Mystery Spot Celebrates 50th Anniversary as U.P. Attraction
By Ryan Schlehuber

The Mystery Spot is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer. Pictured are (from left) owner Dan McCarthy, Lindsay Belonga, Joe Mellon, and Cody Merren.

The Mystery Spot, the tourist site of fun, oddities, and, of course, mystery, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer.

First established in 1955 by three local men, Clarence Mancherek, Fred Nelson, and Vaden McCray, the Mystery Spot is now owned by Dan McCarthy, who bought it from Joe Vallely in August 1981. Mr. Vallely owned it between 1972 and 1981.

Mr. McCarthy said the Mystery Spot still has all of the amenities it offered to visitors 50 years ago, such as the fence labyrinth and the mind-bending crooked shack. New additions since 1955 include a maze and an 18-hole miniature golf course.

“It’s nice that it’s still pretty much the same as it was in 1955,” said Mr. McCarthy. “People who remember coming here, say 30 years ago, like to come back and remember things being just the way they were.”

There are 11 attractions like the Mystery Spot throughout the country, according to Mr. McCarthy, with one also named “Mystery Spot.”

In its heyday, billboards promoting the Mystery Spot could be seen along the highway as far south as Florida, and Mystery Spot advertising appeared on the sides of old barns from Michigan to Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. McCarthy said Mystery Spot bumper stickers could be spotted on many cars.

The Mystery Spot gained national recognition in the 1950s when writers from the “Dennis the Menace” comic book series visited the area and were so impressed with a tour of the place given by Frank Ahlich that they featured the Mystery Spot and Mr. Ahlich in one of the comic books, said Mr. McCarthy.

Mr. Ahlich’s son, Frank Jr., also worked at the Mystery Spot.

In 1995, Mystery Spot was named the Number 1 rated “unusual attraction in Michigan” by a readers’ poll published in AAA’s Michigan Living magazine.

Standing in the site’s packed parking lot during a weekday afternoon, Mr. McCarthy said the Mystery Spot’s great traditions continue today, especially its reputation for friendly and fun tour guides.

“We try to be good entertainers,” he said. “We received an e-mail from a gentleman who visited last August who said he was impressed with the enthusiasm and friendliness of the tour guides he had on his tour, even though it may have been the 10th or 15th tour the guide did that day.

“After 50 years, we’re still holding the tradition of good tour guiding for a most unusual place,” he continued. Mr. McCarthy has a staff of 13 people, many whom have been with him from eight to 12 seasons, such as Mark Massey, Lani Fettig, Randy Binger, Mandi Johnson, and Lindsay Belonga.

The Mystery Spot is just off US-2 on East Martin Lake Road, west of St. Ignace. It is open seasonally from May to the third week of October.