Downtown Kalamazoo

Downtown Kalamazoo has it all-charming boutiques, exquisite jewelry, fine art, vintage collectibles, antiques, luxurious paper, fabulous furniture, books, magazines, a festival site, and even wine tasting!

Kalamazoo was the first city in the nation to create a downtown
pedestrian mall and was fondly known for decades as The Mall City.  Kalamazoo has expanded far beyond the original pedestrian mall area and it is now called Central City. This designation better reflects the growing, diverse retail and business district you will find today. Downtown retail maps are available at most stores. They guide you as you stroll through our many delightful restaurants or cafes, attend a play, catch a movie, enjoy live entertainment, or go indoor rock climbing.

For those who wish to enjoy an extraordinary urban experience, downtown Kalamazoo is a must! Grab a Coney dog, experience exquisite art, slip on a pair of world class running shoes (to work off that Coney dog), or take a spin on a vintage moped-all in the Central City, your Downtown Kalamazoo.

Gull Lake

Outdoor activities are plentiful in Kalamazoo, no matter what time of
year. Fish, swim, water ski, sail or boat in one of Kalamazoo's numerous public access lakes or visit the sandy shores of Lake Michigan-just a 45-minute drive or three-hour bike ride away on the Kal-Haven Trail. Around every corner in Kalamazoo, there is a park or trail with areas for picnics, biking, hiking or horseback riding. When snow starts falling in late November, Kalamazoo becomes a winter wonderland. People flock to the local ski resorts and toboggan runs or head to the trails for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. There are six sheets of hockey-sized ice in Kalamazoo along with several skating ponds. The ski resorts offer beginner hills and challenging slopes for skiers and snowboarders.

A highly charged, multi-sensory atmosphere going beyond anything you've ever experienced; the Air Zoo is a departure from the ordinary museum. Join the Air Zoo for the adventure of a lifetime! Take a voyage to the final frontier: space. At the Air Zoo's Michigan Space Science Center, you can train like an astronaut, take a walk on the moon, try your hand at docking the International Space Station, even blast off on a journey to Mars! The Midwest's first 4D theatre, the most advanced flight simulators available to civilians, indoor amusement park rides, and an assembly of extraordinary aircraft-including the world's only SR-71B Blackbird Spy Plane-will make your exploration through the history of flight unforgettable. In addition to the heart-stopping flight experiences and historic aircraft, you'll always have a few more reasons to come back to the Air Zoo. As a result of a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, the Air Zoo has access to over 142 million artifacts and an endless source of world-famous traveling exhibits.

The Gilmore Car Museum

The Gilmore Car Museum is hailed as one of the finest automotive museums in the nation (Top Five, in fact) and Old Cars Weekly magazine recently declared it, "Best in the Midwest!" Nestled on its 90-acre park-like setting, you'll encounter nearly 200 extraordinary vehicles in restored historic buildings, spanning more than 100 years of automotive heritage.

Here you'll find exhibits ranging from an 1899 Locomobile to the classic Duesenberg, the elusive 1948 Tucker, the Model T and muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s.  Several historic barns, an 1890s train depot, the 1930s gas station, a working authentic 1940s diner and a vintage Disney movie set are there to discover. The all-new National Miniatures Museum is also located on site.