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Guntzviller's Taxidermy and Spirit of the Woods Museum: SO Much More Than A Tourist Trap

 A few weekends ago, I took a small vacation to northwestern Michigan, stopping around Elk Rapids, Charlevoix, Eastport, and greater Antrim and Grand Traverse counties.  One of the coolest spots that we hit was Guntzviller's Taxidermy and Spirit of the Woods Museum (11060 US-31, Elk Rapids, MI 49629).  There's a Minnetonka Moccasin sign out front, which can be found in approximately every Up North Tourist Trap Store, but Guntzviller's is so much more than your average "tourist trap."

Founded in 1928, Marvin Guntzviller opened a shop in southeast Michigan, specializing in taxidermy.  By the 1970s, Voss Guntzviller, according to the shop's website, relocated to their current Elk Rapids location.  They still offer taxidermy services, if you've got a trophy deer or salmon to mount, but the main draw (for me at least) was the taxidermy museum!

It's a small building, but they've done an amazing job bringing things to life - as soon as you walk in, you're met with a small display that teaches you about how they make molds of the critter and tan and stretch the skin to create the wonderful mounts you see in every Midwestern dad's man cave.  They've got interactive displays, inviting you to do things like "Find the weasel" in the display, showcasing large animals (like a buffalo) in a small plexiglass display in their natural environment.  One of the coolest displays for me was an old logging homestead diorama showcasing a bobcat.

They've done a great job, too, at highlighting indigenous culture, talking about how the natives would fish or hunt, and the meaningfulness of taxidermy to the tribes in Michigan.

In addition to the museum, there's a gift shop and retail store...as mentioned, SO much more than just a tourist trap.  Sure, there's the moccasins and the rocks and minerals, but they also sell their own taxidermied wares!  They take great pride in local history, selling Michigan-based history books, local candles, northwestern Michigan cherry sweets, and polished Petoskey stones - that reminds me, I haven't found a good Petoskey stone in a while.  I oughta go look...

I would definitely stop there again, next time I'm in the area!

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