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

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 and open to people and the weather to ravage the building. 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. It's surprising that the course and its large decor were left ahead when the diner closed its door, but items like this is what has made traveling to the abandoned diner such a popular trip.

Rosie's Move To Missouri

Once again, the iconic diner is moving around the country after it was bought by a woman in Missouri who fell in love with the place and 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 Missouri, restored, and opened back up for business.

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