Just about an hour's drive west of Detroit, Ann Arbor, Michigan is a bustling little town with much more to offer than just the University of Michigan. A college town for grown-ups, Ann Arbor takes the best of a big city and scales it down into a condensed, walkable area that's chock-full of cultural food experiences, craft cocktail bars, and lively nightlife.
With a nonstop flight from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport to Detroit Metropolitan airport, it's a quick two-hour plane ride to get to the city. From there, you can either drive 45 minutes to Ann Arbor or take the train--tickets are cheap, ranging from $8-14 each way.
Once you're in Ann Arbor, the adventure is yours to choose. There are plenty of outdoor activities to take advantage of in the spring weather, including the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum--700 acres of gardens with of natural trails, research-quality habitats, and a conservatory. Kayaking and canoeing on the Huron River also are popular options.
There is enough shopping downtown to occupy anyone for a whole weekend, including the Kerrytown Market & Shops. The indoor mall is filled with local shops like Hollander's (a decorative paper and card shop) and Found (goods handcrafted with recycled materials). To get a taste of the state, visit Cherry Republic downtown, (offering all kinds of foods made with the famous Michigan cherries). For souvenirs, don't miss Heavy Metal, a boutique with handcrafted jewelry, gifts, purses, clothing, and shoes.
Bookworms rejoice--Ann Arbor seems to have a local book shop on every corner. Favorites include Literati (with a coffee shop on the second floor); Dawn Treader (selling used and rare books); Aunt Agatha's (a hub for mysteries, detective series, and true crime books); and Crazy Wisdom Book Store & Tea Room.
But if there are two main things Ann Arbor is known for, it's the city's incredibly diverse food scene and the depth of its art and cultural offerings. If you're interested in either, we've got the perfect itineraries for your visit.
Eat & Drink
When you visit Ann Arbor, you can taste the world. The city boasts locally owned restaurants that offer food from all corners of the globe, including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Part of that is due to the city's status as an eclectic college town, where faculty and students from all over the world combine.
"The global culture in the area influences residents' and visitors' travel decisions, love for languages, world arts and culture, and international dining," says Margaret Wyzlic, manager of communications and public relations for Destination Ann Arbor. "All these factors add up to an incredibly diverse culinary scene. Pair the restaurant diversity with all the local farms in the area, and you've got a locally driven, internationally inspired food movement."
The restaurants come in all forms--trendy, high-end, hole-in-the-wall, order-at-the-counter--so it's easy to find one that fits the experience (or budget) you desire.
For a true mom-and-pop place, there's Ayse's Turkish Cafe. Ayse's opened in 1993, serving owner Ayse Uras' homecooked Turkish food. There's no set menu, because Uras cooks according to what she can get from the butcher and the farmers market. But, if you happen to go on a day she has the beet salad, be sure to order it. The bright pink dish gets its color from thinly sliced fresh beets that are tossed with whipped yogurt and garlic--but Uras won't say much more about her secrets.
The definition of a hole-in-the-wall, Casablanca can be found in an old Taco Bell along a highway in Ypsilanti (a suburb of Ann Arbor). The restaurant serves authentic Moroccan dishes, including tagines featuring lamb, chicken, or fish; and bistilla, a dish of layered pastry stuffed with saffron chicken and spiced egg that's topped with almonds in orange blossom water, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. The entree is representative of the way Moroccan cuisine blends sweet and savory into main dishes. The food is so authentic that owner and chef Abdul Mani says, "Customers come in and say this is even better and more flavorful than what they had in Morocco." His secret? Chermoula--a Moroccan herb sauce he uses prominently in several dishes.
One of the most well-known names in food in the city, Zingerman's Delicatessen, has been serving up traditional Jewish deli food since 1982. The Zingerman Community of Businesses now includes 10 businesses. Get a massive Rueben from the Delicatessen, or venture out to Miss Kim, a trendy yet authentic Korean restaurant owned by the same group. Order their bahn mi (including several options for vegetarians including mushroom or fried vegetable bahn mi), rice bowls, and hand-rolled steamed buns. Owner Ji Hye Kim tested the concept with a food cart before traveling to New York and Korea to research Korean food and restaurants.
For a fine dining experience, Aventura offers modern Spanish tapas in a laidback atmosphere. You'll know you've found the restaurant when you see a big arrow-shaped sign with the word "Tapas" on it. The restaurant's upstairs is light and airy, while its stone-walled basement room provides a moody, romantic atmosphere. You're there for the tapas, so choose from a variety of the small plates including Croquetas De Manchego (cheese croquettes), Datiles Rellenos (bacon-wrapped dates), and Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic chili-oil). Be sure also to order one of the restaurant's six versions of paella for the table.
To cap off your evenings, Ann Arbor has plenty of bars to choose from. The Ravens Club, with a seasonal cocktail menu, is popular for its list of more than 150 American whiskeys. The Last Word, a speakeasy-type bar, gets its name from a famous cocktail called "The Last Word," popular in Detroit in the 1920s but then forgotten until it was reintroduced in Seattle in 2004. The cocktail is comprised of equal parts gin, lime juice, Chartreuse, and maraschino liqueur. It's a must-try at the downtown bar.
There are several breweries in and around the city, but one of the most-well known is Arbor Brewing Company, owned by husband-and-wife team Matt and Rene Greff, two pioneers of craft beer in the state. The brewery opened in Ann Arbor in 1995 and eventually was the first brewery to go solar. Using hybrid panels that generate solar electricity and hot water, the Greffs brew year-round staples (like the Strawberry Blonde), seasonals, and sours. Fun fact: The Brewery has an international location--in Bangalore, India. Opened in 2012 by a former employee of the brewery, it was India's first American craft brewery.
Other restaurants not to miss:
Frita Batidos: Cuban inspired street food. Try a batido (a tropical milkshake) in flavors of coconut cream, hibiscus, or fresh lime. The "Fritas" are Cuban sandwiches served on soft egg buns.
Mikette: Serves Southern French food with an emphasis on fresh seafood. The French Onion Soup with sherried onions is to die for.
Fred's: A health-focused cafe serving all the latest food trends including juices, acai bowls, and all kinds of toast, including avocado, ricotta, and nova toasts.
Get Your Art Fix
With the University of Michigan at city center, Ann Arbor benefits as a hub for cultural attractions, such as performing arts, public art, museums, galleries, and more. In fact, the University alone has nearly 60 cultural attractions in its network.
"The University of Michigan is a major player in the arts and culture scene here in Ann Arbor," Wyzlic says. "It's also influenced the rest of the area's offerings. Alumni, faculty, staff, prospective students, and arts lovers in general flock to the Ann Arbor area to open galleries, perform in community theatre, and participate in local film competitions."
One of the most well-known attractions is the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), open to students and visitors alike. The 53,000-square-foot museum at the center of campus houses a permanent collection of more than 18,000 works of art, as well as rotating exhibits.
Since Ann Arbor is such a walkable city, a walking art tour is one of the best ways to explore the city--and its art. After you visit the UMMA, there are several galleries to check out downtown. Most can be found just by wandering the streets, but two highlights include the WSG Gallery and the Ann Arbor Art Center.
WSG Gallery showcases and sells affordable work by 16 artist members, in a variety of mediums. You'll likely find at least one of the artists hanging out at the gallery, who can tell you about the art. The gallery, which has repeatedly been voted as the best fine arts gallery in Ann Arbor, also shows work from 8-10 visiting artists, chosen by the 16 members. Visiting artwork is rotated every six months.
The Ann Arbor Art Center has been promoting the arts in the city for 109 years. With four main pillars, the center serves the community through retail, exhibition, education, and community engagement. The center offers a number of classes, including ceramics, metalsmithing, drawing, and painting. A gallery space on the second floor of the center hosts exhibitions and shows, typically rotated each month. A retail shop on the main floor of the center sells goods by local artisans, including Motawi Tileworks' famous tiles.
If you're visiting Ann Arbor this month, you can celebrate FoolMoon and FestiFools, two of the city's most fun weekend events. The weekend kicks off with FoolMoon on Friday, April 6, where everyone is invited to gather in the streets and shake off the long winter with luminaries, interactive installations, laser shows, a beer tent, DJs, live dance performances, and more. FestiFools is a parade-style event on the following Sunday afternoon that features huge paper-maiche-style puppets made by members of the community and university students. It's an event that showcases the lively city and the people who have a passion for it.
Don't Forget Detroit
Make it a double and spend some time exploring Detroit on your way to or from Ann Arbor.
Granted, Detroit's image in recent decades hasn't gleamed like, say, a Cadillac fresh off an assembly line. There's no reason to cite its many woes, especially as a turnaround is happening. In fact, Lonely Planet ranked Detroit second on its 2018 rundown of top cities in the world.
Downtown is hopping. Investors are rehabbing classic buildings (a fire station converted into a hotel) and erecting new ones, people are moving in, sports and cultural venues are magnets, and it doesn't sound crazy to book a weekend here.
Use the new QLine light rail as your transporter. Toward one end are the elegant Fox Theatre and the homes of the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. Hockey and basketball pull 20,000 people to a just-opened $863 million arena that anchors a $2.1 billion sports/entertainment district. Just blocks away are Shinola (maker of everything from classy watches to classic bicycles), the Detroit Institute of Art (with its amazing Diego Rivera murals), and the Wright Museum of African American History. Ride a bit farther to the Motown Museum, one of the funkiest, most entertaining attractions anywhere.
Detroit's food scene delights. The Grey Ghost (named for a Prohibition-era rum runner) is a great example. Visit if only for a classic cocktail and the gem of the appetizer menu--an octopus corndog. - Tom Adkinson
This story appears in Birmingham magazine's April 2018 issue. Subscribe today!