Welcome | About the Kalamazoo CVB | Official Visitor Guide Valued Advertisers
Kalamazoo History | Area Communities | Contact the CVB Staff | Disclaimer

Welcome!

>>ROOM AVAILABILITY CLICK HERe<<

Welcome to the land of rolling hills, sparkling clear lakes, stellar recreation, and stunning entertainment. With a diverse and rich community culture, Kalamazoo County is an ideal destination offering attractions, lodging, recreation, dining, and shopping for every preference and budget.

With more than 3,000 hotel rooms - ranging from an intimate bed and breakfast inn to a four-diamond, world-class convention hotel - this scenic year-round community offers a renovated, vibrant Art Deco downtown, historical neighborhoods, outstanding museums and theaters, over 20 area golf courses, three ski resorts, four wineries, and multiple lakes with public access.

Our entire hospitality community will work together to make sure that your visit is exciting and enjoyable.

Kalamazoo is easy to get to and hard to leave.
We invite you to Discover Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo County Convention & Visitors Bureau
141 E. Michigan Ave., Suite 100
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269)488-9000
(269)488-0050 Fax

For further information, contact or stop by our Visitor Centers located at:

          141 E . Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
          Tel: (800)888-0509, (269)488-9000
          Fax: (269)488-0050
          Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

          Visitor Center at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport
          5235 Portage Rd., Kalamazoo, MI 49002
          Located in the baggage claim area.
          Hours: Monday – Sunday, 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

back to top

About the Kalamazoo CVB

Mission Statement. The Kalamazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau markets and sells the destination as a distinctive visitor experience to postively impact the county's economy.

Make sure your next event is the most successful ever by contacting our Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) staff at (800)888-0509 or (269)488-9000.

back to top

Official 2008/2009 Visitor Guide Valued Advertisers

back to top

Kalamazoo County History

Strategically located midway between Chicago and Detroit, Kalamazoo County began as a small fur-trading post founded by Titus Bronson in the late 1700s. Like many Michigan cities, Kalamazoo's name was adapted from an Indian word, "kikalamazoo," meaning boiling water. Water has long been a vital component in Kalamazoo's major industries including papermaking and agriculture which have helped the area grow and prosper.

Some of the many famous products manufactured in Kalamazoo include Checker Cabs, Gibson guitars, Kalamazoo Stoves, Stryker hospital beds and Shakespeare fishing rods and reels. In the late 1800s, W. E. Upjohn moved to Kalamazoo and created The Upjohn Company, which is now part of Pfizer Corporation, the world ’s largest pharmaceutical company.

Bronson Park, named for founder Titus Bronson is the traditional center point of Central City. Surrounded by churches, Bronson Park features monuments to war veterans, an Indian (burial) Mound and the historic marker commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s only public speech in Michigan in 1856. Festivals, concerts and cultural events encourage visitors to linger among the lush flowers and trees which garnered a national beautification award in 2003. Additional historic districts include Stuart Avenue, South Street and the Vine District featuring elegant turn-of-the-century homes that serve as a reminder of the grand architecture of the past.

Kalamazoo County is home to five institutions of higher learning including Michigan’s oldest college, Kalamazoo College. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Davenport University and Cornerstone University infuse the community with over 58,000 students, ensuring a vibrant college-town atmosphere.

The National Register of Historic Places includes several buildings on the campus of Western Michigan University: the Psychiatric Hospital Water Tower, a 175-ft Queen Anne style landmark, the Gatekeeper’s Cottage, The Oaklands, Montague House and 11 buildings on East Campus. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright built Usonian style homes in the late 1940’s, located at Taliesin and Parkwyn Drives and in Galesburg.

One of the original “safe houses”, the Underground Railroad Home was built in 1835 by Kalamazoo’s first doctor, Nathan Thomas. This small Greek Revival home hid former slaves enroute to freedom.

City of Portage History

Long before the earliest settlers arrived in the early 1800s, Potowatami Indians inhabited the Portage area. The Indians hunted, fished, grew corn, dwelt in conical shaped wigwams, and greeted the early settlers in peace. A more ancient race dwelt in the area before them, although there is little remaining physical evidence save mysterious mounds and earthworks resembling symmetrical garden beds.

