Exploring Ann Arbor, Michigan with kids reveals surprising cultural riches. The artistic and intellectual cosmos that burgeoned here during the 1960s still lingers, with the world-renowned University of Michigan keeping things cerebral. Within this environment, grandchildren of original hippies can expand their minds in various ways, and Ann Arbor is particularly friendly to families.

Downtown Ann Arbor (Photo by Traveler100, Wikimedia)

True, Ann Arbor has changed over the past decade. Restaurant chains and retailers have stomped heartily through the town. A lot of grit and spirit has been paved over and sanitized. If there’s any advantage to the homogenization, it’s that the most interesting destinations for children stand out more prominently.

The Hands-On Museum (Photo by Gabe Miller)

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

As a child growing up in Michigan, I was obsessed with the Hands-On Museum. Although a multitude of museums allow children to touch and interact with exhibits, the Hands-On Museum offer exciting exhibits devoted to light and optics, the science of media and television, nature, and the human body. Kids can play string-less laser harps, manipulate magnetic fields, operate a massive bubble capsule, and play with an interactive nature wall. The place is always lively. Parents needn’t drag their kids through the museum while explaining dull placards. Even if children have no interest in an exhibit’s relevance or lessons, they can amuse themselves by banging on things from morning till evening. It’s a funhouse of sensory and tactile bliss.

The Ann Arbor Art Center (Photo by Gabe Miller)

Ann Arbor Art Center

The Ann Arbor Art Center claims they unite creativity with community, and that’s accurate self-assessment. The center is a haven for children with any artistic curiosity. Children aged 3 and older can experience stimulating classes in pottery, jewelry making, mosaics, origami, sketching, ceramics, and more. Those only in town for a few days can still take advantage of the center’s classes and workshops, as registration on the day of a class is allowed. Galleries full of paintings and sculpture by local artists are always on display. Staff with connections to thousands of artists in the city are always available to offer impromptu instruction and education.

Dinosaur Exhibit at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History (Photo by Daderot, Wikimedia)

University of Michigan Museum of Natural History

The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History not only educates visitors about natural history, but also is itself a relic from the late 19^th century. Albeit beautiful, the museum stopped updating its own style and appearance some 60 years ago, and while wandering through the museum you can almost feel the ghosts of teachers with buzz cuts leading field trips here in the 1950s.

The dinosaur skeletons on the main floor are both massive and daunting. The giant lizards are flanked on both sides by dioramas depicting wild animals fighting, displays of bones and skulls, and preserved sections of wild animal bodies. On the second floor, there is a diorama panorama of animals, bacteria, and plants. Appropriately, the planetarium is housed on the top floor, where kids can ogle stars and constellations for endless hours. Elsewhere, children can learn about ancient cultures by examining the artifacts of their lives.

Nichols Arboretum near Downtown Ann Arbor (Photo by pentawing, Wikimedia)

Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum

Located between downtown Ann Arbor and the town’s outskirts by the Huron River lies Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. This is a sprawling landscape of forest, broad valleys, exotic plant life, and vast stretches of grassy spaciousness. The Arboretum is a destination for naturalists, disc golfers, hikers, and children. A wonderful place for families to frolic; it’s an outdoor paradise that balances the indoor edification of museums. Because it can be accessed from entrances near the city and river, it can serve as a natural extension of a canoeing trip or day in downtown. Ultimately, the arboretum gives children a huge, unfettered space to run and burn off energy.

Ann Arbor is at once intellectual, rebellious, and peaceful. Despite the franchises and a recent influx of a supremely straight-laced population, it remains a town with enough culture that children can be educated just by walking through and around the heart of it. The remnants of the town’s treasures are still there to be found, and families should seize on the opportunity to enjoy them.

Which of these children's activities in Ann Arbor would appeal most to your family? Let us know in the comments below!