Explore Flint & Genesee History

Spend the Day Wandering Through Flint's Noteable Past

Flint has a deep-rooted history in the automotive industry. The birthplace of General Motors, there is a reason Flint is referred to as the Vehicle City. That history is what built Flint into what it is today and it can be witnessed in rehabilitated buildings, famous gravestones and the bricks that line Saginaw Street.

Outside of Flint, many of the cities and towns that surround county center have their own history. From Fenton, which was named after a locally famous card game, to Davison, which has a long history as a railroad station. Genesee County has many places for history lovers to get their fix.

Morning

Start your day in Flint at Glenwood Historic Cemetery and Arboretum. Founded in 1857, the historic cemetery houses the graves of notable Michiganders including former Governor Henry H. Crapo, former Lt. Governor and founder of the city of Fenton William M. Fenton, Civil War Hero William B. McCreery and GM executive and local philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott.

Next, visit the Durant-Dort Carriage Company Headquarters and General Motors Factory One, both of which are closed to visitors currently but are still wonders to see from the outside. There you will also find statues of founders J. Dallas Dort and William Crapo Durant looking across the Flint River.

Lunch

For lunch, head to the original Halo Burger on Saginaw and Court streets for one of its famous Olive Burgers and a Boston cooler. The local burger chain originally started in 1923 called Kewpee and its first hamburger was sold out of a boxcar-style wagon on Harrison Street.

Afternoon

After lunch, check out Stockton House Museum open for tours every third Saturday from 1 – 4 p.m. with grounds open every day. Stockton was built in 1872 by Colonel Thomas Baylis Whitmarsh Stockton and his wife Maria who was the daughter of Jacob Smith, the first European settler in Flint.

Finally, take a walk down Saginaw Street and admire Flint’s historic buildings including the Mott Foundation Building built in 1928, the newly renovated Hilton Garden Inn Flint Downtown which is housed in the former Genesee County Savings Bank Building which opened in 1920 and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church which was built in 1872.

Evening

Before you stop for dinner, visit the UAW Sitdowners Monument Park, a space dedicated to the men and women of the historic sit down strike of 1936-1937 at General Motors. A marble and bronze monument sits at park depicting an actual scene from inside the plant during the strike.

End your evening with dinner at Sauce Italian American Kitchen, located in the Hilton Garden Inn Flint Downtown. The restaurant sits in the lobby of the bank that once occupied the building. The recent renovation of the building has restored the art-deco finishes of the era and the restaurants sports décor to match.

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