Inside The Remains Of Rosie’s Diner, A Rockford Classic From 1940

Note: Since the publication of this article, Rosie's Diner has been purchased and transported to Alabama. You can read about what's next for the old diner here.

The American diner of the 70s, with its milkshakes, hamburgers, neon lights, and simplistic building designs, has long captured the attention of the public. Decades after they "went out of style", people still flock to those that are still up and running, and many movies like Cars and Star Wars Episode 2 have featured diners of their own inspired by these classic eateries.

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For many years, Michigan had a classic diner of its own in Rockford called Rosie's Diner, which was part of a group of classic diners that featured the main diner, an art gallery that sold ice cream, and a bar that had a mini-golf course in the back.

My friends and I went a few years back, and these are photos from our trip back in 2017. Since its controversial closure in 2011, the buildings have sat dormant, open to people and the weather, which have ravaged them. The biggest enemy of the abandoned diner seems to be people, who break the windows and graffiti the interior.

The building was moved across the country to its current home in Rockford, where it has sat empty since Rosie's Dinner closed in 2011. It has been featured on TV multiple times, including a successful run of Bounty commercials that propelled its popularity and appeared on the Food Network.

Rosie's Foodie Mini Golf

If you weren't full from your meal at the diner, you could be reminded of everything you just ate while playing mini-golf behind the bar. Large statues of food items, including hamburgers, milkshakes, hot dogs, and more. Surprisingly, the course and its large decor were left behind when the diner closed its door, but items like this are what have made traveling to the abandoned diner such a popular trip.

Rosie's Move To Alabama

Once again, the iconic diner is moving around the country after it was bought by a man in Alabama who plans to do what the original Rockford owner, Jerry Berta, did with it back in the 90s. The diner will be transported to its new home in Alabama, restored, and reopened for business.

You can take an in-depth tour of the diner below.