Classic Cars, Coffee & Hidden Gems: A Weekend in Flint, Michigan
If you love classic cars, local restaurants, antique shopping, and finding unexpected gems along the way, plan a weekend in Flint, Michigan, during Back to the Bricks.
This annual car show completely takes over downtown Flint, filling the streets with thousands of classic cars, live music, and special events. But there's plenty to discover beyond the cars, too. We found a beautiful arts district, a hidden speakeasy, great coffee, antique stores, a fantastic farmers market, and one of my new favorite brunch spots.
Here's how I'd spend a weekend experiencing Back to the Bricks and exploring Flint.
Friday Evening: Start at the Flint Cultural Center
Kick off your weekend at the Flint Cultural Center for Patio Nights at the Flint Institute of Arts.
Bring a lawn chair and settle in for an outdoor concert on the lawn. There's even an area for dancing if the music moves you! Canopied tables and chairs are also available closer to the performers.
The entire campus is beautifully landscaped with mature trees, colorful buildings, public art, and sculptures. It's family-friendly and such a relaxing way to start the weekend.
Check Into Downtown Flint
Stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Flint Downtown, which couldn't be better located for Back to the Bricks.
Many downtown streets are closed for the event, so be prepared to approach the hotel from the back and use the nearby parking garage. Parking was free Friday and for most of Saturday during our visit. The gates lowered Saturday evening, and parking was $5 for 24 hours after that.
Once you're checked in, step outside the hotel's front doors and you're right in the middle of the action.
Saginaw Street is closed to traffic and lined with classic cars in every direction. The main stage is just steps from the hotel, so spend the evening strolling downtown, admiring the cars, listening to live music, and taking in the excitement of the weekend.
Find the Hidden Speakeasy
Before calling it a night, stop inside On the Bricks Food & Spirits.
Head toward the hallway and look for a bookcase. Find the little button, give it a push, and a hidden door opens to reveal a speakeasy!
Inside, you'll find dim lighting, intimate seating, and fantastic cocktails. It's such an unexpected little hidden gem and a fun way to end your first night in Flint.
Saturday: Back to the Bricks, Local Food & Antique Hunting
Breakfast at Café Rhema
Saturday morning, walk about a block from the hotel to Café Rhema for breakfast and coffee.
This isn't your typical coffee shop. Fancy couches, chandeliers, gold-framed mirrors, dark walls, and a small performance stage give it an unexpected vintage-glam atmosphere.
The breakfast menu has plenty of delicious options, and my cappuccino was spot on.
If the weather is nice, grab a table outside. You'll have a front-row seat as classic cars begin pulling into downtown for the day's festivities.
Experience Back to the Bricks
After breakfast, spend the morning exploring Back to the Bricks.
Thousands of vehicles line the downtown streets, and even if you're not a serious car enthusiast, it's hard not to be impressed by the sheer size of this event.
There's an opening ceremony complete with a flyover, live music throughout the day, and other performances.
Give yourself plenty of time to wander. There is so much to see!
Explore the Flint Farmers' Market
When you're ready for a break from the cars, walk over to the Flint Farmers' Market.
Start with the outdoor vendors before heading inside, where you'll find bakery treats, plants, jewelry, meats, coffee, vintage finds, and plenty of food options.
Grab lunch at Golden Boy's. We ordered the Golden Bowl, packed with rice, chicken, vegetables, French fries, and plenty of seasoning. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect lunch before an afternoon of treasure hunting.
Spend the Afternoon Antiquing
After lunch, leave downtown for a few hours and explore some of Flint's antique and vintage shops.
Start at Barnhouse Vintage & Handmade Wares, a large antique mall packed with treasures. This is more of a digging kind of place, so take your time looking through everything. We found the prices to be very reasonable.
Next, head to Sisters Vin-tiques. If you prefer a more organized and thoughtfully styled antique store, you'll love this one. The prices were great, and the entire shop had such a fun vibe.
Right next door is Flash Back Vintage, making it easy to squeeze in one more treasure-hunting stop.
And yes, my fairy lamp hunt continued in Flint.
I finally spotted an amber fairy lamp I've been searching for! It still wasn't quite the right time to bring one home, though, so the hunt continues.
Dinner Back Downtown
Head back downtown for dinner at Blackstone's Smokehouse.
Order the ribs and, if you can, sit outside. By this point in the evening, Back to the Bricks is beginning to wind down, and you'll get to watch some of the classic cars cruise away as the streets slowly clear.
If you're not ready for the night to end, stop at Churchill's Food & Spirits for an after-dinner drink. It's conveniently located right next to the hotel, so you won't have far to walk afterward.
Sunday: One Last Memorable Stop
Before heading home, make the short drive to nearby Fenton for breakfast at The Laundry.
This was easily my favorite restaurant of the weekend.
The retro atmosphere is fun and inviting, the food is made from scratch, and they have fantastic coffee and mimosa options. It's exactly the kind of local restaurant I love discovering while traveling.
I already want to go back for dinner and spend an evening in their beer garden.
After a busy weekend of classic cars, coffee, local food, and antique hunting, The Laundry was the perfect final stop before heading home.
Final Thoughts
Back to the Bricks may have been the reason for our trip to Flint, but some of my favorite discoveries happened beyond the car show.
Between the beautiful Flint Cultural Center, hidden speakeasy, locally owned coffee shop, farmers market, antique stores, and memorable restaurants, there was so much more to explore than I expected.
If Back to the Bricks has been on your radar, make a weekend out of it. Stay downtown, leave the car parked whenever you can, and give yourself time to discover some of the local gems surrounding the event.
You may just find that the places you weren't expecting become some of your favorite stops of the weekend.
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