Ann Arbor is a university town? It’s an outdoors, dining, family friendly, and accessible town too
Making chocolate truffles. Understanding the many uses of arrowheads. Marveling at bonsai trees. Discussing downtown sculptures. Connecting World War II’s iconic Rosie the Riveter art with real people. These are just a few things we encountered at the family friendly, accessible attractions in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Home of the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor area is full of calm small towns, easy-to-reach green spaces, and activities as welcoming to families as to people with mobility disabilities.
We want to thank Destination Ann Arbor for sponsoring our visit. However, this article reflects our own personal opinions and experiences.
“From Chelsea to Ypsilanti, our family vacation in the Ann Arbor area was full of accessible attractions that both adults and kids could enjoy.”
About us and our trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan
As a family of four, we travel with two kids (ages 9 and 12 at the time of this trip). Plus, Jodie is an above-knee amputee who uses a prosthetic leg for her walking mobility. When we travel and make vacation plans, we consider not only what is a good mix of fun and safe for our kids. We take into account how well Jodie will be able to enjoy what we do, plus how a destination enables her to spend more time enjoying our family trip, and less time being concerned about the logistics of access.
Activities based on place, so you can mix and match your own Ann Arbor vacation plan
We stayed 4 nights in the Ann Arbor area, enjoying activities, attractions, and experiences throughout its vibrant surrounding communities and many green (not to mention waterside) spaces. We’ll break down our experiences and observations traveling with kids and a disability. However, we’ll base things more on options in each place, as opposed to a blow-by-blow punch list. That way, you can more easily mix and match attractions for your own right-for-you itinerary.
We’ll share observations about mobility accessibility from our experience in and around Ann Arbor
Does your travel planning include taking into account a disability or a mobility impairment, such as a prosthetic leg (like Jodie), joint or back issues, or other mobility considerations, such as being a new parent using a stroller or baby carrier? Throughout, we’ll share accessibility notes about our experience at Ann Arbor area attractions.
Close-knit communities close together
Just 45 minutes west of downtown Detroit, Ann Arbor is the center point of small towns, neighborhoods, rolling farm lands, and outdoor spaces such as Waterloo State Recreation Area. These 7 communities comprise the full area:
- Ann Arbor
- Ypsilanti
- Chelsea
- Dexter
- Saline
- Milan
- Manchester
Even when bopping from small town to small town, communities and attractions are typically less than a 30-minute drive.
More about getting to and getting around Ann Arbor
Dexter, Manchester & Chelsea
West of Ann Arbor, the three communities of Dexter, Manchester, and Chelsea are a gateway to the outdoors, as well as calm towns with diverse options for art, dining, and more. However, we started with the chocolate.
Making Ecuadorian chocolate truffles in the Michigan woods
The third thing we did in the Ann Arbor area?
We mixed, rolled, powdered, and enjoyed handmade truffles, made with chocolate from heirloom cocoa beans.
But the first and second things we did were to taste examples of different chocolate, and learn how it was that we were sitting in an office in the woods of Dexter, Michigan, working with chocolate originally grown over 2,900 miles south in Mindo, Ecuador.
Founded by an American woman in 2009, she later worked with her Ecuadorian husband (described by one of his daughters as a “serial entrepreneur”) to source their own chocolate in Ecuador and later bring it to the USA. Today, Mindo Chocolate crafts chocolate bars, a cocoa fruit syrup called miel de cacao, and drinking chocolates. Now fully woman-owned, Mindo’s work in the USA and with its cacao sources in Ecuador focuses on good pay to farmers, more sustainable growing practices, and an emphasis on heirloom cacao.
Talking through the history, cultivation, and art of crafting chocolate into blissful deliciousness, we soon migrated from the office to a small commercial kitchen. There, we melted, mixed, and rolled our chocolate into small truffles. Each of us left with a box of five, rolled in our choice of powdered cocoa, cinnamon sugar, or ground coconut.
Check out Mindo Chocolate’s Make Your Own Truffles Class in Dexter, Michigan
Or, going to Ecuador? Visit Mindo, tour the chocolate farm, and more
Mobility tip
Mindo Chocolate’s Dexter factory is located in a rural home with a commercial kitchen. While the parking area is close to the entry, walking mobility is easiest for accessing the house and kitchen space, and walkways can be narrow. Contact Mindo to discuss options and your mobility needs.
Sculpture walk in downtown Chelsea
When a downtown is a loved, appreciated, and rejuvenated space, you can feel it the moment you arrive.
