Click here for my Ann Arbor itinerary, University Days 80s and 90s Spotify playlist, and Destination Ann Arbor + The Mint Chip Mama Podcast!
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is one of the top academic institutions in the world. As a student, you feel it. As a visitor, you feel it. Walking around – you feel it, it’s simply in the air. It’s a gift to be on campus and absorb the energy. More than that, the city of Ann Arbor is filled with world-class museums and all kinds of activities and natural beauty that one can enjoy.
Add in public sculptures, murals, mosaics, edible gardens, fairy doors, and more, and there’s no shortage of beauty. As a student, I frequented many of these spots, so I couldn’t wait to show them to my family on our recent trip.
With that said, I never made it to Nichols Arb as a student (I KNOW!), so finally visiting it after 25 years was a dream come true. However, it’s safe to say that as an eighteen-year-old freshman living nearby in Alice Lloyd Hall, hikes were the last thing on my mind, so I can’t fault my younger self too much.
Also new to me was touring Michigan Stadium, participating in a Zingerman’s mozzarella-making class, visiting Wolverine Pickleball, and kayaking down the Huron River.
I loved seeing my beloved city in a new light with so much to do outside of the University. All of these activities, plus the incredible food we ate all week, confirm Ann Arbor is the ideal family vacation destination.
The Spinning Cube aka Endover
As all students and alumni know, spinning Endover (the interactive CorTen steel sculpture known as “The Cube”) is one of the most famous things to do on central campus and a rite of passage. My kids loved playing with it, and I loved how it kept them engaged for longer than expected so I could sit down and rest. Additionally, they found it equally fun to push and pull, and tested this theory on repeat. As a New Yorker, every time I visit Alamo, her sister cube in Astor Place, it brings me right back to my happy college days and the art in Ann Arbor. The Cube is located right next to the Student Activity Building in Regents Plaza, off of E. Jefferson.
Graffiti Alley
Graffiti Alley on E. Liberty is tucked away right next to the Michigan Theatre. This hidden spot, filled with beautiful, ever-changing artwork, quickly became one of my new favorites. With its colorfully decorated dual passages, it’s the city’s underground counteroffer to its plentiful array of commissioned murals. Plus, it’s exciting because if you don’t know where to find it, you’ll miss it, adding to the fun. This is my second time visiting, and both times it was just so cool. It’s definitely worth a stop, even if you just do it for the cool photo op (that rhymes!). Be on the lookout for my favorite artist, who just writes “farts” over and over. Why? I don’t know, making it even more funny!
Fairy Doors
Ann Arbor has something for everyone. Besides big art exploding in all directions, there’s tiny art, too. We loved looking for the hidden fairy doors around campus and downtown. My two favorites were right outside the Michigan Theatre’s front door and inside Nichols Arcade. Some of them open up to little surprises, and others are sealed for the fairy’s protection. It was fun keeping an eye out for these little doors and super exciting when we found one! Click here for a map.
The University Of Michigan’s Art Museums
As a world-class university, it’s no surprise that U of M has so many top-notch museums. It’s actually quite incredible how many options are available on one campus. Plus, admission is free, making them great activities for a rainy day or when you have the urge to pop in for a quick dose of culture in between classes.
Two of my favorites are the Museum of Art and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Both of these acted as on-campus refuges for me as a student, bringing a little bit of culture into my learning experience for four years. I loved bringing my kids back to visit them and was so impressed by the updates and tech expansions since the 90s.
Museum of Art (UMMA)
The University of Michigan’s Museum of Art (UMMA) holds such a special place in my heart (there I go rhyming again!). I used to come here regularly as a student and walk the halls to give myself a mental break from studying (not to mention I loved the gift shop!). Returning to the UMMA and seeing it through my kid’s eyes was really cool. They especially loved the museum scavenger hunt, which kept them engaged, curious, and interested. Plus, the light-filled rooms have high ceilings, there are lots of nice places to sit, and the pretty café is a great location to people watch or to study.
