First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor

The First Congregational Church on William Street at State Street in Ann Arbor is a beautiful stone structure with a classic Wilhelm organ. The cornerstone was laid in 1872. The Douglas Memorial Chapel was named after Dr Lloyd C Douglas who was the minister here from 1916-1921. This great orator was the author of two famous novels, The Robe and The Magnificent Obsession, which were both made into movies.

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Happy Spring from Jolly Pumpkin, maker of Michigan's most famous sour beers. Owner and brewmeister Ron Jeffries founded this brewery in Dexter in 2004. They have a restaurant café in Ann Arbor and a tasting room up in Traverse City. Ron says the magic occurs when the beer is put into his oak barrels. Men's Journal has named his Bam Bière the 21st best beer in the US. We like it--a lot.

Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor

We were very surprised to see the Parisian-looking Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor. Built in 1918 and over 250 feet long, it has been very well maintained ad is filled with specialty shops like a florist, a tobacco shop, a barber, food stores, clothing boutiques and gift shops. Naturally, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. See if you can find the fairy door within!

Iorio's Gelateria in AnnArbor and Lansing

The gelateria in Ann Arbor called Iorio's was started by an Italian family in 2004. Their passion is delivering artisan gelato made with fresh milk, sugar, nuts, coffee, fruit and chocolate. Gelato has less fat and more flavor and we swooned over the butter pecan. They also have a space at the Lansing City Market.

WhimZ Designs in Ann Arbor by Kelley

Loved meeting Kelley Heath Faley recently from Ann Arbor, a very colorful artist who offers classes in Zentangles. This beautiful technique is portrayed in her angel wings above. We fell in love with it and had to purchase them as well as some of her darling magnetic bookmarks! In addition to her matted prints of original art, Kelley sells notecards and darling little clocks.  She'll be at the Art and Apple Festival in Rochester September 7-9.

Cupcake Station in Birmingham

Honestly, it would be best if we put on blinders when walking past Cupcake Station. These little morsels are just so mouth-watering! Every batch is made from scratch. Have you ever tried their Bump-a-licious? or their carrot cake? Lemon lust? PB & C? That would be peanut butter and chocolate. The Birmingham store was the first cupcake specialty shop in Michigan.  They have since expanded to Ferndale, Ann Arbor and Plymouth and have been voted best cupcakes in Metro Detroit.

Café Zola in Ann Arbor

Crêpes! Delicious savory and dessert crêpes! You can enjoy them and the delightful ambiance at Café Zola in Ann Arbor which opens at 7am. But wait!  There is also these little pots of French press coffee to die for and blood orange mimosas? No wonder there was a line! We love discovering something new, yet this great restaurant has been here 16 years.

Performance Theatre in Ann Arbor

God of Carnage is currently playing at the Professional Network Theatre in Ann Arbor. This top notch live acting group is celebrating its 30th year on this intimate little stage just around the corner from the Arbor Brewery. High school students get an opportunity for summer internships here learning about all aspects of theatre. The current play is 90 minutes of hilarity and is showing through February 19th. Well done, PNT!

Zingerman's Cheese Shop

Zingerman's in Ann Arbor has a second location where they made the most marvelous cheeses.  We recently tried their mozzarella and when you slice it up, serve with tomatoes and chopped basil and drizzle with olive oil, it will make your taste buds tingle.  Don't want to make the trek out to Ann Arbor? They have a booth set up at Eastern Market in Detroit!

Peony Garden in Ann Arbor

Have you noticed there's a boatload of youngsters today that can't tell the difference between petunias, pansies and peonies amongst others? Now's the time to take them on a stroll! The Peony Garden in Ann Arbor, part of the University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum, is the largest collection of these types of blooms in North America!  It is so worth a visit.  The tree peonies are in bloom right now, but the rest--which look like a massive army--are just ready to burst.  We took these photos during a gorgeous hike on Memorial Day.  Their 70 different varieties of peonies peak in mid June. They were a gift of William Upjohn and family.

Knit a Round Yarn Shop in Ann Arbor

The best source for yarn and knitting supplies in Ann Arbor is Knit A Round in the Traver Village Shopping Center. It will be celebrating its 11th anniversary in May. Suzie is wearing a handknit pair of socks as she is typing this purchased by her sister Jan from Knit A Round and knitted for her as a Christmas present.  Life doesn't get any better than this.  There are lots of books and knowledgeable personnel to help you out in your knitting projects.

