Here’s Capital Gains’ look at visiting East Lansing. Also check out our guides to investing in and moving to East Lansing.When college students and Michigan State University (MSU) alumni think of East Lansing, two familiar favorites immediately come to mind: Spartan sports and beer.
While MSU does indeed have a plethora of exciting sports to offer year-round, and is surrounded by restaurants and bars flowing with cold beer, the area has a lot more to offer.
People and families outside the college crowd visit East Lansing because it’s a fun, sustainable, manageable city that has plenty of recreational activities for people of all ages.
Visitors can spend the day shopping at area boutiques, taking a stroll through campus near the Red Cedar River, visiting art galleries, taking in a show at the
Wharton Center, or hanging around one of East Lansing’s many festivals. It’s also just a bus ride away from the state Capitol building, which offers visitors a glimpse into the state’s political structure and the region’s history.
ShoppingShopping is good in downtown
East Lansing any time of year. Independent businesses, like the quaint clothing and jewelry boutique,
Mad Eagle, thrive in downtown East Lansing because residents look to them for individuality that can’t be found in a chain store.
So, while the must-shop Mad Eagle carries well known brands such as Fossil, it also offers unique clothing and accessories made by local artists. If you like fashion, think twice before entering Mad Eagle. It’s extremely easy to overspend in this shop!
Mackerel Sky is another fun place to find local artists' wares for sale or appreciation.
On weekends, it can be difficult to move in
Flat, Black & Circular (FBC to the locals), an extremely popular local music dealer crammed with thousands of new and used CDs and vinyl. If Britney Spears is taking space from your favorite musician at the big megastore, head to Flat Black and Circular. They’ll have what you’re looking for.
Unique non-music shopping destinations include vintage clothing storeU,
Scavenger Hunt, and the independent bookseller,
Curious Book Shop.
Food and entertainmentWhether you’re looking for a frothy organic cappuccino, a glass of Michigan Riesling, or the featured brew at a local pub, you’ll find it here.
East Lansing has a lot of great coffee shops, including hometown favorite
Biggby’s,
Espresso Royal, the
Green River Café, and the ubiquitous Starbucks. The Green River Café is a new coffee shop that uses locally grown food and organic products to make delicious coffee, scones, soups, sandwiches and salads.
Those seeking a different kind of jolt have a wide selection, including
P.T. O’Malley’s,
Harpers,
Club 131, the
Riviera (Riv), and
Rick’s American Café, where copious numbers of college students and young professionals release their inhibitions on the weekends.
Michigander toughness shines through in early May, when college students brave 50 degree temperatures to clamber up to
El Azteco’s roof-top patio for some queso and margaritas. With delicious burritos and tacos, the restaurant is well-known for its queso dip, but the chip-based, lettuce- cheese- bean- and meat-topped topopo salad is an even bigger seller at El Azteco. Try saying that correctly after a pitcher of margs!
Not only is East Lansing home to the topopo salad, it’s also home to the olive burger. The signature burger, smothered in a green olive/mayonnaise mix with a little Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato, is delicious.
Both
Crunchy’s and the
Peanut Barrel make excellent olive burgers. While the kids might not go for an olive burger, they’ll love throwing peanut shells on the floor at the East Lansing institution known as the Peanut Barrel. There’s something gratifying about smashing peanut shells under your feet as you leave a restaurant, and the Barrel’s outdoor patio seats are coveted from the first semi-warm day of spring to the last chilly autumn day.
El Azteco and the Peanut Barrel have the big three – good food, cold drink and great ambiance – but you need to head to
Beggars Banquet if you want a fancier dinner.
Beggars Banquet always packs a crowd, but is especially popular on Wednesday nights, when it sells its hundreds of wines for half price. Beggars draws a really diverse crowd of college students, professionals and MSU academics.
The food is good too, which is why you have to get in early, or make a reservation on Friday and Saturday nights.
Outdoor family funEast Lansing’s exciting night life and nationally recognized sports teams bring in college students, but the area’s outdoor and cultural activities also make it a great place to bring the family.
Near the downtown East Lansing area, you can get some exercise on the Red Cedar Trail. The Red Cedar is a gorgeous river that runs through MSU’s campus, and links up to the Lansing River Trail all the way into downtown Lansing and Old Town. In the summer, you can rent canoes or kayaks on campus, and float downstream or toss your fishing line in the water.
The City of East Lansing has also looked out for its many families by putting in a massive soccer and softball complex, nearly five miles of running trail, and a new Family Aquatic Center.
Families heading outdoors for the day can start at the East Lansing Soccer complex, which is a five minute drive from downtown.
There, they can either kick a ball around, head over to the two softball fields or hop on the Northern Tier Trail and continue on to the Family Aquatic Center. The Center features a 190-foot tube water slide, 140-foot body water slide, a drop slide and a diving board.
The Northern Tier Trail runs through eight city parks, so if the Family Aquatic Center isn’t open, it’s easy to spend an hour at one of East Lansing’s many well-kept recreational areas.
MSU offers a wide variety of indoor event centers, including the Wharton Center, as well. The Wharton Center attracts a wide array of big-time Broadway shows, like Wicked and Riverdance. This is a good stopover for families who need a little imaginative exercise.
Directions to East Lansing
From the North:
Take US-127 south toward Lansing. Take the exit toward I-69/Grand River Avenue/M-43. Turn left onto MI-43 East/East Saginaw St./I-69. Turn left on Abbot Road and arrive in downtown East Lansing.
From the East:
Take I-69 west toward Lansing. Merge onto US-127 via exit 89A toward Lansing/Jackson. Take the exit toward I-69/Grand River Avenue/M-43. Turn left on Abbot Road and arrive in downtown East Lansing.
Take I-96 west toward Lansing and merge onto I-496 West/US-127 North via exit 106B toward downtown Lansing. Take US-127 North via exit 8 toward Clare. Take the exit toward Kalamazoo Street/Michigan Avenue. Turn right onto East Michigan Avenue. Turn left on Abbot Road and arrive in downtown East Lansing.
From the South:
Take US-127 north toward Lansing. Take exit 8 toward Clare. Take the exit toward Kalamazoo Street/Michigan Avenue. Turn right on East Michigan Avenue. Turn left onto Abbot Road and arrive in downtown East Lansing.
Take I-69 north toward Lansing and merge onto I-496 East via Exit 95 toward downtown Lansing. Take the US-127 North exit 8 toward East Lansing/Flint. Turn right on East Michigan Avenue. Turn left on Abbot Road and arrive in downtown East Lansing.
From the West:
Take I-96 west toward Lansing and merge onto I-69 North via exit 89 toward Flint. Merge onto US-127 South via exit 89A toward East Lansing/Jackson. Take the exit toward i-69/Grand River Avenue/M-43. Turn left on MI-43/East Saginaw Street. Turn left on Abbot Road and arrive in downtown East Lansing.
Ivy Hughes is the Development Editor for Capital Gains and can be reached here.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Wharton Center on MSU's campus
Clothing and jewelry boutique Mad Eagle
FBC
Harpers
Wine night at Beggars Banquet
Sunbathing along the Red Cedar Trail
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie