The Inn Between

Indian River, Michigan

Field Note

Is it a tiki bar? A boat dock? A family pizza shop? A dive bar? The Inn Between in Indian River, Michigan, is a difficult space to define, an outpost along the Indian River (yep) that connects two of northern Michigan’s largest lakes. That the Inn Between exists only a five minute walk from Pinehurst Inn Bar & Grill is both understandable due to proximity and kind of wild that a small town in northern Michigan produced two equally enigmatic dive bars.

In many ways, The Inn Between is the slightly refined cousin to the more intensely divey Pinehurst. Where the Pinehurst features peeling, fading white paint, The Inn Between looks polished up with clean siding and a white rail flanking the second story sign above the door. A sign to the right of the building above an exterior staircase points to a “family” lower patio area that doubles as a weekend tiki bar. And that’s only a hint at the multi-purpose nature of The Inn Between.

Inside, a small foyer-type area houses a foosball table ringed with photos of what have to be locals and regulars ranging across what looks like a handful of decades. Decades or not, the local vibe is readily apparent throughout the space, inherent in a dive bar catering to the boats that float by and a town as small as Indian River, Michigan. Local street signs line the wall and what feels like reclaimed decorations and furniture from local businesses gone by can be found throughout The Inn Between.

The layout spills out into the dive bar’s main room dominated by small bar under what looks like the roof of a tiki hut sliced off and brought inside. Because The Inn Between doubles as a restaurant, a handful of tables ring the bar and all manner of nautical-like items can be found along the walls. Quirk of the bar’s layout is the river-level kitchen, one floor below the main seating area, a fun bit of hell for the servers ferrying food up and dishes down the stairs.

Tiki-themed objects dot the bar area, from parrots caught in nets to…sombreros (?) and the windows behind the bar look out onto the Indian River itself. Outside, a small patio flanks the main interior floor, but the real draw is the terraced seating a level below where picnic tables dot an extended outdoor grass & patio space. Wooden slats line the river itself, making for a surprisingly picturesque view of a slow moving river winding among residences further upstream.

An outdoor tiki bar, sadly not in use on my visit, supports the patio seating area, nestled underneath the wooden staircase that descends from the dive bar’s street-level deck. A large sign proclaiming “The Best Pizza in the North” can be seen bolted to The Inn Between’s exterior wall, a kind of Midwestern siren song to the boats ambling by.

The Inn Between is a bit of a mini complex, a multi-use, multi-season dive bar that shifts from purpose to purpose, with the square footage and amenities to cover a range of needs. From outdoor boat dock to lazy summer drinking spot to a splash of tiki on a cold night, The Inn Between is all things to the small town locals and season tourists that pass through Indian River.