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Ann Arbor is a leafy college city in southeastern Michigan, set along the winding Huron River about 40 miles west of Detroit. It was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, who named it after their wives, both named Ann, and the arbors of trees on the land. The University of Michigan moved here from Detroit in 1837, and the town has grown up with the university ever since, becoming one of the best known college towns in America.
Today Ann Arbor has about 120,000 residents, roughly a third of them students, and a sophisticated, progressive culture far bigger than its size. The University of Michigan's central campus blends with the downtown streets of Main Street, State Street and Kerrytown, which are filled with independent bookstores, cafes, galleries and acclaimed restaurants, including the famous Zingerman's Delicatessen. On fall Saturdays more than 107,000 fans pack Michigan Stadium, known as the Big House, the largest stadium in the United States.
Culture and nature are close at hand. The University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and the Museum of Natural History are free to visit, and the Michigan Theater and Hill Auditorium host films, concerts and touring performers. The Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, known for its spring peony garden, offer peaceful escapes, and the Huron River is perfect for kayaking and tubing through Gallup Park and Argo Cascades. The Ann Arbor Art Fair each July is one of the largest in the country.
The historic heart of the university, with the Diag, the Michigan Union, Burton Memorial Tower, the Law Quadrangle and the Hatcher Graduate Library. It is open to walk anytime; the Law Quad's Gothic reading room is worth a look when classes are not in session.
Known as The Big House, this is the largest stadium in the United States, seating over 107,000 fans for Michigan Wolverines football on fall Saturdays. On game days the whole city fills up with tailgates, so book lodging early; outside the season you can see it from Main Street.
A restored 1928 movie palace on East Liberty Street with an ornate auditorium and a working Barton theater organ, now showing independent and classic films, concerts and live events. The organ is often played before screenings; check the program for festival and special shows.
UMMA is a free museum on State Street with about 25,000 works spanning African, Asian, European and American art, housed in a 1910 Beaux-Arts building joined to a modern wing. It is an easy hour-long stop between campus and downtown and hosts frequent free talks.
Known locally as the Arb, this 123-acre landscape along the Huron River has trails, meadows and the Peony Garden, which holds one of North America's largest collections of historic peonies. Visit in late May or early June for peak bloom; entry is free and open daily.
University of Michigan gardens northeast of town with a conservatory of tropical, temperate and desert plants, outdoor gardens, a bonsai and penjing collection and several miles of nature trails. Entry to the gardens and conservatory is free; there is a small hourly parking fee.
The Kerrytown district holds a covered farmers market, independent food shops and Zingerman's Delicatessen, famous since 1982 for its corned beef sandwiches and artisan breads. Go on a Saturday morning for the market, and expect a line at the deli at lunch time.
Ann Arbor's main downtown strip is lined with restaurants, bars, galleries and independent shops, and closes to traffic for summer events such as the Ann Arbor Art Fair. It is a good place for an evening meal; street parking is metered and garages sit a block off the street.
Gallup Park lines a quiet stretch of the Huron River with a paved path, playgrounds, picnic areas and a livery renting canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. The path is part of the Border-to-Border Trail; a popular summer trip is floating downstream from Argo Cascades.
A free university museum on State Street with about 100,000 ancient artifacts from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, including mummy coffins, glass, coins and finds from the museum's own digs at sites like Karanis. It is small enough to see in about an hour.
Housed in the Biological Sciences Building, this free museum shows mastodon and dinosaur skeletons, Michigan wildlife, evolution exhibits and a planetarium with regular shows. The fossils hang in a bright atrium; planetarium tickets are sold separately and can sell out.
A science center in a historic 1882 firehouse downtown with more than 250 interactive exhibits on light, sound, physics, the human body and Michigan nature, plus a preschool gallery. Plan around two hours with kids; it is a good rainy-day choice in the city.
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