Things to do in Ann Arbor
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Ann Arbor
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring awakens by late April, with peony peak in late May to early June and shoulder season value in March.
Peak summer, river season and farmers market abundance, with Art Fair surge in mid July and move in chaos in late August.
For many locals the best season, football Saturdays, fall colour peaking mid to late October and cider season.
Cold, dark and cheap, strongest for conservatory, theatre, music and indoor culture if you dress for it.
What's on
- Ann Arbor Film Festival late March
One of North America's oldest experimental film festivals, at the Michigan Theater.
- FoolMoon / FestiFools early April
Public art parade with giant puppets through downtown.
- UM Graduation late April / early May
Hotels become impossible unless you are graduating, so avoid unless it is your weekend.
- Peony Garden peak bloom late May to early June
The single most beautiful week of the Ann Arbor year in Nichols Arboretum.
- Ann Arbor Summer Festival / Top of the Park Usually mid to late June, about two weeks
Free and cheap concerts, films and circus at Ingalls Mall, the loveliest recurring event in town.
- Sonic Lunch June-August, Thursdays
Free Thursday lunchtime concerts at Liberty Plaza through the summer.
- Rolling Sculpture Car Show Usually mid July
Downtown car show in the middle of summer festival season.
- Ann Arbor Art Fair Usually three days in mid to late July
The largest juried art fair in the nation, magnificent for art lovers and overwhelming for everyone else.
- UM Football home games September-November
Six to seven home games, with hotels at triple prices on home weekends.
- KindleFest early December
German style Christmas market in Kerrytown for the holiday season.
Best things to do in Ann Arbor
Michigan Stadium
The largest stadium in the US and the defining Ann Arbor experience on a Michigan home football Saturday.
Nichols Arboretum
Free 123 acre arboretum with river trails, prairie and woods, and the locals favourite walk from campus.
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Free university art museum with strong Asian, African and modern holdings in the middle of Central Campus.
Law Quadrangle
Collegiate Gothic cloisters and a stunning law library reading room, quietest on a weekday morning.
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Free museum of Egyptian, Greek and Near Eastern material across from UMMA and far less crowded.
The Ark
A 400 seat nonprofit listening room for folk and roots music where audiences actually listen.
Michigan Theater
A restored 1928 movie palace with a Barton organ, repertory film, comedy and concerts on Liberty Street.
State Theatre
A renovated Art Deco cinema a block from the Michigan, pairing arthouse film with a classic date night.
Where to stay in Ann Arbor
Downtown / Central Campus
first trip, all-round base
Walk to restaurants, The Ark, UMMA, Literati and Kerrytown, with a walk or shuttle to the Big House.
Kerrytown / North Downtown
food-focused and market stays
Quieter part of the walkable core, closest to the Farmers Market, Zingerman's Deli and the north side.
South Campus / Briarwood area
families, business and medical visits
Cheaper chains with free parking and highway access, but a 10 minute drive from the walkable town experience.
West Side
Weber's stays and west-side business
Weber's itself is a destination, but the rest of Jackson Road is drive everywhere suburbia.
North Campus / Plymouth Road
North Campus engineering, medical and research visits only
Quiet and car dependent, far from downtown dining, so do not base a leisure trip here.
Think twice about
- Washtenaw Avenue corridor toward Ypsilanti
Not dangerous, but car dependent, noisy and charmless, turning a walkable trip into a driving trip.
- Plymouth Road and US-23 motel strips
Not dangerous, but car dependent and far from downtown, turning a walkable trip into a driving trip.
Best restaurants in Ann Arbor
Echelon Kitchen + Bar
Wood fired, chef driven fine dining and a chefs counter tasting built on Michigan product.
Spencer
Seasonal new American restaurant, cheese bar and wine bar, with lunch the best value fine food in town.
Miss Kim
Ji Hye Kim Korean restaurant in Kerrytown, nationally relevant and unusually strong for gluten free diners.
Peridot
Vietnamese influenced small plates and an award winning upstairs cocktail bar, built for grazing dinners.
Zingerman's Delicatessen
The 1982 deli icon, expensive sandwiches that locals still queue for, starting with the Reuben.
