Ann Arbor Sights

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If you want to know what's going on in town, the best guide to the entertainment scene in Washtenaw County is the Current, 212 E Huron Street, ☎ +1 734 668-4044, www.ecurrent.com. There's information on music, films, dance and theatre events, poetry and novel readings, lectures, art exhibits, festivals, and more, as well as restaurant reviews, general information about the town, and so much more. If you're interested in the Ann Arbor arts scene, this should be one of the first things you pick up; one easy spot to find copies is outside the Michigan Theatre on E Liberty Street.

• Downtown Ann Arbor. Most of the shops and restaurants line State www.a2state.com, Liberty, and Main www.mainstreetannarbor.org streets, with the quality becoming more upscale as you approach Main. The other popular student hangouts are along South University www.a2southu.com street. A few blocks north of downtown is the historic Kerrytown district kerrytown.org, full of remodeled old homes and pleasant shopping.

• Michigan Theater, 603 E Liberty Street, ☎ +1 734 668-8397 or +1 734 668-TIME (8463), michtheater.org. A restored 1928 cinema, complete with two organs, one of them a vintage 1927 pipe organ. The theater shows mainly independent and foreign films, with special classic-film showings throughout the year. The organ is often played before performances, and during the Michigan Theater's special silent-film showings. The main auditorium also hosts other events throughout the year, particular musical groups and comedy shows, many fairly well-known.

• State Theater, 233 S State Street, ☎ +1 734 761-8667, michtheater.org/state.php. An art-deco cinema from 1942, the State Theater works in conjunction with the Michigan Theater, and often plays films that have stopped showing at the Michigan.

• The Ark, 316 S Main Street, ☎ +1 734 761-1451, www.a2ark.org. A nonprofit, intimate music club with 400 seats, which usually hosts folk/rock performers.

• University Musical Society, ☎ 734-764-2538, www.ums.org. The University Musical Society annually presents a series of concerts by world-renowned artists at Hill Auditorium, the Power Center, the Michigan Theater, or Rackham Auditorium. Price varies according to performance.

University of Michigan Stadium

• University of Michigan Stadium, 1201 S Main Street, www.mgoblue.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=3052. Nicknamed the "Big House", the U-M stadium is the largest American football stadium in the world, with a seating capacity of 107,501. Home games are played in autumn on the well-known "Football Saturdays", when thousands of visitors clog the Ann Arbor streets to watch the Wolverines (or their opponents) play.

• The University of Michigan Law School Quadrangle, on South University Street between State Street and Tappan Street, www.law.umich.edu/virtualtour/lawquad. The Law School's "Quad", nationally renowned for its serene environment and beautiful gothic-style architecture, is situated just south of the center of campus. Built in the early twentieth century, the Quad is comprised of Hutchins Hall — the main law school building — the reading room and the U-shaped Lawyer's Club. The reading room (open to visitors) is an enormous cathedral-like building with stained glass windows featuring the colors of major universities in the US and around the world. The underground law library is naturally lit by enormous windowed shafts just beyond the Quad. The Quad itself is a grassy open space ringed by trees and seasonal flower beds. During the warmer seasons, students relax and toss the ball around, or sit and study in the Quad, making it an integral part of the Law School. Many locals consider the Law Quad to be the most beautiful part of Ann Arbor.

• University of Michigan Diag, between N University Street and S University Street. The heart of the University of Michigan's Central Campus, the Diag is the main quadrangle around which most of the key buildings on campus are arranged. Its name comes from the primary walkway that runs from the northwest to southeast corners of the Diag. In the middle of the Diag, just in front of the graduate library, is a brick courtyard with a brass M in the center; according to student legend, if you step on the M during your first semester at the university, you are doomed to fail your first exam. The Diag is often used for demonstrations, booths or student fairs, and is a popular hangout in warm weather.

• The Ann and Robert H. Lurie Tower, at the center of the North Campus of the University of Michigan, carillon.engin.umich.edu. A 165-foot tall structure which houses an operational carillon. The tower is open to visitors when the bells are being played, with two floors accessible by elevator. The top floor allows the visitors to see the carillonneur playing, while the lower floor provides a view of the carillon bells, as well as a skyline view of the Ann Arbor area. The current operational hours are posted at the base of the tower.

• Domino's Farms, US-23 and Plymouth Road, ☎ +1 734 930-4425, www.dominosfarms.com. A large office park in a pastoral location, home to the world headquarters of Domino's Pizza. Visitors will go mostly for one of two attractions:
  • Ave Maria Fine Art Gallery, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, ☎ +1 734 930-2514, www.avemariaart.com. Tu-F 9AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-2PM, closed Su-M. The largest art gallery in Michigan, specializing in eary 20th century and Old World art.
  • Domino's Petting Farm, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, ☎ +1 734 998-0182, www.pettingfarm.com. M-F 9:30AM-4PM, Sa-Su 10:30AM-5PM. 15 acres of land with farm animals from around the world, including rare and near-extinct species, like the French Poitou donkey (only 200 reportedly in existence), African watusi cow, Horned Dorset ram, and Tibetan yak. The barn was once part of a working 1925-era farm, but was opened as a petting zoo in 1984. Tours, hay rides and educational presentations available. $5 adults, $4.50 children and seniors.

• Ann Arbor Alpacas, 4805 Stone School Road, ☎ +1 734 369-3200, www.annarboralpacas.com. Visitors can watch the alpacas being shorn at the end of May, or attend the open farm days on the second Saturday of the month from April through July.