Vitosha Guest Haus of Ann Arbor

Reeking ambiance--those are the kinds of places we like to stay in, and there are a plethora of bed and breakfasts in Michigan that fit this bill! We so enjoyed our girls weekend away at Vitosha's in Ann Arbor. It's almost 100 years old, but carefully maintained and filled with delightful art objects and antiques like a Holtkamp pipe organ or these Isle of Lewis chess pieces all set up inviting us to play. Transported in time to a different era, hostess Kei served us a wonderful tea on beautiful china. All their rooms are ensuite and of course, they have the obligatory wifi.

The Wave Field in Ann Arbor

The Wave Field in Ann Arbor celebrates 15 years this fall. Created by Maya Lin, it stands in memory of François-Xavier Bagnoud who was born in Switzerland and received an Aerospace Engineering degree at the Univeristy of Michigan. He was a helicopter pilot known as "The Little Prince of the Mountains", having flown over 300 rescue missions coming to the rescue of orphans and AIDS victims. He lost his life in Mali in 1986, crashing in the desert on such a mission. His mother, philanthropist Albina Du Boisrouvray, created the Association FXB in honor of her son, which continues this work today.

Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery

Ann Arbor's Blue Tractor BBQ and Brewery is filled with reclaimed barn wood planks covering the walls while various pieces of farming and tractor equipment add to the theme. The brewing equipment is behind the bar. The menu is interesting with lots of barbecue entrees, catfish and blue cheese fondue. Another Blue Tractor has opened in Traverse City as well.

Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor

We call Ann Arbor's Zingerman's Deli "An Experience". It's a restaurant like no other. There is just so much for your eyes to take in and it all makes you drool--from their homemade breads to their vast selection of cheeses. Then there are the chalk boards, the different multi level seating areas, the separate dessert building, well, it's a feast for the eyes. And did we mention the sandwiches? You've never had better. It's been in this cool historic early 1900's building for almost 30 years. Make ours on rye!

Ann Arbor Art Fair 2010

Ann Arbor's Art Fair is an event that everyone will probably want to attend more than once in their lifetime! The four-day eye-popping event ended yesterday. Many streets were blocked off as it was actually four different art fairs all within walking distance of each other. Artists from all over the world have been coming for more than 50 years to showcase their creations in U of M's shadow. This year there were a mind-boggling 1000+ booths. There were plenty of shuttles and free-parking for the half million visitors who attended. In 2011, the fair will be July 20-23. Better mark your calendars!

The Ark- enriching the human spirit

Ann Arbor's Ark was created by four churches in the early 60's to give students a stress free outlet to share music, poetry and art. Nearly 50 years later it's still afloat as its own organization with Ark members acting as crew. Iggy Pop, Gilda Radner, Arlo Guthrie are just a few of the thousands who've appeared here. Most every night of the week there's some kind of unique performance at The Ark.

Kerrytown's Spice Shop

We really enjoyed the wonderful aroma of the individual spices, dried herbs and teas from around the world at the Spice Merchants in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown Market and Shops. This Michigan based store also has locations in East Grand Rapids and Saugatuck. Their website conveniently gives you recipes by the spice.

Ann Arbor's Exhibit Museum of Natural History

The University of Michigan's Museum of Natural History showcases the natural sciences and anthropology with a special focus on Michigan. The entire second floor is dedicated to Michigan Wildlife. The children attending a birthday party here Saturday really enjoyed the mastodon and the docent's lively presentation. Who knew learning could be so much fun?

Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

A 2,000 year old sarcophagus!Ann Arbor is home to the outstanding Kelsey Museum of Archaeology with its collection of over 100,000 artifacts from the ancient and early medieval cultures of Egypt, the Middle East, Greece and Italy. This fascinating sarcophagus from the second century is so intricately carved. Do you see Bacchus and his bride in the chariot on the far left? The museum was first established by Francis W. Kelsey, a latin professor who spent every free minute buying up artifacts and going on digs. Housed in a cool 1891 building and formerly called Newberry Hall, is also a study center and research facility for scholars from around the world.