Here’s Capital Gains’ look at visiting Downtown Lansing. Also check out our guides to investing in and moving to Downtown. Millions of people from all over the world visit Downtown Lansing each year. Since Lansing is home to the state Capitol, it’s frequently the only place in Michigan foreign dignitaries and national leaders see when they visit the state.
Downtown Lansing, which extends from Martin Luther King Boulevard on the west to Oakland Avenue on the north, Pennsylvania on the east and Interstate 496 on the south, has been the heart of Lansing since it transformed from a sleepy, sparsely settled town into a city in 1847.
The spark that started the transformation was lite by an enterprising settler from New York state named James Seymour, who first suggested that Michigan’s Capitol be moved from Detroit to Lansing. Seymour knew that state and local officials were afraid that keeping the Capitol in Detroit near an international border would make the country more susceptible to foreign invasion, so he suggested they move it to Lansing.
In 1849 Lansing was incorporated, officially giving its 1,500 settlers a place to call home. In 1854, a brick Capitol replaced the original wood frame Capitol; in 1878, the economic boom resulting from the railroad industry prompted state legislators to pay for Lansing’s current Capitol, a beautiful structure modeled after the U.S. Capitol building.
Once government came to Lansing, so did business, commerce and higher education.
Cooley Law School—the largest law school in the country—and
Lansing Community College (LCC) both have campuses in the heart of Downtown Lansing.
Business developers and entrepreneurs have followed suit in recent years, investing more than $300 million in new Downtown developments, and grabbing up and restoring many old buildings by converting them into cool downtown lofts and commercial spaces.
Renovation of these buildings, as well as the prestigious Capitol building, make Downtown Lansing special as it reinvents itself into a modern attraction for young residents and visitors from around the country.
Things To DoThe state Capitol draws international attention to Downtown Lansing, but the city’s other attractions–art galleries, museums, fine dining–keep the attention of national and local visitors.
An entire section of Downtown Lansing is devoted to some of the state’s most respected museums. Museum Drive is home to
Impression 5 Science Center,
REOlds Transportation Museum and the Michigan
Museum of Surveying.
Impression 5 Science Center is a 55,000 square foot former lumber company that is filled with impressive hands-on science exhibits, including the ever popular bubble room, a shadow wall and a minute-by-minute look into NASA’s galaxy adventures. Impression 5 also offers an overnight stay for kids and school groups who want to experience a science centric campout.
The state
Hall of Justice, which houses Michigan’s highest court, looks over the Capitol and is just a two-minute walk from the
Michigan Library and Historical Center. During the school year, all three buildings are full of school groups and parents who take advantage of the compact area to fill up on Michigan history.
For $85 you can get a week-long pass to the popular summer outdoor music festival,
Common Ground. The pass gives Common Ground visitors access to more than 20 different bands.
On cool Thursday evenings in the summer, the City of Lansing hosts Blues on the Square, giving Downtown residents and bars free outdoor entertainment until the sun goes down.
Thursday evenings in the summer also go over big with baseball fans. The arrival of the minor league baseball team,
Lansing Lugnuts, was a big deal for the city. Today fans pack the stands, especially on
Thirsty Thursdays, a home-game, beer-special ritual honored at
Oldsmobile Park and across the street at the
Nuthouse.
When the Lights Go DownThe Lansing after-hours entertainment culture is alive and well.
Boarshead Theatre,
Riverwalk Theatre and
Dart Auditorium on LCC’s campus offer a variety of musicals, classic plays and original productions. The
Lansing Art Gallery constantly changing exhibits provide an eclectic flare to the Downtown area.
If it’s drink you’re after, be sure to check out
Kelly’s Downtown. Kelly’s is one of Lansing’s oldest bars. Politicians have been working deals during happy hour inside Kelly’s Irish-themed walls for decades.
As Downtown Lansing has grown, politicians have also extended their banter to places like
Tavern on the Square, a new, stylish restaurant with great tapas, good wine and plenty of beer on tap.
The Exchange,
Brannigan Brothers,
Troppo and
The Knight Cap are also good watering holes. The Knight Cap is a quaint steakhouse on Michigan Avenue and space is limited, so if you want to go, it’s best to get a reservation.
For lunch, take a trip to
Restaurant Mediteran, a European restaurant with plenty of light, vegetable-rich dishes.
Byblos is a Middle Eastern restaurant near Kelly’s that draws quite a lunch crowd. Lamb, fresh veggie dishes and hummus are among Byblos’ top menu items.
Another quaint spot worth visiting, especially for a Sunday brunch, is
Soup to Nutz Bistro on Kalamazoo Street. Soup to Nutz Bistro is across from
The Arbaugh and the
Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) transportation center.
Getting ThereGetting to Downtown Lansing is extremely easy. As a manufacturing city, Lansing had to develop effective transportation routes from the north, south, east and west as the city was first developing. Now, major highways from each direction carry passengers from Detroit and Chicago to Lansing.
As the Capital City, Lansing needed a nearby airport to quickly shuttle state and national politicians between cities. The
Capital City Airport is a 10-minute ride from Downtown Lansing and offers flights all over the country, including non-stop flights to Canada and Ireland. If you’re coming in from Detroit, you can catch the
Michigan Flyer airport bus for $25 to East Lansing, which is a few minutes from Lansing.
It’s easy to get around Downtown Lansing without a car. CATA, Lansing’s nationally acclaimed bus system, constantly runs up and down Downtown’s main corridor and offers an evening entertainment schedule for guests who want to party in Lansing and East Lansing.
Once you’re in the heart of the city, you can stay at the Radisson Inn, which is literally a five-minute walk from the Capitol, and a 10-minute walk to the city’s main cultural attractions.
Ivy Hughes is the Development Editor for Capital Gains and can be reached
here.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Lansing Community College
Impression 5 Science Museum
Hall of Justice
Knight Cap
Soup to Nutz Bistro
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie