Battle Creek, Michigan — It’s GR-R-REAT!

Those cereal box designers had a great audience when I was growing up.

Before there was the internet and cable television to steal my attention at the breakfast table, I had the cereal box. Every morning after pouring myself a heaping bowl of Apple Jacks, part of my nutritious breakfast and the cereal of preference, the cereal box always had my rapt attention.

I don’t care if I saw it yesterday or the day before, there was always something that interested me… whether it be a puzzle on the back or the snazzy design on the front. It was always interesting.

I suppose that’s why I knew from the get go that Battle Creek, Michigan is the home of Kellogg’s Cereal. It’s always been right there on the box, duh.

So when I saw that Battle Creek was en route to East Lansing, a stop was a necessity. Everything in Battle Creek reeked of Kellogg, from street names to buildings and auditoriums. But I was on the hunt for a sign of the elusive tiger.

Unfortunately, Battle Creek has seen its share of hard times. Kellogg’s Cereal City, USA, a museum devoted to the cereal industry and culture has permanently closed.

Standing behind of the barred facility, Tony the Tiger was seen on top of a water tower along with previous incarnations of his other looks. But the real payoff from this stop? The smell of sweet cereal dust permeated the air. It was at that moment I wanted to pop myself a cold one (1% lowfat).

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Check out retro cereal box art here.