The Bear Store in Hale, Michigan sits right along M-65 at 6787 M-65, and if you’re driving by, the giant Adirondack chair out front is probably what gets your attention first. That’s what got ours, anyway. We weren’t planning to stop, didn’t have it marked, weren’t looking for anything — but the chair was enough to make us slow down, look at each other, and immediately pull in.
This Was Supposed to Be a Two-Minute Stop
At first, it really did feel like one of those quick roadside pauses. Get out, climb the chair, take a photo, maybe stretch for a second, and move on. From the parking lot, it doesn’t look like there’s much more going on beyond the shop itself, so there’s no reason to think you’re about to spend any real time there.
We went inside first — like normal people — mostly just to grab a drink and take a quick look around before getting back on the road.
Inside, it’s a mix of souvenirs, random finds, and things you don’t really need but still end up picking up just to look at twice.
The spice section is where we got stuck for a while. Not because we needed spices — we’re working with a 200 sq ft bus kitchen, there are limits — but because of the names. “Bull Shit,” “Good Shit,” “Special Shit.” Just sitting there like completely normal options, daring you not to react. We stood there longer than we should have, reading labels, debating whether any of them were actually worth buying or if we just appreciated the commitment.
While we were inside, we found out they had animals outside, which was not something we had picked up on at all from the road. It wasn’t presented like a main attraction or something you’d immediately notice — just something we happened to learn once we were already in there, which obviously changed our plans a bit.
So we headed back out to see what they were talking about, expecting maybe one or two animals at most. Instead, there were bears, wallabies, a fox, and an alligator behind the shop, all part of a setup that you wouldn’t really know was there unless someone told you or you took the time to look around.
It ended up turning what should have been a quick stop into something we spent a lot longer walking through, mostly because we kept realizing there was more there than we originally thought.
About the Photos (Because This Feels Ridiculous to Admit)
Somehow, the only photos we have easy access to right now are the chair, the bear cutout, and the spice shelf — which feels wildly incomplete considering there were literal bears involved. The rest are buried somewhere on an external hard drive that hasn’t been organized in… a while.
So yes, the gallery shows part of it. Just not the part you’d expect to be the main event.
What a Bear Store Hale Michigan Stop Actually Turns Into
This wasn’t anything we had planned, and it definitely wasn’t something we pulled over for thinking it was going to be more than a quick stop. It started with the chair, turned into grabbing a drink inside, and then somehow ended with us walking around outside looking at animals we had no idea were there.
Turns out the chair was just the beginning. 🐻
Bear Store Hale Michigan Info
📍 6787 M-65, Hale, Michigan
📞 (989) 728-9981
This was our experience during our visit, and like a lot of roadside stops, things can change over time. If you’re planning to stop, it’s always worth checking current conditions or recent reviews so you know what to expect.
If this kind of stop is your thing, Michigan has a lot of them — some you plan for, and some you just run into because something on the side of the road makes you hit the brakes. We’ve been slowly piecing together stops like this across the state, from roadside oddities to places that end up being a little more than they look like at first glance.
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👉 See another unexpected animal stop in Gaylord