The Parent’s Guide To Visiting Your Kid At The University Of Michigan

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Recently, I spent time in Ann Arbor, arguably home to one of the biggest universities, the University of Michigan. While I don’t have a kid who goes to U of M, being surrounded by students got me thinking about what parents can do when visiting your kid at the University of Michigan.

Over the years, I’ve attended at least seven different parents’ weekends between my two kids and did several tours of a variety of campuses.

While schools differ in what they offer, the basic premise is the same.

You see a game if it’s a big sports school like U of M, or you spend time on campus with free events like the Sidewalk Art Festival in Savannah. You tour the museums, and you take your kid to dinner.

Visiting your kid should be exciting, but after another meal in the dining hall, what else is there to do? You want to make the most of this trip even if your student is busy with classes, friends, or a job.

In this guide, I’ll help you find fun, meaningful things to do in Ann Arbor so that you can experience the city less like a parent, and more like a traveler.

A woman with long brown hair and glasses sips a cocktail at a restaurant booth. She wears a sleeveless magenta top and sits beside a menu, taking in the modern restaurant setting after visiting your kid at the University of Michigan.

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Planning your visit: How long to stay

When planning your visit, ideally 2 to 3 days is probably best. As I mentioned, your child is busy with classes, and they likely won’t have much time to spend with you, so pick a weekend. You may get a little more time with them, especially if you’re choosing to go to something like a Big Ten game.

This guide also works when you’re moving your kid into college. They’re going to have a lot of welcome events going on, and you’re going to want to have things to do for just you.

I’d also consider visiting outside of Parents Weekend, as that is a very busy time. However, if you want to take advantage of the Parents Weekend activities, again, 2 to 3 days works.

A wall features a framed black-and-white portrait of a man in a suit, a small framed photo of the moon, and a framed envelope with stamps—keepsakes from a memorable multigenerational trip to Ann Arbor—all lit by a wall-mounted light above.

Where to stay

Choose a place to stay that’s close enough to campus that you can easily walk to it or get an easy pickup. You also want something comfortable enough that it’s more than just a dorm room upgrade.

When we stayed at the Vanguard, we were there just after classes started, and they obviously knew who they were catering to. Blue and yellow welcome balloons hung in the lobby, and you definitely get the impression that many parents are staying there.

While we were in Ann Arbor, we noticed a lot of people driving into The Graduate. The Graduate is a series of hotels by Hilton that cater to the collegiate theme and make an obviously great choice when you are visiting Ann Arbor.

Getting Around

Do you need a car, or is everything walkable in Ann Arbor? The answer to that is yes. Having a car is great, but everything is walkable as well. If you’re there during Parents Weekend, there is public transportation, and often buses open up for parents to use with their students. As it is a bigger city, you can also use ride-share.

Having a car was not a problem either. While staying at the Vanguard, we opted for valet. Being able to drive up and hand over the keys meant we could spend more time together without trying to find a parking space.

Parking in downtown Ann Arbor is also pretty easy and fairly inexpensive. I think I paid anywhere from $1.50 to $3 every time I parked. Plus, there are a couple of parking garages if I needed to leave the hotel. The University of Michigan campus is large, and you may want a car just to get from your hotel to your student’s dorm room or apartment.

Getting out of the city

Additionally, there’s plenty to see and do outside Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor sits in Washtenaw County, home to cute small towns like Dexter and Chelsea.

You can also find pick-your-own pumpkin patches and farm-fresh orchards, especially if you’re visiting in the fall. To get out of the city and enjoy that wonderful fall flavor, like at Dexter Cider Mill, you’ll want a car.

We were able to hop around to the different towns and create our very own bookstore crawl throughout Washtenaw County. It was a lot of fun traveling with both my mom and my daughter and finding common ground in the bookstores we visited. This would make a great adventure if you are bringing grandparents to visit your student at U of M.

If you have a student at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, everything I mention here is so close by that this guide is for you too.

Two poached eggs with hollandaise sauce on crab cakes and English muffins, served with greens on a white plate; perfect for anyone visiting the University of Michigan, while a person is blurred in the background.

Food that isn’t the dining hall

Dining out either on your own or with your kid, you’ll want a mix of somewhere nice with your kid and somewhere they’d bring their friends later.

For casual dining, I would recommend Iggy’s, Eggies, Bun Chai, and the Tea House. If you want something a little bit nicer, I would recommend Savas, Thompson & Co in Ypsilanti, or Spiedo.

A stone path leads to a large, historic, ivy-covered University of Michigan building with an arched entrance and tall trees on either side under a partly cloudy sky—a picturesque scene perfect for any Parent’s Guide to Visiting Your Kid.

Campus tour without the tour guide

You’ve probably already done the college campus tour when you were deciding where to send your kid. And Parent’s weekend often has some version of that same tour.

If you’re looking to do something that goes beyond the college tours for your campus visit, here are the U of M sights I’d recommend:

Law Quadrangle

These are some of the oldest buildings on campus, and they make me question why the University of Michigan isn’t considered an Ivy League school.

Nichols Arboretum

Visit the gardens and trails to get into nature and out of the city. It’s a great place for photos with your student (think future grad photos?). With 123 acres, the natural areas and riverfront are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

A smiling girl with glasses stands on a gravel path in a garden, near a wooden bench and an informational sign, wearing a red polka dot top, long denim skirt, and black sneakers—a perfect moment reminiscent of visiting your kid at the University of Michigan.