Just a few minutes from Michigan’s 20,000-acre Waterloo State Recreation Area, Chelsea’s streets were lined with vibrant shops and delicious aromas rising from restaurants and cafes. Victorian-era homes (the city was founded in 1834) shone with spruced-up exteriors and bright, fresh paint. The small local library sported accolades as one of the country’s best.
And all along a few blocks of downtown, we searched out the sculptures.
Sculpture walks have become one of family’s secret weapons. Kids can move around and use their outdoor voices. We also get to find, discuss, and appreciate art.
The Chelsea Sculpture Walk features juried selections, usually over a dozen. Many change year over year. Guide your route with a downloadable map (which you can easily match with shops and cafes to stop in along the way).
Mobility tip
The even sidewalks make it easier to get around. The majority of the sculptures are within a couple of blocks, for a compact art experience.
Arrowheads, water, and wildlife at Waterloo State Recreation Area’s Gerald E Eddy Discovery Center
Waterloo State Recreation Area is one of Michigan’s largest parks. Fortunately, you can get a wee taste of it just by driving about 10 minutes north of Chelsea.
We found the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center an approachable way to get a sense of the park, while not having to drive far or get into the backwoods. We could enjoy the outdoors while staying close to town.
The indoor space was full of interactive exhibits. From animal sounds to pelts, videos to hands-on activities, the Eddy anchored our experience and understanding of the Waterloo area’s forests, lakes, and wildlife.
Our favorite area, though, was a wall of displays, to the far right of the Eddy’s main gallery when standing inside the main entrance. Amidst a background of arrowheads found throughout the region, we followed placards, illustrations, and examples of the many ways Indigenous peoples would repurpose arrowheads, from drill bits to scrapers.
Mobility tip
The center itself is on one level, with wide paths and doorways. The Eddy’s parking lot leads to numerous trails. Ask park staff about which one might be a good fit for you, your mobility, and your plans for the day. A motorized track chair and a manual wheelchair are available.
Other activity ideas in the Dexter, Chelsea, and Manchester areas
We know how much we enjoy a destination when we already think of the places we’d like to visit next time. Here are a few we’d prioritize on a future trip, and that you might consider for yours:
- Mill Creek Park (accessible boardwalk, nearby parking lot, wetlands, and flowers)
- Sharon Mills County Park (Henry Ford once owned the mill property)
- Purple Rose Theater (founded in 1991 by actor and Chelsea native Jeff Daniels)
- Manchester’s Chi-Bro Park (with courts for pickleball and sand volleyball fans)
Where to eat
The Ann Arbor area impressed us time and again with the quality, diversity, flavor, and approachability of its cuisine. Pub grub? No worries. Middle Eastern dishes and treats? They’ve got you. Here are some places in Dexter, Chelsea, and Manchester to put on your must-dine list:
- Manchester Diner (try the Scotch eggs)
- Frank’s Place (pizza and Old World-style Italian)
- Chelsea Bakery (donuts, cookies, muffins)
- La Marsa (Mediterranean and Middle Eastern; delectable Turkish coffee and free hot spiced tea)
- Dexter Creamery (ice cream)
- Zou Zou’s Café (coffee shop with breakfast and lunch menu)
- Mike’s Deli (sandwiches, salads, and more; excellent Reuben)
- Common Grill (upscale family dining)
- River Raisin Distillery (family friendly local distillery)
- Millie’s Coffeehouse (coffee shop… and yoga studio)
Where to stay in Dexter, Chelsea, and Manchester, Michigan
Prefer to stay a little outside Ann Arbor but still be close to town? Excellent options abound throughout the Dexter, Chelsea, and Manchester areas. Plus, if recreating in Waterloo is high on your list, staying here puts you closer to this recreation area than staying in Ann Arbor itself.
RVers, this new RV park is where to enjoy your rig in the Ann Arbor area
2024 marked the first full season for Hidden Lakes RV Resort. The county’s first RV park can accommodate motorhomes and trailers (we camped out in our 25’ Class C motorhome). The elevated space brings excellent panoramas of the surrounding woods and countryside. An excellent view of the sunset is as close as your picnic table.
Plus, you can really extend your space when you want to be at camp but out of your rig. In addition to the covered shelter, the airy, comfy clubhouse is a haven on hot days. Water is close at hand too, whether that’s the outdoor pool or the free kayaks and paddle boat that guests can take on the ponds.
The main RV area is ready for guests during their camping season. Expansion continues though: 25 more RV sites, plus 4 cabins, are in the works to open in 2025.
Mobility tip: Kayaks and water access
The kayaks are on the shore of the western pond, just behind the main RV area. The sloped approach is currently a gravel path, as it’s near the ongoing construction on the park’s expansion. However, the boat area flattens out for shore launches and returns.
