Kellogg's Cereal City USA facts for kids

Kellogg's Cereal City USA was a fun place for visitors in Battle Creek, Michigan. This city is often called "Cereal City" because of its history with breakfast cereals. The attraction was open from 1998 to 2007. Its main goal was to share the exciting story of the Kellogg's company. It also showed how Kellogg's helped shape the breakfast cereal industry.

Why Kellogg's Cereal City USA Opened

People became very interested in a Kellogg's-themed place. This happened after the company stopped giving tours of its nearby factory in 1986. The factory is where they made their cereals.

The new attraction was planned to be like a museum. It was designed to look like an old factory from the early 1900s. It opened its doors in May 1998. Building this attraction cost about $22 million. Visitors paid $7.95 to enter.

What You Could See and Do

The building was very large, about 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m²). Inside, there were many exhibits. These exhibits shared information about the Kellogg's company. You could learn about its history and all the different products it made.

There was also a restaurant called the Red Onion Grill. This restaurant was designed to look like the original diner. That diner was at the famous Battle Creek Sanitarium.

A Warm Welcome

The opening of Cereal City USA was a big event. John Engler, who was the Governor of Michigan at the time, was very happy about it. He called it a "major tourist attraction." The State of Michigan also helped by giving about $2.8 million to the project.

Visitor Numbers and When It Closed

The people who first planned Cereal City USA had big hopes. They thought more than 400,000 visitors would come each year. But the actual number was much lower.

How Many People Visited?

The most visitors came in 1998, its opening year, with 162,000 guests. From 2000 to 2005, about 86,203 people visited each year. In 2006, only 75,500 visitors came.

Why It Closed Its Doors

Cereal City USA closed in January 2007. The people running it said they needed at least 100,000 visitors every year. This number was needed to make enough money to stay open.

The city of Battle Creek was left with an $875,000 bill. This was money owed for the closed attraction. However, Kellogg's bought the building for $2 million. This helped clear the city's debt. Kellogg's then changed the building into office space. They sold it the next year.

In 2011, the building was given to the Battle Creek Public Schools.