The lush land of Portage had been largely ignored by the early westerly migration of settlers due to the mistaken belief that it was an uninhabitable swamp, unfit for cultivation. Surprisingly, later settlers, many with a rich Dutch heritage, discovered the rich soil made a perfect growing environment for celery. By the 1880s, Portage was second only to Detroit as the largest product exporter in Michigan. Celery from Portage was being exported across the entire United States. The area remained prolific in celery production until the middle of the twentieth century.

The local celery industry, as it faced a demise due to a long growing season, disease, over-production and insect infestation, soon gave birth to the huge new bedding plant industry, which continues to thrive in today's modern Portage. Bedding plants from Portage are currently exported to markets throughout the United States.

The City of Portage began its rapid transformation to its modern form during the post World War II era. But this modern city, incorporated in 1963, has a vibrant past, preserved in architecture at Portage Creek Bicentennial Park and celebrated in history at the Celery Flats Historical Area.

The City of Portage also has a Historic District Commission (HDC) to recognize and help preserve some of the older architectural beauty and diversity in the city. There are currently 31 registered historic properties in Portage.

Kalamazoo County Awards and Recognition

• Kalamazoo County
  First Place - America in Bloom Community Beautification Award (Communities of its size)
• Kalamazoo County
  America in Bloom's National Competition: Environmental Awareness and Community Involvement Awards in 2004
• Kalamazoo Public Library
  First Place - National Library of the Year 2002
• Greater Kalamazoo United Way
  First Place - Highest Per Capita Giving in the United States (Communities of its size)
• American Foundation for the Blind
  Award - One of the Top Three Cities in the country for the sight impaired
• Air Zoo
  10th largest non-government aviation museum in the nation
• Gilmore Car Museum
  Rated as one of the 10 best automobile museums in the U.S.
• Kalamazoo Nature Center
  Voted the number one nature center in the nation by other nature centers
• Kalamazoo Valley Museum
  The museum was voted the top small museum in Michigan by readers of Michigan Living Magazine.
• Air Zoo
  Guinness World Record™ for Largest Indoor Mural at Air Zoo, one of the nation's premier aviation and aeronautics institutions.
• Bronson Methodist Hospital
  National Research Corporation (NRC) recently presented Bronson Methodist Hospital (BMH), with the 2007/2008 Consumer Choice Award for the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek area. This is the fifth year in a row that Bronson has received this honor. In 2007 for the fourth year in a row, BMH has received a Governor’s Award. This award recognizes Bronson for Improving Patient Safety and Quality of Care in the Hospital Setting. For a fifth consecutive year, Kalamazoo’s largest employer, Bronson Healthcare Group has been named by Working Mother magazine as one of the nation’s “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” for 2007.
• Borgess Medical Center (BMC)
  In 2007, for the fourth time, Borgess Medical Center (BMC) has been named one of the 100 Top Hospitals® for Cardiovascular Care in the United States. The award, by Thompson Healthcare, is based on hospitals’
  performance treating congestive heart failure and heart attacks. In 2007, BMC, won another Governor’s Award, this time for Improving Patient Safety and Quality of Care in the Hospital Setting. Since the program began in 2003, BMC has won a total of five Governor’s awards.
  back to top

Hot Spots in City of Kalamazoo

On a visit to downtown Kalamazoo, you may find yourself strolling through one of the city’s six historical districts:

• East End, featuring the creative renovation of old railroad buildings into nightclubs, antique stores, coffee shops and microbreweries.
• South Town, an eclectic mix of downtown neighborhoods, retail business and the elegant campus of Bronson Hospital.
• Haymarket, offering the latest in food and entertainment surrounded by the classic architecture of the past.
• Arcadia, a district that brings art, festivals, music, history and education together.
• Bronson Park, surrounded by stately churches, celebrations, art shows, summer
  concerts and holiday displays.
• Kalamazoo Mall, anchored by the stylish AAA 4-Diamond Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites is the historic Kalamazoo Mall, the first outdoor pedestrian mall in the United States. Featuring parades, sidewalk sales, Art on the Mall, Mixer on the Mall, seasonal holiday festivities and more. Revitalized Art Deco buildings house specialty shops, chic restaurants and lively brewpubs. Don’t miss the Kalamazoo City Hall, a classic example of Art Deco style built in 1931.

back to top

Kalamazoo County Area Communities: Cities – Villages - Townships

back to top

Disclaimer

The Kalamazoo County Convention & Visitors Bureau is not responsible for the results or information generated by external web tools/web pages.

© Kalamazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2005. All Rights Reserved.