Village of Dexter

If you need a break from the hustle and bustle of a busy city (Ann Arbor, perhaps?), visit downtown Dexter. The atmosphere and attitude is refreshing, and everything one would want to check out is easily accessible by walking or even — dare I say it — free parking! I know, calm down… it sounds too good to be true, but that is just one of the perks Dexter’s downtown area has to offer. Cute stores to browse, restaurants, a bakery and Dairy Queen will provide hours of relaxation for the over-​worked soul. Enjoy!

Shopping center? No. Pleasant, safe, clean place to spend an afternoon or evening: Yes.
Dexter is great place to enjoy a nice stroll, some great eats and anything outdoors.
A very Norman Rockwell-​esque town.

Dexter has a nice charming and old downtown, with many nice stores (variety of restaurants, coffee shops, camera store, hardware store, gallery, theatre) and lots of convenient parking. In the summer, usually there is music out in the park on Friday/​Saturday evenings. Many people get ice cream at the Dairy Queen.

On the recommendation of a friend, I recently checked out Dexter’s downtown. I like shopping locally and giving my money to small independent shops instead of big national chains whenever possible, and Dexter is a good place for this.
They have nice shady parks, a local history museum, and lots of independent shops, coffee houses, and restaurants. Parking is phenomenally easy– and free.
While I was here, I passed The Cookie Momster, a Victorian-​themed gift shop, and a Bear Claw coffee on my way to the Dexter card shop. From there, I visited Christine’s, a gift shop, and bought a butterfly finger puppet for my niece whose fourth birthday is coming up soon. From there, I strolled over to the Dexter Bakery and got a really good donut.
If you’re looking for somewhere cute and quaint to do some shopping or meet a friend for coffee or lunch, Dexter is an excellent choice.

It’s funny that they list the whole town as if it were a mall or something. In fact, it’s a small place to walk around with a lot of really nicely repainted 19^th C. buildings and fun little businesses like Dexter Bakery (think donuts), Dexter Dairy Queen (think sundaes), little diners and coffee shops. Now surrounded by huge new soulless developments — but it hasn’t lost its character (yet?).