seen any use.

Big John Steak & Onion

The iconic Big John logo, featuring John E. “Big John” Klobucar.

This is the one that everyone from the area knows. Big John was the first sub sandwich business in Flint and retains a fiercely loyal following to this day with several locations in the area. Can’t go wrong with the original.

*A Big John location on Fenton and Bristol. (Source: Google Street View)**

Donna’s Donuts

Heading northwest into Flint Township you’ll find this donut shop, home of the cinnamon twist and the baker’s dozen that would often find its way onto our kitchen counter when we had people over. Very cozy interior.

Donna’s Donuts. (Source: Google Street View)

Little Joe’s, Latina, Italia Gardens, and Pesto’s

There are a LOT of Italian restaurants in Flint and Grand Blanc, so I’m putting my favorites in one spot.

Little Joe’s is a tavern in downtown Grand Blanc that’s been a community favorite for years. Baked pastas are their strong suit, but their menu is pretty diverse. It’s a great place to meet up with friends, and it’s packed on weekends.

Little Joe’s Tavern in Grand Blanc.

Latina is a family-owned restaurant in Flint Township that had free kids meals on Wednesdays (and sometimes, a clown that would tie classic balloon animals for the kids to take home). Lasagna, ravioli, and their signature stromboli are their claims to fame.

Latina Family Restaurant. (Source: Google Street View)

Jumping west of Flint Assembly from Latina gets you to Miller Road, the area’s largest commercial strip and home of Genesee Valley Mall. Along this road you’ll find Italia Gardens tucked away between chain restaurants. They also just opened a new location in downtown Grand Blanc over the holidays. Both restaurants cook up the sweet marinara sauce the community knows and loves.

Italia Gardens in Flint Township. (Source: Google Street View)

Further west on Miller at the Flint Township boundary is Pesto’s, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that lives up to its name with great pesto.

Pesto’s in Flint Township. (Source: Google Street View)

Honorable Mention: Salvatore Scallopini (Closed)

This closed a while back. The Flint IHOP took its place, which is something I have… feelings about. Salvatore had free kids meals on Sundays and amazing homemade pistachio gelato. The founder passed away last May, but his legacy lives on at a number of Metro Detroit locations.

The former Flint location of Salvatore Scallopini. (Source: Google Street View)

Places in Flint proper

Capitol Coney Island

Hi, future Corey here: Bad news. Rest in peace, cornflake chicken :(

This shop-traffic-powered 24-hour coney right at the city line was known to little me as “The Airport Restaurant” because it’s where you go when you have an early flight out of Bishop. It’s roughly under the final approach glideslope for Runway 27, so you can get some cool pictures if you’re so inclined.

At one point, the owners of Capitol were the same people that ran a family restaurant called Shaps down in my neighborhood. Shaps opened and closed a couple of times before a new restaurant took its spot.

Capitol Coney Island. (Source: Google Street View)

Westside Diner

At one point, this diner on the west boundary of the city (hence the name) served food in little promotional paper cars. We saved a bunch of them, they make cool decorations.

Westside Diner. (Source: Google Maps user “jesse gould”)

Westside Diner interior. (Source: Google Maps user Katharine Wright)

A paper car from Westside Diner.

The Block (or The Rock)

There’s a big painted concrete block at the intersection of 12th and Hammerberg that graffiti artists have used as a community bulletin board of sorts for decades. Political statements, memorials, birthdays, local events, or just awesome works of art have shown up here.

A special 150th birthday celebration painted back in 2005. (Source: MLive)

The IMA Sports Arena

Later known as Perani Arena and now the Dort Federal Event Center, this is where Flint’s hockey team plays and where stage shows and events are held, such as the Shrine Circus. My high school graduation was held here in 2015.

The Flint Firebirds on the ice. (Source: Pure Michigan)

Applewood Estate and the Flint Cultural Center

The estate is a lot like Meadowbrook at Oakland University; C.S. Mott’s wife Ruth Mott lived here, adjacent to what would become Mott Community College. Here, the focus is more on the grounds and flower gardens rather than the house, although the home was recently opened to public tours. You can also take a virtual tour on their website.

Directly west of the estate is the Flint Cultural Center, the destination of many elementary school field trips. The Flint Institute of Arts (FIA), Flint Institute of Music (FIM), Whiting Auditorium, Bower Theater, Longway Planetarium, and Sloan Museum can all be found here.

