Michigan's Artsy College Town Brims With Campus Life, Local Shops, Pristine Green Trails, And Vibrant Festivals

From the bustling downtown near "the Harvard of the West" to the Upper Peninsula's historic gem, Michigan is full of charming college towns. One of the biggest and best is East Lansing, home of Michigan State University. MSU campus life dominates East Lansing, but visitors will also find delightful local shops, pristine green trails, and vibrant seasonal festivals.

With a population just under 50,000, East Lansing is, like the name implies, just east of Lansing, the state capital of Michigan. Lansing has a small airport, Capital Region International Airport, and the larger Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is about an hour and a half drive from East Lansing. The city is also home to an Amtrak station and local buses via the Capital Area Transportation Authority. Planning an overnight trip? You will have more than a dozen hotels to choose from, including the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice award-winning Graduate by Hilton East Lansing and the unique Wild Goose Inn.

MSU is a major presence in East Lansing, boasting a 5,200-acre campus that has more than 50,000 students. Much of the campus is open to the public. You can watch a football game at Spartan stadium or enjoy nature at the Beal Botanical Garden and campus arboretum or MSU Horticulture Gardens. Families with kids will enjoy the 4-H Children's Gardens featuring nearly 100 themed gardens and play areas. If you are looking for a little more physical activity, you could try your hand at archery at the Demmer Shooting Sports Education and Training Center, go hiking in the Sanford Natural Area, or bike along one the university's trails.

If you prefer indoor activities, you could visit MSU's Wharton Center for Performing Arts to catch live theater, dance, or music acts. You could also view contemporary art at the Broad Art Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid or visit the stars at the Abrams Planetarium. Be sure to check out MSU's iconic Beaumont Tower and enjoy the sounds of the carillon, an instrument that features 49 bells. If you take a trip to the MSU Farms, make sure to stop by the MSU Dairy Store for some homemade ice cream.

Outside of campus, East Lansing offers plenty of unique boutiques to keep you busy. There are two independent bookstores – Hooked, which is a bookstore, café, and community space, and the Curious Book Shop, selling used and rare books. There is also the record store Flat, Black, and Circular. The fashion forward will enjoy browsing sister jewelry stores Mad Eagle and Clever Clover, women's clothing store Pitaya, or sneaker shops like House of Soles. Those with a sweet tooth will want to visit Rocket Fizz, which has 514 different sodas and candies from Japan and Europe.

East Lansing is home to many walking, bicycling, and hiking trails, as well as neighborhood parks. One of the most popular is the Northern Tier Trail, a 5.8-mile paved pathway connecting eight community parks and recreation facilities. "For a walk in the city, it was through a relatively large area with natural vegetation," writes one AllTrails reviewer. "I saw deer, squirrels and several songbirds, including robins and cardinals."

If you want to attend a local festival, there are plenty of offerings throughout the year. For movie buffs, the East Lansing Film Festival, the state's longest-running non-experimental film festival, takes place in November, and the Lake Michigan Film Festival spotlights regional work in the late winter. In May, the East Lansing Art Festival takes place, featuring over 150 artists plus live music and dance. The Summer Solstice Jazz Festival kicks off in June, and the city hosts free movie screenings and live music performances during the summer. When visiting East Lansing, it's easy to make a short detour to Lansing to enjoy Victorian-style homes and shops.