It’s an easy paddle on clear water. Don’t be surprised if your companions are herons, turtles, and dragonflies. Just to the right of the marsh reeds and grasses at the far end of the pond that borders the RV area, look for a secluded channel. Lined on the left with trees, you’ll emerge in a little pool. It quickly gets shallow and you’ll need to turn around, but it’s the sort of thing that can make you feel like you’re a hundred miles from anywhere, even though your rig is close by.
Ypsilanti
Twenty minutes east of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti began our day by reminding us of the incredible service by ordinary people during World War II, and later we magically found ourselves under the northern lights.
Michigan Flight Museum
During World War II, an unassuming hangar by the Willow Run Airport was once an epicenter of the USA’s wartime manufacturing. At its peak, a mile-long assembly line could build a B-24 bomber in an hour. Around 9,000 B-24s came out of this facility, many built by “Rosies,” the working women in the classic “We Can Do It!” poster, personified by the iconic bicep-pumping image of Rosie the Riveter.
Today, that legacy lives on to teach and inspire us at the Michigan Flight Museum (formerly the Yankee Air Museum).
We marveled at the engineering and builds of aircraft from World War I to the Vietnam War. Connor and Aster tried their hand at a computerized flight simulator.
Nearby displays illustrated how pilots, such as WWII veteran and former president George H.W. Bush, trained for rough Pacific Ocean waters. His simulator? Landing a real plane on converted cruise ships in the deep, choppy waters of Lake Michigan. Like other pilots of this era, if they wanted to fly in the Pacific, first they had to prove they could handle a Great Lake.
Our favorite part: An extensive, immersive exhibit showcased the work of the thousands of Rosies who worked in manufacturing and other jobs during wartime. Together, we took in the stories and experiences of some of these everyday, yet iconic, women, who were key in Allied efforts to win out against forces such as the Nazis.
Mobility tip
Initial access into the gift shop and ticket area can have some tight spots for wheelchair or stroller access. However, once inside the exhibit area, most areas of the museum have wide paths, and the exhibits are on the ground floor.
Decode Ypsilanti Escape Room (sorry, no spoilers)
When we talk with Connor and Aster about what they enjoyed most about our trip to the Ann Arbor area, they are emphatic and clear:
The escape room.
Right in downtown Ypsilanti, we entered Decode Ypsilanti and found ourselves amidst a society based around magic that comes from the aurora borealis, or the northern lights. Individually, as teams of two, and as an entire family, we worked through diverse puzzles involving logic, coordination, math, pattern recognition, and more.
The range of challenges kept us all engaged and delighted. We all had moments where we struggled, as well as times where each of us could shine.
And no, we’re not giving any specifics or spoilers. But we trust that you’ll be able to work through the escape room, just as we did.
Above all? After being magically transported from Michigan to Canada’s far-north Yukon Territory, we solved the all-hands challenges of the escape room, where our teamwork mattered most.
Soon we returned to Ypsilanti. As we emerged back onto the sunny downtown sidewalk, both kids immediately said they wanted to do the escape room again.
Mobility tip
Varying levels of motor coordination and mobility are needed to approach and work through the escape room’s various challenges.
Other activity ideas in the Ypsilanti and Depot Town area
In Ypsilanti and Depot Town district, we found small communities on the upswing of a comeback. From lush parks full of kids to calm downtown streets, here are some other activities to consider:
- Michigan Firehouse Museum (collection of historical fire engines and firefighting equipment)
- Riverside Park and Frog Island Park (paved paths, community soccer fields, and green space near town)
- BIG – Best In Games Arcade Center (from a ninja warrior course to arcade games, keep this indoor activity center in your pocket for rainy or too-hot days)
- Prospect Park (green fields, big trees, a pond, activity courts, and an excellent playground)
- Depot Town (revitalized downtown is small enough to be easily wanderable, but offers enough to keep you as busy as you want, from window shopping to cafe treats)
Where to eat
French-style Creole? A Mexican-style cantina? A classic American drive-in?
Ypsilanti’s got you covered. For us though, one place stood out above them all. We would recommend you go there for breakfast before you visit the nearby Michigan Flight Museum that we discussed earlier:
Breakfast at The Bomber Restaurant (especially before visiting the Michigan Flight Museum)
We have been to various flight museums. It is another thing entirely to be in a museum that during World War II was THE epicenter of the women workers we think of as Rosie the Riveter.
Yet our Rosie the Riveter experience, not to mention feeling of time traveling to the 1940s WWII era, began not at the museum, but at breakfast.
