Kalamazoo is a city in West Central Michigan. The city is home to 76,000 people (2019), with 355,000 in the metropolitan area, which includes neighboring Battle Creek. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County.

The city has a strong higher education presence, being home to Western Michigan University (with 25,000 students), Kalamazoo College (a private, liberal arts institution), and Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Because of the first downtown pedestrian mall in America, Kalamazoo got the nickname the "Mall City" in 1959. Kalamazoo also offers an interesting and walkable Downtown, with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants.

Get in

By plane

  • 🌍 Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport (AZO  IATA). Serving Kalamazoo and the surrounding area, offers multiple daily flights from Chicago (on American Eagle) and Detroit (on Delta Connection). Delta also offers two daily flights from Minneapolis during the summer.

By car

Kalamazoo lies on the I-94 roughly mid-way between Chicago and Detroit. US Highway 131 connects the city with Grand Rapids and resort areas further north.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States
The Detroit Amtrak station

By bus

The downtown train station also acts as a bus station. Major destinations include Grand Rapids, Chicago and Detroit.

Get around

  • Metro Transit. Bus service is provided throughout Kalamazoo and its neighboring towns.

See

Parks

  • 🌍 Bow in the Clouds Preserve, 2949 Nazareth Rd, +1 269 324-1600. 60 acres managed by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. Hiking, snowshoeing, and nature.
  • 🌍 Milham Park (John Milham Park), 774 E Kilgore Rd. 49-acre park with Portage Creek running through it. Playground, toilets, drinking fountain, and is accessible.
  • 🌍 Bronson Park, 200 W South St. 3.5-acre park with fountains, sculptures, and memorials. Also is decorated for Halloween and December holidays.
  • Mayors' Riverfront Park. 64 acres bordering the Kalamazoo River and containing part of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.
  • 🌍 Spring Valley Park, 2606 Mt Olivet Rd. 186-acre park
  • 🌍 Woods Lake Park, 2718 Oakland Dr. 6.47-acre park
  • 🌍 Markin Glen County Park, 5300 North Westnedge Ave, +1 269 381-7570.

Nearby Kalamazoo

Nearby, you will find additional attractions.

  • 🌍 Celery Flats Historic Area (Celery Flats), 7335 Garden Lane, Portage. 8AM-dusk. Explore the history of Portage. In this location a historical garden, small museum, house, Hayloft Theatre, barn, and church are available to tour. Free to walk around, check the City website for tour hours. Free.
  • 🌍 Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Rd, Portage, +1 269 382-6555, toll-free: +1 866-524-7966. An aerospace museum with a large collection of rare historical planes.
  • 🌍 Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, +1 269-671-5089. Prices differ summer and winter as well as those under 17. Active duty military with ID get in free. $15.

Do

Kalamazoo is full of great events, featuring everything from hot rods to pianos. Discover Kalamazoo has a fairly comprehensive list of annual happenings, but don't miss Super Saturday in June, New Year's Fest or the USTA Boys National Championship in August.

Theater

Keep up to date with upcoming theater performances with * Theatre Kalamazoo.

Golf

Trails

Buy

  • 🌍 Maple Hill Pavilion, West Main Street (take US-131 to the West Main Exit (Head Eastbound Into Kalamazoo), go down West Main a little ways, mall is on your left). A formerly enclosed shopping mall, now a strip mall. Features many big-box retailers, anchored by Target.
  • South Westnedge Shopping District, Westnedge Ave. from Cork to Shaver (Exit 76 off I-94). Starting at Cork Street in Kalamazoo all the way through Shaver Road, more than 1000 retailers in numerous strip malls: big box retailers, specialty shops, restaurants, bars, and bakeries.
  • 🌍 Kalamazoo Farmers' Market, 1204 Bank St. Open outside Saturday's May through November. From June to October also open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check the website for the hour variation. Open across the street at 1157 Bank Street for a Winter Market on Saturdays from Late November to April.
  • Kalamazoo Mall. The first pedestrian mall in the United States with a variety of shopping and dining locations in the center of Kalamazoo.
  • Friends Bookstore, 315 S. Rose St, +1 269 553-7820. In the lower level of the Central Library.

Nearby Kalamazoo

  • 🌍 Crossroads Mall, 6650 S. Westnedge (Take I-94 to Exit 76 Southbound. Continue down Westnedge, go through many sets of lights, turn right when you see signs for THE CROSSROADS). More than 100 stores in a two-story regional shopping center featuring Sears, Macy's, JCPenney, and Burlington Coat Factory, traditional mall chains, and specialty retailers. Also features a food court with numerous restaurants.
  • 🌍 Southland Mall, Corner of Westnedge and Milham (from I-94, take exit 76 southbound, head south until you hit Milham Ave., mall is on right). A major strip mall over 1 mile long featuring major clothing and specialty stores. Retailers include Old Navy, Kohls, TJMaxx, Charter One Bank, Tuesday Morning, Barnes & Noble, ULTA, OfficeMax, MC Sports, Petco, Hallmark, and numerous bars and restaurants.

Eat

Drink

  • 🌍 Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, 211 East Water Street, +1 269 532-1188. A bar with many taps and prices are decided like a stock market based on demand. Occasionally there is a "market crash" and all beers are available for their lowest price.
  • 🌍 Shakespeare's Pub, 241 E Kalamazoo Ave. A very popular local pub featuring a lively atmosphere, wide selection of beers and typical bar fare.

Nightlife and clubs

  • gimora, 314 E Michigan Ave #201. Dance floor. +1 269-290-1900

Breweries and brewpubs

Sleep

Bed and Breakfast

Hotels

Connect

Stay safe

Generally safe, Kalamazoo has some crime, mostly in the north- and eastside sections of town. Downtown could also be dangerous after dark, stay in a group and be aware.

Go next

The Lake Michigan resort towns of South Haven and Saugatuck-Douglas are about an hour west of Kalamazoo. Gull Lake (NE) and Gun Lake (North) are clear, spring-fed lakes of over 1000 acres each. Each offers boating and water-sports opportunities. Gull Lake has sailboat races on weekends.

Routes through Kalamazoo
Chicago Niles  W  E  Battle Creek Port Huron
Chicago Niles  W  E  Battle Creek Detroit
Michigan City Coloma  W  E  Battle Creek Ann Arbor
Grand Rapids Wyoming  N  S  Ends at
END South Haven  W  E  Jct N S Lansing


This article is issued from Wikivoyage. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.