MM
MidMichigan Living
Community & Lifestyle
Local Spotlight

All Local Spotlights

Each week, we spotlight the local venue generating the most buzz across Mid-Michigan. Browse every spotlight we've featured — from restaurants and breweries to shops and gathering places.

Curated weekly by Joyce England · 20 Spotlights Featured

This Week's Spotlight
The warm, inviting interior of a family-owned specialty market in Howell, Michigan, with wooden deli counters, glass display cases of meats and cheeses, and a golden bakery case
Current

Howell, Livingston County · Specialty Market, Deli & Bakery

Jonna's Market

Just north of downtown Howell, Jonna's Market has quietly served Livingston County since 1999, a family-owned specialty market with a famous cheese bread, a full deli and meat counter, a bakery, prepared foods, and one of Michigan's largest beer and wine selections. For residents and homebuyers, it is the kind of hidden gem that turns a new town into home.

Known for: Jonna's Famous Cheese Bread, fresh deli and meat counter, bakery and prepared foods, house pizza and fried chicken, one of Michigan's largest beer and wine selections, full catering

Read Full Spotlight Week of October 19, 2026
Archive

Past Spotlights

The latest spotlights we've featured, with the full archive organized by county. Every spotlight is a local favorite generating real community buzz across Mid-Michigan.

A wooden boardwalk winding through golden autumn wetland at Flushing Township Nature Park, with a two-story observation tower rising above the trees in the distance

Flushing Township, Genesee County

Flushing Township Nature Park

Tucked along the Flint River in northern Genesee County, Flushing Township Nature Park is a 130-acre riverfront preserve with a mile of boardwalk, a two-story observation tower, three miles of trails, and fishing piers, free and open dawn to dusk, and one of Mid-Michigan's most quietly beloved hidden gems.

Week of October 12, 2026
The brick and stone Tudor-Jacobethan manor house of Applewood Estate in Flint, Michigan, set among manicured lawns, a perennial garden, and an heirloom apple orchard in warm late-afternoon light

Flint, Genesee County

Applewood Estate

Tucked along East Kearsley Street on the edge of downtown Flint, Applewood Estate is the free 1916 home and gardens of Charles Stewart Mott, an automotive pioneer and founding partner of General Motors. With self-guided house tours, volunteer guides available to answer questions, an heirloom apple orchard, and lush formal gardens, it is one of Genesee County's most generous and least-expected treasures.

Week of October 5, 2026
A weathered wooden boardwalk crossing a still amber pond edged with cattails at Seven Ponds Nature Center in Dryden, Michigan, with golden light filtering through a beech and maple forest

Dryden, Lapeer County

Seven Ponds Nature Center

Tucked into the farmland of Dryden in southern Lapeer County, Seven Ponds Nature Center preserves nearly 500 acres of forest, wetland, and seven interconnected lakes, with more than six miles of boardwalk trails and live native wildlife exhibits. It is one of Mid-Michigan's most quietly special community treasures.

Week of September 28, 2026
Browse by County

Every Spotlight, By County

Each county page gathers every past spotlight that has been featured there. New spotlights rotate into the archive as they are published.

Genesee County Oakland County Livingston County Lapeer County Shiawassee County Saginaw County Tuscola County
Related Reading

Discover More Local Favorites

Dining Guide

Mid-Michigan's Best Restaurants and Cafés

Locally owned dining across Grand Blanc, Fenton, Clarkston, Lake Orion, and Brighton.

 Events

Community Events and Festivals You Can't Miss

Annual festivals and seasonal celebrations across Mid-Michigan.

 Farmers Markets

Best Farmers Markets Across Mid-Michigan

Fresh produce, local goods, and community connections at farmers markets across six counties.
About This Feature

The Local Spotlight

The Local Spotlight is a weekly feature on MidMichigan Living that highlights the venue, business, or destination generating the most community buzz across the region. Each selection is curated based on recent online activity, social media engagement, community events, and the organic enthusiasm of Mid-Michigan residents.

This feature refreshes weekly and is curated by Joyce England, REALTOR®, whose work throughout Mid-Michigan is rooted in local knowledge, community connection, and a genuine appreciation for the people and places that make this region special.

Joyce England, REALTOR®

Curated by Joyce England

REALTOR® · Keller Williams First · Licensed since 2014