A Google Earth view of 475, the Flint Cultural Center, Applewood Estate, and Mott Community College.

Longway Planetarium. (Source: Sloan Longway)

White Horse Tavern

I’ve only been here once or twice, but this is Flint’s gathering spot. Located a few blocks west of Saginaw Street on Court and Ann Arbor, they’re your usual tavern with pub food and Club Keno.

The tavern is marked by a statue of a white horse that was the topic of many community jokes when high winds knocked it down in 2016.

*The white horse at White Horse Tavern. (Source: Google Street View)

Halo Burger

“Seven days without a Halo Burger makes one weak” is the pun you’d find on your cup of Vernors at this Flint area fast food chain founded by Bill Thomas.

The downtown location can be found inside the old Vernor’s Retail Store on South Saginaw, built in 1929. The ironwork is still original.

Inside the downtown Flint Halo Burger.

Ironwork inside the restaurant.

Vernors mural outside the restaurant.

The Flint Farmers’ Market

In 2003, the Farmers’ Market moved from Longway Boulevard into what used to be the Flint Journal’s printing facility downtown.

If you’re visiting Flint and you have time to do only one thing, this is it. Amazing fresh produce, pulled pork sandwiches, and meals at the newly opened Steady Eddy’s Cafe.

The Farmers’ Market location prior to 2014. (Source: Google Street View)

The new location downtown. (Source: Google Street View)

Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad

This is a Greenfield Village-style historical attraction slightly north of the city. Here you’ll find early 1900s amusement rides, a restored schoolhouse and general store, a grist mill, a paddleboat, and a restored steam locomotive that takes visitors on a 40-minute ride along the remaining portion of an old passenger rail line. The villages of Genesee, Otisville, Otter Lake, and Fostoria were connected to Flint by this same train in the late nineteeth century.

Fun fact: One of the restored buildings in the village, the Mason Tavern, was moved there from my neighborhood! It was originally located at the intersection of Fenton Road and Grand Blanc Road nearby where Cobblestone Lounge is today.

Mason Tavern. (Source)

The historical marker at the original site has been removed and the location delisted, but the DNR saved its inscription:

Daniel Mason, a native of New Hartford, New York, built this structure as a stagecoach inn and tavern around 1850. It soon became a popular stagecoach stop along the route of the Flint and Fentonville Plank Road Company, which was established in 1849. From 1853 to 1871, Mundy Township’s first post office was also housed here. The tavern and post office continued to operate until shortly after the Flint and Pere Marquete Railway came to the area. In 1879 Mason sold the property and moved to Flint, where he died in 1880. The tavern later became a private residence.Read more about the history of the railroad here.

Honorable Mention: Ron’s Ice Cream (Closed / Intermittent Business)

Ron’s Ice Cream closed a while back, but its owners have re-opened it temporarily at least once in the past few years. We would stop here on occasion when I was a kid — they had excellent hard-serve ice cream. Cody Elementary was across the street, but sat vacant from 2003 until it was demolished in 2012.

Ron’s Pizza and Ice Cream. (Source: Google Street View)

Cody Elementary in 2011. (Source: Google Street View)

Former site of Cody Elementary in 2018. (Source: Google Street View)

This corridor in South Flint has gone through a lot of change in the past couple years, the most notable being the complete reconstruction and road diet of Fenton between Bristol and the Grand Trunk railway bridge that brought the street down from four lanes to two lanes and a dedicated turn lane. It was sorely needed — the original lanes were dangerously narrow for modern-sized cars and speeds.

The historic “Grand Funk” railroad bridge before the Fenton Road reconstruction. (Source: Google Street View)

The bridge following Fenton Road reconstruction. (Source: Mike Molnar on Flickr)

(An aside: The Amtrak Blue Water crosses this bridge once daily in each direction. That’s a photo I’d love to see someone try to capture.)

There’s more to see

So that’s a little slice of my childhood, but it’s definitely not everything! I still visit Genesee County every now and again, and I’m always looking for new things to see and do.

Consider this a living document. I‘ll come back here from time to time and add some new places.

Do you have any favorite places in the area? Reach out and I’ll add to the map!