An 1886 iron bridge, a giant antique market, and one of Michigan's oldest fairs

Allegan is a county-seat town that kept its good stuff. Start with the Old Iron Bridge: an honest-to-goodness 1886 iron truss span carrying Second Street over the Kalamazoo River right into downtown. Lovingly restored rather than replaced, it’s the town’s symbol — celebrated every June with Bridgefest — and crossing it into the riverfront business district is one of the nicer arrivals any small Michigan downtown offers.

Then there’s the calendar. On the last Sunday of every month from May through September, the Allegan County Fairgrounds turns into one of the Midwest’s great antique markets — around 400 dealers spread over the grounds, drawing pickers from three states. And come September the same fairgrounds host the Allegan County Fair, running since 1852 and ranking among the biggest county fairs in Michigan, with headline concerts that towns ten times this size would envy. For the townships around the city — Allegan, Trowbridge, Valley — this is the shared downtown and the shared front lawn, and it’s a lively one.