Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is a year-round Christmas retail store in Frankenmuth, Michigan, founded in 1945 by sign-painter Wally Bronner. What began as a small decorating and display business grew over decades of expansion into a 320,000-square-foot destination store that bills itself as the World’s Largest Christmas Store, set on landscaped grounds covering about 27 acres.
Open every day except a handful of major holidays, Bronner’s draws more than two million visitors annually, with the weekend after Thanksgiving alone bringing in upwards of 50,000 shoppers. Inside, guests wander aisles stocked with over 50,000 holiday items while hundreds of fully trimmed trees and animated figures fill the showroom with festive scenes.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Frankenmuth, Michigan
- Founded: 1945
- Founder: Wally Bronner
- Store size: About 320,000 square feet
- Grounds: About 27 acres
- Annual visitors: Over 2 million
- Items in stock: More than 50,000
- Decorated trees on display: More than 350
Inside the World’s Largest Christmas Store
The showroom floor is laid out like a series of themed galleries, each dedicated to a different holiday tradition or decorating style, from nativity scenes to nutcrackers to ornaments representing dozens of countries. Hundreds of fully decorated display trees line the aisles year-round, giving shoppers a chance to see finished looks before picking out their own ornaments.
A replica of the Silent Night Memorial Chapel, modeled after the original in Oberndorf, Austria where ‘Silent Night’ was first performed, sits on the property and is open to visitors free of charge. The half-mile Christmas Lane leading to the store is also strung with roughly 100,000 lights, making the approach to Bronner’s part of the experience itself.
A Frankenmuth Tradition
Bronner’s has become one of the anchor attractions of Frankenmuth, a small Michigan town known for its Bavarian-style architecture and holiday tourism. The store operates year-round rather than seasonally, so visitors can shop for Christmas decorations in the middle of summer, and it staffs up with hundreds of seasonal employees each fall to handle the holiday rush.
Because of its scale and longevity, Bronner’s has been recognized as the world’s largest Christmas store and remains a family-run business, carrying on the legacy Wally Bronner started out of a basement sign-painting shop in the 1940s.
Explore more: Explore more seasonal events and attractions.
Keeps your phone strapped to you, not in a loose-article bin. Zip it before the lift hill and walk straight off the exit ramp.
Rapids, log flumes and splash zones without the rice-bag aftermath. The touchscreen still works through the window, so you can still take photos.
Cheaper than the $15 poncho at the gift shop and you get a whole bag. Toss one in every backpack for water rides and pop-up storms.
Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland FAQs
Is Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland open all year?
Yes. Bronner’s operates year-round and closes only on a short list of holidays, including New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Where is Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland located?
It’s located in Frankenmuth, Michigan, a town known for its Bavarian-style buildings and holiday tourism.
How big is Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland?
The store building covers about 320,000 square feet, set on roughly 27 acres of landscaped grounds.
Get More from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: AndrewHorne / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.