Matthaei Botanical Garden

Just up the road from the Nichols Arboretum is the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Here you can enter indoor conservatories such as a tropical greenhouse, a desert garden, and outdoor floral gardens. There are trails at Matthaei as well. Admission is free, but you’ll pay a couple of dollars for parking.

Our favorite was the bonsai collection, which I learned is Michigan’s largest public bonsai display.

Additionally, you can take a guided tour that goes beyond the traditional college tour. For example, you want to get into the Big House? Michigan Stadium tours are available. Tickets are only available on select days, so you will need to request in advance.

A woman stands confidently in a graffiti-covered alley while visiting the University of Michigan, wearing a navy shirt, colorful shorts, and blue shoes. Bright street art and painted designs fill the wall and ground around her—a vibrant scene that could be featured in any parent’s guide to exploring campus life.

Free things to do around town

You’re spending enough not just on college tuition, but on everything to make your child’s dorm comfortable, travel to and from home, and late-night study sessions. Where’s the $5 pizza we had when we were in college?

There’s plenty of free things to do in Ann Arbor.

Nichols Arboretum and the Matthaei Botanical Garden are both free. You can also visit the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Some of my favorite things to do are technically free, but you’re probably going to want to purchase something.

We loved the Ann Arbor Farmers Market in Kerrytown and walking through Nichols Arcade. Nichols Arcade is this historic alley that is essentially a covered shopping gallery. It’s over 100 years old. Walking through here, you can imagine what it must have been like for students in the 1920s and 1930s. This gallery is beautiful, with mosaic tiles and boutique shops. We really enjoyed window shopping here and strolling through some of the antique and vintage stores. Shopping and window shopping are great free activities, as long as you don’t buy anything.

Another free thing we really enjoyed was going to the different libraries and bookstores. There are over a dozen bookstores in the Ann Arbor area, but I’d also recommend visiting the library with your student. The library hosts events and exhibits, and they’re all free and open to the public.

You could also search for public art or go mural hunting in Ann Arbor. Colorful art installations are throughout the city, and one of the most unique is the Alley Project. It would make a great excursion for you and your kid and would give you some really special photos.

Three women sit and smile at a table inside a dimly lit room with red lighting, empty seats, and tables around them, capturing a warm moment from their multigenerational trip to Ann Arbor.

Evening options with your kid

If your kid is actually free in the evening and wants to hang out with their old mom and dad, there are a few evening options that I think would be a hit.

We attended a comedy show at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase. In particular, we attended a comedy bingo, which was a mix of traditional bingo plus checking things off of a bingo card for comedy stereotypes. We had a lot of fun and actually did this on our multi-generational trip to Ann Arbor. It was an event I did not think my 80-year-old mom would enjoy, but she attended right along with us. If my mother can attend a comedy show with her daughter and granddaughter, your kid can enjoy a comedy show with you as well.

Other options are the Michigan Theater or the State Theater. Check whether one of those theaters has something playing, like a show, a movie, or an event.

Finally, one of the late-night things we did was have dessert and tea at the tea house. While it’s not just an evening option, we really enjoyed it as a nightcap. The tea house ended up being one of our favorite dining options during our trip.

Pumpkin patch with an orange sign reading “U-PICK PATCH” and an arrow pointing left. Dozens of pumpkins are on the grass, cars are parked in the background, and people are visible enjoying a sunny day—one of the classic fall things to do in the Ann Arbor area.

Best time to visit

Sometimes it’s great to visit during parents’ weekend. Other times, you can avoid the chaos and visit just because your timing lines up.

Fall

If you bleed Maize and Blue, pick a game-day weekend. But plan, and make sure your kid does too. If they can get tickets to a game, they’ll need to do that in advance. And if you want your own seats, buy in advance.

On the flip side, visiting when the Wolverines aren’t home means smaller crowds. Fall is a great time to go apple picking, pick out pumpkins, and enjoy some fall flavors like apple cider donuts.

Winter

You’re probably not thinking about what to do in the winter in Ann Arbor, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy both outdoor and indoor activities. You can go ice skating, enjoy a hockey or basketball game, attend holiday markets, go cross-country skiing, or go winter hiking.

Spring

Spring might be the perfect time to visit the gardens, especially in late spring, when everything comes out into bloom. Of course, if you’re there visiting your kid, keep in mind graduation dates if you’re trying to avoid the crowds.

Summer

While fewer students attend during the summer, it might be the perfect time to visit Ann Arbor. I personally love visiting Michigan in the summer because the weather is absolutely beautiful and there’s so much you can do, such as:

hiking
biking
kayaking
tubing down a river

The Ann Arbor Art Fair also happens during the summer and is one of the largest art festivals in the state.

Two women, one with a walker, stand smiling together on a gravel path surrounded by lush green plants in a large, sunlit greenhouse—capturing a special moment from their multigenerational trip to Ann Arbor.

Wrapping up Who this trip is for

Yes, you’re there to visit your kid at UofM, but make this a trip about you. Stay connected and know that they are out there doing their own thing, with classes and responsibilities. You’re there to get a glimpse of what your child’s adult life looks like.

Visiting your child at college will only be a couple of hours at a time. Make this trip about discovering the things to do, especially in a town as cool as Ann Arbor.