Essential Kalamazoo
If you would like to find out what to do in Kalamazoo during the four or five days you are going to spend in town during the workshop, the best option is to browse through the Discover Kalamazoo web site. However, there are several events and venues that we would strongly recommend.
Exhibitions
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Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is the town main art museum and regularly presents well-curated and worth visiting exhibitions such as “Impressions: printmaking in Japan”, “Kay WalkingStick: an American Artist” and "Our people, our land, our images". Located at 314 S Park St. in downtown. Tuesday – Wednesday and Saturday: 11 am - 5 pm. Thursday – Friday: 11 am - 8 pm. Sunday: Noon - 5 pm.
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Kalamazoo Valley Museum. The town of Kalamazoo is famous for, among other things, being the original home of the Gibson electric guitar (1894) and checker cabs (1923). The KVM is a tribute to this mostly unknown history. The current “Binding wounds” exhibition reviews African American men and women who served as surgeons and nurses in the Civil War. 230 N Rose St in downtown. Monday - Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm. Sunday: 1 - 5 pm.
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Gillmore Car Museum is the largest auto museum in North America with special events on Saturdays 07/29 and 08/05. A must if you like vintage cars of all sorts. Located at 6865 W Hickory Rd, Hickory Corners, a 20 m drive from central Kalamazoo. Monday – Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Restaurants
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Rustica. Rustic European cuisine. 236 S Kalamazoo Mall in downtown. Daily from 17:00 with reservations at (269) 492-0247. Attendees of the forum “Gender equality in science and technology: a new paradigm” on Wednesday 08/02 are encouraged to join us for dinner here after the event since it is two blocks away from the Ladies’ Library where it will be held.
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Food Dance. Handcrafted and locally sourced specialties. The best for Sunday brunches. 401 E Michigan Ave #100 in downtown. 7:00 am – 10:00 pm.
Bars
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Bell’s Eccentric Cafe and Brewery. Large variety of beer, country bands and good atmosphere with a garden. 355 E Kalamazoo Ave in downtown.
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O’Duffy’s Pub. Irish pub with decent draught Guinness and excellent food from Cosmo's restaurant upstairs. 804 W Vine St. in the historic Vine District.
Events
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RIBFEST. Three days (08/03-08/05, 11:00-23:59) of solid food, beer, and entertainment in the open-air Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown. Top act: Grand Funk Railroad on Friday 08/04 at 21:30.
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ARTHOP. A free event held on the first Friday of every month, an evening of art exhibits and events. It's fun, interactive and a great way to explore downtown that you can do alone or with friends, and you don’t have to be “artist” to enjoy it! Friday 08/04, 17:00 pm – 21:00 pm. Brochures available from WAO staff.