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology – housed in a beautiful stone mansion – was one of my favorite spots as an undergrad. There was always something so magical about this museum. I felt like I was entering a secret time warp each visit, and I couldn’t wait to show it to my family. While I remember it being much smaller and more intimate, the expansions (and updated State Street entrance) simply made the museum cooler. My kids loved all of the historical artifacts and especially the frescoed carbon copy of Room 5 from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. My favorite was the modern-day comparison of the Michigan Wolverine football helmet to the ancient Warrior’s helmet. We also loved learning how the artifacts were unearthed by a Michigan professor and his students.
The First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor
While I’ve never actually been inside this church, I’ve always admired its size and beauty. Located right on the corner of State Street and E. William Street, its stone façade and rotating lawn art always caught my eye. Plus, it has a historical plaque talking about the church’s history in Ann Arbor dating back to 1847, and you know I loves me a good historical plaque! I also love rainbows, and when we visited, there was a beautiful rainbow door sculpture on the lawn that welcomed all to enter.
Main Street Areas
Not surprisingly, the Main Street area is the center of downtown Ann Arbor. This is one of two OG areas that made me fall in love with the University in 1996 (the other is the diag). There are tons of restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, and unique stores. Plus, even more museums, murals, comic book stores, squares offering live music, quirky bookstores, handmade and local offerings, and everything in between. Walking downtown to this area – especially at night – is just magical.
Kerrytown And Ringing The Kerrytown Chime
Kerrytown is filled with history, cobblestones, and lots of natural and man-made art. Walking around this area is guaranteed to make you smile, especially due to the great restaurants, including the original Zingerman’s Delicatessen. You can spend hours here wandering around, enjoying yourself. Kerrytown is a feast for the senses, including your ears. During select days and times (Wednesdays and Fridays 12pm – 12:30pm, Saturdays 10:30am – 11am, as of Fall 2025), you can hear the historic Kerrytown chime ringing in the air. Even better, you can ring it yourself! Just head up to the second floor of the Kerrytown Market and Shops and wait in line.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
Visiting the Matthaei Botanical Gardens brought back so many great memories from my favorite class, Practical Botany. I remember being a little freshman and planning to take this class senior year to fulfill my natural science requirement. However, I never could have predicted how much influence this class would have on my life. We spent countless hours in the greenhouses learning about plants, and while it was more than expected, it was relaxing, fun, and cemented me forever as an obsessive plant person. Sharing this place with my family was so special. Plus, add in the countless trails, gardens, and beautiful natural elements, and it’s the perfect family destination. In case you were wondering, I got an A in this four-credit class, which saved my GPA!
Nichols Arboretum
Hidden in the University of Michigan’s hill area is the 123-acre Nichols Arboretum, locally known as “the arb”. This beautiful, lush, trail-filled spot offers countless opportunities for exercise and inner peace. Somehow, I missed visiting the arb for four years as a student, so it was at the top of my list for this trip. I couldn’t believe I was finally relaxing on one of the nature-inspired benches and taking in the beautiful landscape. With different foliage and blooms in each season, the arb is the perfect year-round destination for people of all ages. Plus, there’s free admission, so you can just pop in at your leisure.
Michigan Stadium Tour
Michigan Stadium is iconic. It’s the biggest stadium in the country (holding over 107K people!) and home to the incredible Michigan Wolverines football team. As a student, going to a football game was one of the most exciting things to do in all of Ann Arbor. As an adult, it’s even better knowing the full force of the energy and looking forward to the inertia. Touring the stadium (and trying on a National Championship ring!) was a dream come true and one of our favorite activities of the trip. The athletic department offers tours throughout the week, and I can’t emphasize enough how COOL it was! It.Was.So.Cool!
We toured the home and away team locker rooms, different areas of the stadium, and the pièce de résistance, the football field. We even pretended to be players as we entered the tunnel onto the field, by jumping up and tapping the “Go Blue” sign. My kids went bananas over throwing a football on the Michigan field and making faux touchdowns (watch it here). Ok, I went bananas… but they all indulged me and joined in too. Of all the things one can do on campus as a returning alum, this was, hands down, the absolute best. Thanks again to Jim, our beyond-patient tour guide, who indulged us beyond our wildest dreams.