Aventura
Spanish tapas and paella in a historic downtown building, best with a group ordering across the menu.
Sava's
The State Street all rounder locals send visitors to, strong for brunch and mixed groups alike.
Frita Batidos
Cuban inspired fritas and tropical batidos, fast, joyful and open late, the cheap eats headliner.
Outdoor things to do in Ann Arbor
Argo Livery
City livery for the Argo to Gallup river run and the Argo Cascades, nine small drops on a gentle float.
Gallup Park Livery
City livery at Gallup Park for still water paddling on Gallup Pond and the end of the Argo run.
Border-to-Border Trail
Free paved riverfront trail linking Gallup, Fuller, Bandemer and Barton parks, the best long run in town.
Nichols Arboretum
Hill and river trails in the Arb make a proper half day hike without leaving the city.
Bird Hills Nature Area
The locals pick for real woods hiking, 206 acres of hilly beech and maple forest with far fewer people.
Barton Nature Area
Floodplain trails and birding along Barton Pond, linked to Bird Hills and the Arb by the B2B Trail.
University of Michigan Golf Course
A MacKenzie and Maxwell college course across from the Big House, with views of the stadium.
Radrick Farms Golf Course
An early Pete Dye design, tougher and more wooded than the UM course and loved by serious local players.
Best hotels in Ann Arbor
The Vanguard Ann Arbor, Autograph Collection
The new top end hotel north of downtown, a class above on room quality, walkable to campus and Kerrytown.
Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor
Best location plus character in town, collegiate design directly across from Central Campus.
Bell Tower Hotel
Old world campus hotel on the Diag, quiet and elegant with a loyal alumni and parents clientele.
Residence Inn by Marriott Ann Arbor Downtown
Suites with kitchens and breakfast included, the family and group downtown winner with full walkability.
Weber's Boutique Hotel & Restaurant
Family owned since 1937, part hotel and part supper club resort with pool, jazz bar and prime rib.
Is Ann Arbor expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $100 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $200 a person |
| Splurge | $450 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Michigan Stadium: months ahead
- The Ark: a few days ahead
- Michigan Theater: a few days ahead
- Decode Ann Arbor: a few days ahead
- Hill Auditorium: months ahead
- Argo Livery: a few days ahead
- Gallup Park Livery: a few days ahead
- University of Michigan Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Downtown hotels for football, graduation and Art Fair need booking months ahead.
- Echelon Chefs Counter and Miss Kim and Spencer weekend dinners need weeks ahead.
- The Ark headline shows, Michigan Theater special events and Decode groups need days ahead.
- Kayak rentals on summer Saturdays and UM golf tee times need booking as early as possible.
Is Ann Arbor safe?
- Ann Arbor is a safe, affluent, low violent crime city with no visitor area to avoid on safety grounds.
- Visible homelessness exists around Liberty Plaza, the library and transit centre and the Delonis Center.
- Watch drinks and bags in crowded student bars, where opportunistic theft is the main friction.
- Do not leave visible valuables in cars, as break ins in lots and garages are the most reported visitor crime.
- Michigan winter ice, snow and summer thunderstorms injure more visitors than crime does.
Ann Arbor travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Driving to a football game and expecting to park near the stadium means surge prices and gridlock.
- Art Fair week is overwhelming and hotel prices spike, so pick another July weekend if not coming for it.
- Zingerman's sandwiches cost what they cost, so split a Reuben first time if budget matters.
- Do not confuse the Ford Library in Ann Arbor with the Ford Museum in Dearborn.
- Highway hotels advertised as minutes from campus are minutes by car, not walkable.
Getting around Ann Arbor: public transport and more
- Walk downtown and campus; most of what's worth seeing is within reach of a downtown hotel.
- Use TheRide buses for Matthaei, Briarwood and North Campus instead of rideshare surge.
- Use downtown garages in town, and FootballRide or Art Fair park and ride shuttles on event days.
- For DTW, Michigan Flyer AirRide coach is the locals default without a car.
- Amtrak Wolverine stops north of downtown but runs only a few trains daily, so plan around the timetable.
Who Ann Arbor suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Ann Arbor your trip
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