Things To Do In Kalamazoo

A’vie  Health – Salon – Spa

The Kalamazoo House is proud to announce a new partnership with A’vie Salon Spa. A 20 minute scenic drive from us. Let them take care of you from head to toe! Book online for wonderful massages, facials,  pedicures, and manicures. Call directly, 269-374-4400 for Couple Massages. 

Dine at Kalamazoo Local Restaurants
Enjoy some of the best dining Kalamazoo has to offer! Follow along in our restaurant guide and try a variety of food, a great time to explore your taste buds. Call or check their website if reservations are required.

Arts & Culture
Hard to believe that a city can have it all, but the arts community in Kalamazoo is far more robust than you would ever imagine for a city of its size.

Twenty feet from Kalamazoo House, visit the highly regarded Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Its impressive Dale Chihuly sculpture is visible from the window of our Kalamazoo Suite.

Take a tour of the Historic Kalamazoo State Theatre, a 1927 “picture palace” featuring a ceiling that resembles the night sky.

Kalamazoo Valley Museum, an 8 minute walk, immerse yourself in the stories and experiences that bring us together. Discover the rich stories of our past, the scientific wonders of the future, and everything in between.

The Smithsonian-affiliated, Air Zoo Air and Space Experience. They feature more than 50 historic aircrafts and exhibits, a fantastic experience for sure.

The Gilmore Car Museum, a collection of seven museums on a 90-acre campus. You can see more than 300 vintage cars, from an 1899 steam-powered runabout to 1930s taxicabs to muscle cars, concept cars and more. There’s a motorcycle gallery, a pedal car collection, and a Model T driving school (advance reservations needed).

Revel & Roll West, A great place for fun, laughs, excitement, food, drinks, and a little friendly competition, only 9 minutes from us. Make a day or night of it with a variety of activities: bowling, axe throwing, billiards, ping-pong, arcade, and laser tag.

Escapology of Portage, A live escape game that is 11 minutes away. Enjoy a private adventure in a locked room, racing against time to crack the code and ‘escape’. Choose anyone of their seven (7) different themed games ranging in difficulty. This is truly a premier escape room experience! (it’s a fav of ours).

Outdoor Activities

Are you a golfer? Try Milham Park Golf Course; this a challenging 18-hole, par 72 layout located on 130 acres adjacent to beautiful Milham Park on the southern edge of Kalamazoo. Facilities include a large award-winning pro shop, snack bar, full liquor bar, power golf cars, and practice facilities.

Have you ever wanted to take a Hot Air Balloon ride? Give them a call. Altitude Endeavors, Inc. They are the largest and most experienced ballooning company in the Southwest Michigan area. Book your flight at 888-933-5964.

Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market– This American Farmer’s Market runs annually from mid-June 21 to mid-September 19 and showcases the local farmers, ranchers, gardeners, bakers, and more. It is Amy’s favorite place to go where she gets inspired either with ingredients that make her breakfast so yummy or donning the inn with gorgeous plants.

Gull Meadows Farms, nine miles from Kalamazoo House, is a favorite West Michigan destination for the tastes and experiences of fall. Don’t forget, late summer is their annual Kalamazoo Balloon Fest, it is a MUST SEE. Pick your own apples from early September through mid-October. Take a wagon ride to the farm’s pumpkin patch, and select  your own. Gull Meadows also offers a six-acre corn maze; some evenings it’s available to navigate by flashlight.

For trails, Al Sabo Preserve, 15 minutes away, has 741 acres of woods, open meadows, rolling hills, and streams to explore. Kalamazoo Nature Center has miles of hiking trails, 25-acre arboretum and prairie,  hummingbird/butterfly garden, season habitats, barns animals. They also have KNC Interpretive Center-interactive exhibits and live animals, galleries, wildlife viewing area, and gift shop. All this adventure is just 5 miles from downtown Kalamazoo.

Into Bird watching?  Check out Audubon Society of Kalamazoo

Mountain Biking will get your heart pumping at Maple Hill Trail, Ranked #1 in Michigan by MTB.com and is known for it’s jumps, banked corners, and rock features – 6 min drive and Fort Custer State Recreation Area – 22 min drive

Bicyclists staying at Kalamazoo House can go in multiple directions on paved bike trails. You can head east toward Galesburg or north toward the Kalamazoo Nature Center, with multiple attractions along the way. The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail is popular. For a longer ride, strike out on the 34.5-mile Kal-Haven Trail linking Kalamazoo with South Haven.

Waterways: Nearby Woods Lake Park has a sandy beach, changing area, picnic pavilion (with six picnic tables), restrooms, a playground, and a fishing pier that are all fresh and modern. The park is bordered by woods on all sides, offering a truly serene oasis in the middle of our bustling city.  Its warm water is perfect for swimming and standup paddle-boarding, too!

Kayakers, the Kalamazoo River has about 50 access sites along 123 miles, from the confluence of its north and south branches in Albion to its exit in Saugatuck to Lake Michigan. Some stretches of the river are more developed for recreation than others, so consult Google for up-to-date information.

ATV’ing, Skiing, and SnowBoarding

Bittersweet Skiing and Snowboard Resort – 25 min drive

Timber Ridge Ski Area – Ski, Snowboard, and Tubing – 21 min drive

Echo Valley Winter Sports Park  Tobogganing and Tubing- 15 min drive

KJC ATV Rentals and Trail of South Haven – Rent their ATVs and go explore their beautiful wooded trails – 45 min drive

Shopping
The Kalamazoo Mall area is loaded with great boutiques, eateries, music, and fun. Here is a listing resource for shopping: https://downtownkalamazoo.org/downtown-dollars/