Before I visited Ann Arbor, I knew the basic facts: it’s located 45-minutes from Detroit and home to one of the top-ranked public universities in the US. Most of the 120,000 plus city-population are students (45,000) and 30,000 are employees of the university. Thanks to a top-notch IT program churning out skilled grads, the city is also becoming known as a tech hub (Google has an office here now).

What I did not know is that over the past few years, Ann Arbor has been voted one of the top small cities in the US to live. The same reasons that make Ann Arbor a great place to live, also make it an awesome destination to visit.

Lots to Learn
Local museums tend to be co-owned with the university or heavily collaborate, keeping them innovative and cutting edge. Allow yourself at least half a day to visit each of these.

The University of Michigan Museum of Art has 150 years of collecting under its belt, resulting in a permanent collection of 18,000 works of art, with specialization in Chinese/Japanese paintings, Chinese ceramics and Tiffany architectural glass. When a recent student-poll showed that “they didn’t see themselves visiting here”, a massive re-design was undertaken resulting in a more interactive experience and introducing more contemporary and global influences (including becoming known as a centre for Inuit art). The museum has now been voted #1 public university museum in the US. 

The University of Michigan Natural History Museum did more than an update--the brand new building just had its final phase opening in November of 2019, and now houses 1,841 cool displays and artifacts covering geology, evolution of life and climate change. Even cooler, though, is the fact that the design integrated actual science labs where you can watch students/faculty working.

When the Hands-On Museum opened in 1982, it was the first of its kind in the world. With a focus towards educating kids, the nine galleries have more than 250 interactive exhibits, teaching a range of science-y things like how high efficiency plumbing works or why plaque lives on your teeth. Try to visit before January 5, to catch the temporary World Without Ice exhibit, a spine-tingling multi-media film focused on Earth’s climate change.

“We study other people’s garbage!” says Cathy Person, educational and academic outreach coordinator at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. You will learn why one person’s garbage is another’s treasure when you view the 1,500 artifacts (they have over 100,000 in storage). The cuneiform tablets (pre-alphabet syllabic writing) from the Mesopotamian region, the coffin of Djehutymose (an ancient Egyptian priest) and an entire room dedicated to a reproduction of the Villa of Mysteries, a villa unearthed at Pompeii, were real highlights for me.

A stop at the Matthei Botanical Gardens to check out plants from tropical, temperate and arid biomes and the 40-year old koi fish is also a lovely place to avoid the winter chill (also lovely in summer as acres of display gardens come alive).

Get Into Your Sports Groove

The University of Michigan Stadium, known as “the Big House”, is the second largest stadium in the world (largest is in North Korea). Built in 1927, the stadium has expanded several times through the years, and according to our guide, is committed to holding its second-place standing. Book a tour (they’re popular, so reserve on-line at least two weeks in advance) to visit restricted areas, like the press box, home team locker room and the stadium field and to learn fun facts  like why there’s a crane buried under the stadium. If you want to attend a Wolverines game, you’ll also need to plan well in advance--over 90,000 of the 107,601 seats are already taken by season’s ticket holders.

Amazing Food Scene

Another reason Ann Arbor is receiving a lot of buzz is for its dining scene. Located in the middle of farm country, fresh ingredients are plentiful, and due to the international diversity of the university population, ethnic eateries abound (there are plenty of award-winning classic American cuisine restaurants as well). Following are some of my dining favourites. 

In my opinion, sharing small plates is one of the best ways to eat, so I love Aventura’s traditional Spanish comfort dishes, paellas and menu of more than 25 tapas, like wonderful crispy patatas bravas.   

Ayse’s is a homey, family-style café located in a strip mall, serving traditional Turkish food. There’s no menu, but rather a white board that lists daily specials. My fave was manti, Ayse’s signature dumplings stuffed with lamb and smothered in garlic yogurt and butter sauce.

Casablanca, housed in an old Taco Bell building in nearby Ypsilanti, serves up tasty Moroccan and middle-eastern cuisine like tagines, zalouks and my bite of the day--bastilla, a sweet, spicy meat, egg and almond concoction in a flaky phyllo pastry.

Finally, don’t miss Miss Kim, a Korean restaurant.  Miss Kim says her inspiration is “What if my grandma was here; what would she cook?” The result is a meshing of ancestral Korean street food with seasonal Michigan ingredients in a delightful presentation (think dumplings, bibimbap and all sorts of fermented veggies). Be sure to try the street-style tteokbokki, rice cake batons sautéed with house-made gochujang and a poached egg on top. Oh, and if you haven’t tried soju (the Korean equivalent to Japanese sake), you must.

Later After Dinner

We all know that where there are university students, there is nightlife. Ann Arbor has a very walkable downtown, so I stayed at the Graduate Hotel (filled with quirky references to campus life) and walked everywhere.  

At Nightcap, Ann Arbor’s newest cocktail bar on Main Street, the cocktail is as much about presentation as taste. Creation techniques are modern, like the use of liquid nitrogen to muddle herbs or a centrifugal machine to separate liquids for layered drinks.

In true speakeasy style, there’s no exterior sign to help you find the Last Word (it’s at 301 W Huron Street). Once you’re in this hidden gem, however, you’ll quickly figure out why its been voted #1 craft cocktail bar in the state--there’s good jazz and a cute book-shaped menu filled with fun cocktail options.

If folk and roots music is your thing, there’s The Ark, where they offer live music 300 nights of the year. The Ark has been going strong since 1965, providing a venue to see top-notch performers travelling the music circuit between Detroit and Chicago,

For a club vibe, head to The Blind Pig, where most nights you’ll catch local DJs and rappers entertaining the crowd. After that, you’ll still have time to get your dance on, so LIVE or Necto are the clubs to hit. Both also host weekly LGBTQ parties.

For more info to plan your visit, go to Destination Ann Arbor.