The original Rosie worked at Willow Run. And in downtown Ypsilanti, a visit to The Bomber Restaurant is incomplete without their French toast—and without finding one of the original Rosies on the wall of memorabilia.
The Bomber has been a Ypsilanti steadfast since 1936. Inside, model planes hang from the ceiling. Every inch of wall space memorializes the service and sacrifice of WWII soldiers, as well as people on the homefront, from uniforms and letters, to a tabletop showcase of one of the “Black Rosies,” or black women in the area who worked for the war effort.
Want to see one of the original Rosies?
Look for a poster showing the original iconic Rosie artwork. A little to the left, you’ll find a photo of an older woman striking the same strong Rosie pose. She’s one of the women whose hard work inspired the original Rosie the Riveter art back in the 1940s.
Also on your Ypsilanti and Depot Town dining menu
- MAIZ Mexican Cantina (modern Mexican, Michigan ingredients)
- Bellflower (upscale without being pretentious, and try the milk bread)
- Bill’s Hot Dog Stand (for over 50 years, classic coney dogs with homemade chili and homemade root beer)
- Ma Lou’s (Southern-style fried chicken)
- Basil Babe (the community loved this mother-daughter duo’s Thai pop ups so much, now there’s a permanent location)
Where to stay in the Ypsilanti area
About 20 minutes east of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti can be a great place to base your vacation stay:
Ann Arbor
Our Ann Arbor vacation wasn’t just an opportunity to spend time in an area we’d been wanting to visit. It was personal.
As of September 2024, Jodie’s grandfather, Bill, is 99 years old. Born in 1925, after World War II Bill attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. You could often find him at the iconic stone and high-ceilinged University of Michigan Law Library (which often reminds people of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies).
From our rooms at Weber’s Hotel & Restaurant, we snagged a rideshare (no worries about parking on campus) to the Law Library. Jodie got to send her grandfather a photo not only of his granddaughter, but his great-grandchildren, standing in a place that meant so much to him as a younger man.
The University of Michigan is huge and has facilities and campuses throughout the Ann Arbor area. Whether for Wolverines sports, visiting a student, or considering attending U-M, there’s a decent chance the campus and its many offerings might bring you to town. However, Ann Arbor’s attractions both include and extend beyond U-M.
Marvel at global plants in the U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens
Yes, the 300 open-air and enclosed acres of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens are part of U-M. But they are a world away from downtown, the main campus, or even the iconic Big House of Michigan Stadium.
While the main gardens and their enclosed 10,000 square-foot Conservatory are sizable, the space is quite approachable for kids and people with disabilities. Our own visit was around an hour and a half, but you could easily spend all day.
Food hint
Hungry on your way to the gardens? Stop in the nearby village of Dixboro for a light breakfast, lunch, or snack at MoonWinks Cafe & Tavern.
Park right at the entrance, or for a scenic walk, opt for the additional parking area
For starters, you can park close to the building, especially if closer access aids your mobility. We instead decided it would be quite lovely to begin our garden time with a walk.
Following the signs for additional parking (a nondescript green and white parking sign will direct you to steer left), a little slope brought us to a back lot surrounded by garden fields and a row of four curved greenhouses.
From here, we followed the archway trails, with two-column arches spanned with old garden tools turned into art. Large fields may be full of crops (deep green, luscious chard was just about ready to harvest when we visited in late August). The student-built straw bale house explained how this construction method provides thermal mass, and can make for more efficient housing construction that requires less heating and cooling to maintain a constant temperature.
Stop by the front desk for on-the-day pointers
Before heading into the free gardens and conservatory, we stopped by the front desk. Staff can give pointers on anything that’s notable or in its prime on that particular day.
They can also steer you away from anything it’s best to avoid.
For example, the day before our visit, a huge thunderstorm had blown through the area. While much of the garden areas have paved trails, the Children’s Garden has natural paths. The person at the front desk clued us in that the paths were pretty muddy, so we opted to avoid that space.
Over 40 bonsai (and one may be 1,000 years old)
After roaming through the tropical (cacao pods!), temperate (pitcher plants!), and arid zones (huge rabbit ears!) of the conservatory, we breathed in the fresh air of the outside garden spaces out back.
The Herb Knot Garden included not only traditional Mediterranean and European herbs (such as thyme or sage), but chiles, lemongrass, and other delicious or aromatic culinary plants from around the world.
But for us, it was all about the bonsai.
In a dedicated outdoor space designed to show off each of over 40 bonsai, we marveled at Chinese elms (trained downward and thicker than my arm), Japanese maples (already sporting bright red leaves), and a Rocky Mountain Juniper—thought to be 800 to 1,000 years old.
