Battle Creek is Cereal City. The city, located in southern Michigan east of Kalamazoo, is celebrated for breakfast cereals and other food products important to its ongoing economy. Currently an international business center and amateur sports capital, Battle Creek was once a health and diet reform mecca for the chronically ill.

As the birthplace of the cereal industry, Battle Creek was known around the world. As an army town, it was the basic training site for American soldiers during both world wars, and the home of the famous Percy Jones Orthopedic Hospital.

Noted names and faces that were an important part of Battle Creek include: former slave and abolitionist Sojourner Truth, Seventh-day Adventist visionary Ellen White and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg - who transformed health care in the nineteenth century and the cereal industry. Magnates C. W. Post and W. K. Kellogg were also noted leaders from the area.

The Kellogg Company, referred to as simply Kellogg or Kellogg's: an American-based producer of foods, cookies and crackers was founded as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. The company produced and marketed the hugely successful Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes and was later renamed the Kellogg Company.

Accommodations
The Hampton Inn is a low-rise Motor Inn with modern guest accommodations and convenient location. The Fairfield Inn Battle Creek, and Best Western Executive Inn have modern accommodations and are easily accessible.

The Greencrest Manor Bed and Breakfast has been described as serene and sophisticated. The eight-room bed and breakfast is five miles north of Battle Creek. The Bed and Breakfast has twenty acres of manicured lawns that are laced with formal gardens, bluestone pathways, and stately fountains.

Restaurants
Captian Luey’s Calabash, has been known to have the “Best Seafood in the State". Bici Bistro is sought after for its food and the welcoming decor. Mr Gee's Coffee Shop has been known to have the best hot wings.

Shopping
Downtown Battle Creek now emerges as the major service corridor of the community. Entertainment, specialty shops, corporate headquarters, professional and financial services, and government offices are features of the central business district.

Classic Center has Department Stores and shops, and the Lakeview Square Mall in Battle Creek has numerous retailers for family shopping.

Major Attractions
At Kellogg’s Cereal City USA, families from all over the world have fun when visiting this museum. Factory tours and theme attractions are all wrapped into one. Visitors can take a simulated Cereal Production Line tour and learn what goes into the making of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes cereal.

The 72 acres of the Leila Arboretum has collections of over 1,700 accessioned woody plants and about 25,000 total plants, trees, shrubs, and perennial and annual plantings. The grounds are laid out in the manner of European gardens. The annual flower event includes a yearly planting of some 7,000 spring bulbs.

The Leila Arboretum dates back to 1922 when Leila Post Montgomery, widow of breakfast cereal magnate , purchased 72 acres of an old country club and donated the land to the City of Battle Creek “to be laid out and improved as a public Arboretum.”
In addition, a visit to the Kingman Museum of Natural History, at the Leila Arboretum, features exhibits such as Footsteps of the Dinosaurs and Window to the Universe and a planetarium.

Battle Creek’s Annual Cereal City Festival is held every June, and gathers a large following and participation each year.

Written by: Karen J. Lee