Parent/Student Itineraries Option 1:

Friday

Late Afternoon
Meet your student at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. Kalamazoo’s only Four Diamond hotel, featuring world-class service, exquisite dining, shopping, a state-of-the art spa, and more. They offer 341 elegantly appointed guest rooms or any of their 4 exceptional dining options. So, check-in, be wowed by your room and enjoy dinner before you begin your evening in downtown Kalamazoo.

6 pm
Begin your journey in and around our vibrant downtown, as you enjoy Art Hop. Art Hop is a free event, held the first Friday of each month. It features new art exhibits in a fun, casual atmosphere. Galleries and businesses host the shows, and you can hop around from one exhibit to the other. Meet the artists and make new friends. To download the map and schedule go to www.kalamazooarts.com or simply pick one up at the Epic Center.

9 pm
Your next stop before calling it a day is the Union Cabaret & Grille. A great hang-out for the young and old. More than half of the entertainment is provided by WMU Students. Enjoy some of the local flavor and the entertainment. (By the way, be sure to notice the floor…..it was the original floor-boards from WMU’S Oakland Gym).

Late Evening
Make your way back to the hotel and enjoy your first night in Kalamazoo.

Saturday

Morning
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before departing for your first adventure.

10 am
Arrive at the Air Zoo to experience our history in flight. See over 80 rare aircraft, take a hot air balloon ride, experience a bombing raid over Nazi Germany, try your hand at flying a full motion simulator and take a ride to the space station as you stroll through aviation’s history. (And, your college ID now gets students 15% off admission). Take time for some lunch in the Kitty Hawk Café.

pm
This afternoon, enjoy downhill skiing at Timber Ridge Ski Area or Bittersweet Ski Resort. NO SNOW, not a problem. How about Cosmic Bowling or Laser Tag? Just take a short jaunt from the Air Zoo to Airway Lanes. They offer it all.

6:30 pm
Be sure to make it back to the Radisson in time for Zazios nightly entertainment, at the Chef’s Table. Experience Italian dining at its finest, as the chef and his cast teach you how to make this five course meal. (Advance reservations are required for the chef’s table).Then retire to your room or hit the street to experience one of our many brew pubs or dueling piano bars, followed by a good nights sleep.

Sunday

Morning
Enjoy brunch at the Radisson before waving good-bye to your student and downtown Kalamazoo. But make plans to visit again soon.

Parent/Student Itineraries Option 2 :

Friday

pm
Arrive at Kalamazoo’s newest hotel the Staybridge Suites. The Hotel features 95 spacious suite guest rooms with 32” flat panel TVs, complimentary breakfast, indoor pool and whirlpool, fitness center and more.

pm
This evening after enjoying dinner at one of the many restaurants located near the hotel, catch a WMU Men’s or Women’s sporting event ranging from football, to basketball, to baseball, to track and more. No sports….no problem! Visit Miller Auditorium to enjoy the finest of entertainment from touring Broadway shows to international acts such as Winona Judd, the Temptations and much more. Or, try the new Rave Motions Pictures Cityplace 14. A brand new downtown hotspot.

Saturday

am
After breakfast at the hotel, travel to downtown Kalamazoo to experience our history, industry and more. The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is an interactive museum that includes a state-of-the-art Planetarium, where you can choose where in space you want to go or maybe you can follow a slave family on their trek from the south to freedom in the north. While there, take a mini mission in the Challenger Space Learning Center.

Noon
Take your student to lunch at the Food Court at Crossroads Mall, before shopping at over 100 stores such as Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, Chico’s, Coldwater Creek and more. After you’ve finished shopping take a short drive to Paw Paw.

Afternoon
Next stop is the St. Julian Wine Company. Tour the winery, learn how award winning wines and juices are produced. Then, stop in the tasting room to sample some of those wines and juices. Step into their shop and purchase some of your favorites to remember your trip to Kalamazoo.

Dinner Time
On your way back to Kalamazoo, enjoy dinner at one of our many restaurants.

Evening
Visit downtown Kalamazoo to enjoy our nightlife at one of the many brew pubs, dueling piano bars, or comedy clubs. Return to the hotel for the night.

Sunday

am
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before taking your student back to campus and departing Kalamazoo. Be sure to make plans for another weekend in a great city.

Visitor Itinerary 1:
Discover Arts and Discover After Dark

am Discover Arts
Enjoy the visual arts through exhibitions, lectures, special events and a permanent collection at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. The museum's 10 galleries showcase outstanding temporary exhibitions and portions of the Kalamazoo Institute of Art's significant permanent collection. While the collection's emphasis is 20th-century American painting and sculpture, it also includes an extensive European and American print collection, as well as important collections of photography and contemporary ceramics. The collection includes works by local, national, and international artists. The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts hosts magnificent exhibits through the year, i.e. Millet to Matisse in 2004 and Dale Chihuly in 2005 and several temporary exhibitions that feature shows of art-historical importance in diverse media.

pm Discover After Dark
Discover Theatre and Entertainment in Kalamazoo. No matter what time of year you visit Kalamazoo, you will find a wealth of cultural and entertainment offerings, from classical to jazz, from avante garde theatre to traveling Broadway shows. With ten live performing theatres, three colleges and a major university, Kalamazoo is a magnet for big-name, touring artists and musicians. Ask about nightly entertainment and our calendar of special events to determine your afternoon and evening of after dark entertainment.

Visitor Itinerary 2:
Discover Challenge and Discover Shopping and Dining

am Discover Challenge
Kalamazoo is a haven for golfers with acres of scenic courses. Summer brings baseball games, championship tennis and softball tournaments, plus twelve hours of sunshine that allow for a round of golf after a day of exploring. Also, Kalamazoo offers a full schedule of amateur, collegiate and professional athletics at its numerous stadiums, courts and fields.

pm Discover Shopping and Dining
Kalamazoo has numerous unique dining and shopping experiences. Keep in mind that Kalamazoo County is a “10-minute community,“ so if you favor a particular type of restaurant or want to just “go to the mall,” everything is close by. Kalamazoo boasts one of the most vibrant downtowns in the Midwest, along with chic dining and shopping opportunities in the neighborhoods, suburbs and surrounding communities.