Attractions

Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. Interactive scientific education for kids of all ages.

http://www.aahom.org/

Kerrytown. Dozens of unique shops and restaurants in a restored historic warehouse complex. Seventeen-bell chime can be played by visitors (the only bell tower in the US that the public is invited to play).

http://kerrytown.com

University of Michigan:

Museum of Natural History. Permanent exhibits on dinosaurs, Michigan wildlife, and Native American Culture plus changing exhibits.

http://www.exhibits.lsa.umich.edu/New/Welcome.html

Kelsey Museum of Archeology. Showcasing ancient civilizations from the Mediterranean, including Egypt , Greece and Rome.

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/

Museum of Art . One of the finest university art collections in the country.

http://www.umma.umich.edu/

Matthei Botanical Gardens. 350 acres contain outdoor nature trails and an indoor conservancy with 1200 rare and exotic plant species.

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg/

Nichols Arboretum, 123 acre arboretum adjacent to central campus. Collections include a spectacular 75-year-old, 27-bed peony garden (the peonies should be blooming in late May).

http://www.umich.edu/~wwwarb/

Law Quadrangle, one of the nation’s supreme architectural landmarks, built in 1933, modeled after Oxford University. The library stained glass windows have university seals from around the world.

http://www.law.umich.edu/virtualtour/lawquad/index.htm

Michigan Union. A plaque commemorates the announcement of the Peace Corps during a campaign stop by John F. Kennedy in 1960. Spin the cube.

http://www.umich.edu/~munion/

Michigan Stadium. Largest college football stadium in the country with a seating capacity of 107,501. Open to the public 8:30am-4:30pm.

http://www.umich.edu/~info/stadium.html

Wave Field, interactive sculpture by internationally-acclaimed artist Maya Lin (on north campus).

http://www.fxbfoundation.org/maya.htm

University Musical Society, selected as one of the five most influential arts presenters in America, offers classical, jazz, and world music, opera, theater, etc.

http://www.ums.org

Attractions near Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection. A collection of “orphan” cars (brands no longer in existence).

Located in Ypsilanti (15 mins from A2)

http://www.ypsiautoheritage.org/

Yankee Air Museum . Located in a hanger where B-24 “Liberator” bombers were mass-produced during WWII at the rate of one an hour. Museum contains dozens of flyable classic military aircraft. Flights are offered on the B-17 on Wednesday nights during the summer ($400/person).

http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/

Located in Belleville (20 mins from A2).

Ford Rouge Factory Tour: Completely renovated, environmentally-friendly factory. See the popular F-150 trucks being produced, and the world’s largest “living” roof (planted with sod).

Located in Dearborn (40 mins from A2).

http://www.hfmgv.org/rouge/default.asp

Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village: The largest indoor/outdoor museum in the US. Outlines the American transition from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrial one. Exhibits of machines from the industrial revolution (and of course lots of cars). Greenfield Village contains Edison’s laboratory (shipped from Menlo Park, NJ), Orville & Wilbur Wright’s bicycle shop from Dayton, OH, and a replica of the factory where the first Model T’s were made using the techniques of mass production.

http://www.hfmgv.org
Located in Dearborn (40 mins from A2).

Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Showcasing cars and the people who built them. Located in Auburn Hills (60 mins from A2)

http://www.museum.chrysler.com