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.
