When I first went away to college at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo was not my favorite city. In fact, I was not even certain that I would stay at WMU after my first year due to the fact that I was so unhappy. Fortunately, I gave it one more year and at some point grew to adore the city of Kalamazoo. While I will never live there again now that I have graduated, Kalamazoo will always stay near and dear to my heart.
I was fortunate enough to get to live right downtown for four years. I was near all the restaurants and bars and could even walk to the Arcadia Creek Festival Site, which is where all the summer festivals took place. There are a number of things I grew to love doing in the city. They are as follows:
It may be little and full of rambunctious children, but the Kalamazoo Valley Museum is an entertaining place to visit. There is a natural disaster exhibit, a mummy and a room with several interactive science exhibits. The traveling exhibit is typically very good too. And, the best part about it is that it is free of charge.
The restaurants in downtown Kalamazoo are also outstanding. There are all kinds of cuisine to choose from including American, European, Italian, Japanese and a lot more. If you are like me and appreciate Italian food, there are three Italian food restaurants to choose from, Zazio's, Comensoli's and my favorite, Mangia Mangia.
During the summertime in Kalamazoo, there are several festivals that are hosted at the Arcadia Creek Festival Site. They are all pretty entertaining, but the best ones, in my opinion, are Blue's Fest and Island Fest. There is always themed food and related music. It is just an excellent opportunity to get outside and appreciate the weather, have a couple beers and listen to very good music.
Now of course, given that I was a college kid when I lived in Kalamazoo, it is essential that I include some of my favorite bars. Bell's is of course towards the top of the list. The beer at this bar is outstanding. Another fantastic college bar is Shakespeare's Pub. This is a very good venue for watching sports, drinking a beer and having a much more relaxed bar experience, if there is such a thing. It is not a club, there is no dancing, just individuals socializing. This venue also has a massive patio, which is great in the summertime. There are numerous other bars to choose from too. If you want a club experience, there is the dueling piano bar, Monaco Bay, or the Wild Bull, which has a mechanical bull.
These are a couple of my personal favorite things to do in Kalamazoo. There are other scenes to be explored too, such as art, live shows or shopping. Kalamazoo is not just a college town, but a city with wonderful food, art and culture. It is a city that ought to be on your list of places to visit.
