I visited Hell, Michigan. Yes, the small town really embraces its name.
Amanda Adler
- I drove an hour outside of Detroit to go to Hell, Michigan.
- It was the perfect spooky-season detour full of heavily themed experiences and souvenirs.
Located an hour outside of Detroit, the small town of Hell, Michigan, embraces its unusual name with various infernal experiences perfect for Halloween fans.
Hell has supposedly been around since the mid-1800s and it's technically an unincorporated community in Putnam Township, meaning it has no clearly defined boundaries or exact population statistics.
Recently, I took a road trip to explore this themed town and found that it offers a lighthearted journey into the underworld brimming with quirky signage, comical souvenirs, and plenty of photo ops.
My drive through downtown Hell took a few moments but offered an eye-catching array of signage filled with flames and devilish puns.
Embarking on my drive, I was happy to find the highway to Hell, Michigan was well-paved.
After passing a farm marked "Purgatory Cattle" I found a few small businesses, each covered with colorful signs depicting flames, cartoonish devils, and more than a few puns.
These themed markers proved to be much needed, as the downtown area is "blink and you'll miss it" small.
There are numerous legends about how Hell got its name, but a placard suggests the town's history is a lighthearted one.
Before taking a trip to Hell, I had researched how the town got its name and came up with a few different answers, all of which seem to be widely debated.
One theory is that German travelers in the 1830s said the town was "so schön hell," meaning "so beautifully bright" and only part of the phrase stuck.
Another is that a business owner who founded the town said something like, "I don't care what you name the town! Name it Hell for all I care." And one theory speculates that the people who first found the land felt it had hellish conditions with its many wetlands and mosquitos.
Signs within the town didn't explain Hell's origin much but they seemed to show that residents find the moniker comical.
The town's main building contains a post office, ice-cream parlor, and souvenir shop.
The main building in Hell is Screams Souvenirs from Hell & Helloween, a gift shop packed full of everything from humorous themed T-shirts and bumper stickers to coffee mugs and rubber ducks.
The ice-cream parlor was also on theme.
You can buy ice cream from the store's Creamatory, which offers menu items such as the Gravedigger Sundae made using frozen treats from Holy Cow Dairy.
Many of the store's items cost $6.66 to make things even more on theme.
Everywhere I looked it seemed like the town's residents fully embraced the novelty of living in a place called Hell.
The owners of Screams tapped into this playful spirit even more by labeling many of their souvenirs with a price tag corresponding with the Biblical number of the devil.
I was tempted to take home a degree from Damnation University or be sworn in as mayor for the day.
The store also gave visitors a chance to purchase other unique items.
For a small fee, I could purchase my own square inch of Hell, pick up a diploma from Damnation University, or even become the mayor of Hell for one day.
It's mostly for fun since Hell doesn't actually have a mayor.
There wasn't much food in town, but I found a barbecue restaurant that hadn't opened yet.
Outside the store stood Gates of Hell, which took me through a park filled with even more peculiar signage and quirky photo ops.
This pathway also led to the town's miniature golf course, which looked equally themed.
There wasn't much food in town, but I found a barbecue restaurant that hadn't opened yet.
Aside from the Creamatory and a saloon, Hell doesn't offer much in the way of dining.
However, The Smoke Doctor 2, a barbecue restaurant along the town's main street looked to be opening soon.
My travel schedule only allowed me a short visit, but signs made me curious about spending the night at the town's campground.
As an avid camper, I was drawn to the town's campground. From what I saw, the grounds offered camping, fishing, and swimming.
Hell also seems to have a lot of hiking trails around beautiful nearby lakes.
As I was only passing through the area, I didn't have a chance to explore the region's outdoor recreation scene.
Although I wouldn't want to spend an eternity in Hell, this signpost gave me ideas for other unusually named places I might want to visit.
On my way out of Hell, I noticed a large sign pointing to other uniquely named towns. Despite seeing one listed as Heaven, Michigan, I couldn't find it on a map.
I have, however, been to Paradise, Michigan. Although it wasn't nearly as themed as Hell, the name was appropriate as Paradise boasted epic waterfalls, scenic hiking trails, charming views of Lake Superior, and some of the tastiest whitefish I've ever had.
And now I'm inspired to visit other towns with fun names. With the holiday season approaching perhaps I'll find myself in Santa Claus, Indiana, or Eggnog, Utah.
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