Dexter, Michigan

Located along the banks of the Huron River, Dexter has a warm, welcoming and inviting feel to it. There are plenty of nostalgic streetlamps, historic buildings, brick sidewalks, abundant landscaping, clean streets/sidewalks and friendly people. This town appears to have a thriving economy with numerous busy bistro-type restaurants (some are quite pricey), coffee shops, a huge bakery and gift shops. We noticed several bicyclists, usually a symptom of a pedestrian-friendly, safe town. Although there were several modern structures in the downtown area, town planners and administrators seem to have done a good job of building code enforcement so that there is not an architectural clash between new and historic. The Dexter Area Historical Museum is open from May until mid-December. The Dexter Cider Mill is the oldest continuously operating Cider Mill in Michigan. They make cider today the same way it was made 120 years ago - using an oak rack press. Positioned just north of Interstate 94 in southeast Michigan, Dexter has a desirable location as a day trip or weekend-escape destination from Ann Arbor and Detroit. The township of Dexter was named for Judge Samuel William Dexter (the first person to purchase land in the area), but he named the village for his father Samuel Dexter, the early American statesman.