Wolverine Pickleball
Since pickleball is sweeping the nation – including within our family – Wolverine Pickleball was a great addition to our itinerary. This beautiful indoor pickleball “stadium” houses twelve Pickleball courts, a great lounge, and a cool self-serve draft pour station. We were lucky enough to spend the first hour with a Pickleball pro before letting loose and dinking amongst ourselves for an hour of open play. As an added bonus, Wolverine Pickleball is open late, making it the perfect family-friendly evening activity (and knocking my kids out before bed)!
Kayaking On The Huron River At Argo Park
Kayaking on the Huron River was by far one of our favorite Ann Arbor highlights. In fact, it may be my overall favorite experience of the year; it was just stunning! We started at Argo Park and coasted the two miles to Gallup Park amongst birds, aquatic life, and natural beauty. I never knew this existed, and it showed me a completely new view of Ann Arbor (literally and figuratively).
From our kayaks (my nine-year-old son and I had a double, my 11-year-old son and husband had a double, and our 15-year-old daughter had a solo), we saw birds, fish, and even turtles! Our favorite part was shooting down the nine natural cascades (fun little slides) at the beginning of the tour before opening up to the very calm Huron River. While an important part of kayaking is, of course, paddling, we opted to just relax and let the river’s current glide us instead. With that said, it made the otherwise ninety-minute trip take double the amount of time, and we couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Mozzarella Making Class
I know I already spoke about this Zingerman’s class in my Ann Arbor foodie post, but it was so enjoyable, I had to mention it again. This was – by far – one of the coolest classes we’ve ever taken. The teachers, Connor and Frank, were so patient and knowledgeable. My three kids shot them question after question about cheese, and they answered all of them without skipping a beat. Including telling them how much math is involved in cheese making, which my kids didn’t like. We made several different types of mozzarella cheese, including string cheese and burrata. They were so much fun to make, and even more fun to eat afterwards. This class was a great family activity, and even cooler because it’s downstairs in the deli, giving you an inside peek into the magical Zingerman’s empire! I cannot recommend this experience enough!
Ann Arbor Is A GREAT Family Vacation Destination!
Click here for my full Ann Arbor itinerary! But wait, there’s more – listen to my Spotify playlist while planning your trip, on your trip, or simply fantasizing about your old college days in the 90s. It’s chock full of songs that remind me of my university days from 1996-2000. Aka it’s the best late 90s playlist you’ll find that will bring you right back to Rick’s! Thong Song and all… I accidentally went a bit overboard while creating it, and it’s over 24 hours long, whoops! Thank you to my partner, Destination Ann Arbor, for inviting this proud, obsessed Michigan alumni back to campus and gifting us this incredible family vacation.
Be sure to check out my other Ann Arbor posts: Ann Arbor, Michigan Is One Of The Coolest Foodie Cities! and 25 Years Of My University Of Michigan Alumni Obsession.
Ann Arbor Art Related Hashtags
#DestinationAnnArbor #AnnArbor #Michigan #NicholsArboretum #KelseyMuseumofArchaeology #UofM #GoBlue #UMMA #GraffitiAlley #PublicArt #Endover #TheCube #MatthaeiBotanicalGardens #VisitAnnArbor #WingedHelmet #Wolverines #Zingermans #EdibleGarden #WashtenawCounty #UMich #UniversityOfMichigan #UniversityOfMichiganAnnArbor #AnnArborMI #AnnArborMichigan #AnnArborMoms #PureMichigan #FamilyVacationInspo #HailToTheVictors #LetsGoBlue #MaizeAndBlue #MichiganFootball #TheBigHouse #Wolverines #MichiganStadium #StadiumTour #ArgoPark #GallupPark #Kayaking #HuronRiver #AlwaysA2 #OutdoorRecreation
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