Mobility tip
In addition to wheelchair accessible buildings, restrooms, and parking, the Matthei Gardens offers other accessibility options for visitors with mobility disabilities or impairments, including accessible gardens, trails, patios, and picnic areas. Wheelchairs and trailchairs are available for first-come, first-serve checkout.
More about accessibility options at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
Other activity ideas in Ann Arbor
On campus, off campus, or throughout Ann Arbor, here are some other activities to consider:
- Gallup Park (ADA accessible trails, universal access playground, water vessel rentals, and accessible boat launch)
- U-M Museum of Natural History and Planetarium (parking here can be tricky, and a rideshare might be easier)
- Search for Urban Fairy Doors in downtown Ann Arbor (use this map and reference photos to guide your search; hint: if you stop for ice cream at Milk & Froth, you’ll be within a block of 3 Urban Fairy Doors)
- Motawi Tileworks (especially their make-a-tile workshops and Friday Factory Tours)
- Leslie Science & Nature Center (don’t miss the Raptor House and Critter House)
- Huron River (104-mile inland paddling trail is a National Water Trail)
- Ann Arbor Farmers Market (over 100 local businesses gather on Wednesdays and Saturdays)
- Border to Border Trail (30 miles of trails from Waterloo State Recreation Area to east of Ypsilanti; ADA-compliant paved trails, typically 10-feet wide)
Where to eat in the Ann Arbor area
Ann Arbor’s dining scene reflects not only Great Lakes traditions, but diverse foods from cultures around the world—along with plenty of tasty treats:
- Culantro (casual Peruvian fare; luscious black beans, and the sweet fried plantains are a must)
- Milk & Froth (artisanal ice cream near campus—and near some of those Urban Fairy Doors)
- Blank Slate Creamery (over 10 years of ice cream innovation)
- Monty’s Public House and Socotra Coffee House (they’re next door to each other; stop at Monty’s for a meal or a beverage, then follow up with coffee, tea, and a treat, such as the luscious mango tiramisu, at Middle Eastern-style Socotra)
- Northside Grill (family friendly diner for lunch or breakfast, but parking can be tricky)
- Spiedo (“Mediterranean-ish” is delicious, especially the chicken and rice, bowlified Juicy Sean, and the farmer’s cheese)
- Q Bakery & Market (coffee shop and Asian-style bakery)
- Biercamp (German homemade sausages and outdoor beer garden)
- Bao Space (steamed and filled Chinese-style soft buns)
- Ginger Deli (casual Vietnamese)
- 1923 Taco Bustaurant (London double decker bus, now a taco spot!)
Where to stay in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Remember Jodie’s 99-year-old granddad, who is a U-M alum? As soon as he found out we were staying in two poolside rooms at Weber’s Hotel & Restaurant, he told Jodie that anyone who went to U-M knows the Weber.
We could see why. Along with the courteous and helpful staff, we enjoyed the decor and the selfie friendly sculpture at the entrance. But possibly our favorite touch? Our ground-floor rooms had a back door onto the pool deck (and from poolside upstairs rooms, spiral staircases can take you straight to the pool, hot tub, sauna, cabana, and fitness center area).
In fact, I’m writing this from the table and chairs right outside our door, with the pool to my left, calm music in the air, and Aster and Jodie splashing in the pool.
Food tip: Have at least one meal at The Weber Restaurant
We understand: You might have noticed that we have listed A LOT of dining options for the Ann Arbor area. However, the Weber Restaurant in the hotel is classy, fun (check out the signs with quotations at the restaurant entrance), and delicious.
We came in for breakfast on our last day in town. While the kids feasted on fluffy pancakes, Jodie and I both answered the call of the asparagus and brie omelet.
More places to stay in Ann Arbor
Other convenient and comfy Ann Arbor hotels include the Graduate and the Kensington (plus, a rideshare can have you downtown within a few minutes). Here are more places to stay in the Ann Arbor area:
Mobility tip
In addition to accessible rooms, families like ours can reserve adjoining family rooms. Our two rooms both faced the pool. An internal door helped us feel much more at home, with room to spread out. Some rooms have barrier-free showers, and others have tubs, including some accessible rooms. Call the hotel to discuss what’s best for your stay.
Ann Arbor is fun and accessible for families and for visitors with mobility disabilities
From Chelsea to Ypsilanti, our family vacation in the Ann Arbor area was full of accessible attractions that both adults and kids could enjoy. Whether taking in the waters and woods of the Waterloo area or traveling back in time to the days of real-life Rosie the Riveters, we left Ann Arbor not only with new memories and stories, but a list of what we want to do on our next Ann Arbor family vacation.
