East Lansing, MI Road Trips

East Lansing has a population over 46,000 and is mix of college students and well-educated affluent citizens. Downtown East Lansing is a vibrant college town opposite the country's largest single university campus. The city is the cultural and educational center of Mid-Michigan. It is just east of Lansing, Michigan's capital. The Michigan State Capitol dome can be seen from East Lansing. The city offers excellent public transportation, cultural events, and parks. East Lansing's position in Mid-Michigan makes travel to the state's other major cities convenient.

MSU is the main attraction. The beautiful campus includes the Red Cedar River and over 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares), with over 2,000 developed or in planned development. The historic north end of the campus is notable for its park setting and collegiate Gothic architecture. The center of the historic campus, known as Sacred Place, is dominated by the Beaumont Tower. The Beaumont Tower is a Gothic tower housing a full carillon with 49 bells. Along the Red Cedar is the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden. At the south end of campus are the Horticultural and Children's 4-H gardens. The gardens are a popular site for weddings. Michigan State University Libraries includes a large collection within the 1 Main Library and smaller libraries outside the Main Library. These libraries include the 2 Biomedical & Physical Sciences Library, the 3 William C. Gast Library, the 4 Law Library, the Dubai Library, the Engineering Library, the 5 Gull Lake Library (at Kellogg Biological Station, approximately 65 miles (105 km) to the southwest of the main campus), the Mathematics Library, and the Veterinary Medical Center Library. 6 East Public Lansing Library, 950 Abbot Road (just south of Saginaw), ☏ +1 517 351-2420. (updated Mar 2026) Downtown East Lansing is on Grand River Avenue opposite the MSU campus. Many shops and restaurants catering to students are located downtown. Alfresco dining is popular in the warmer months when foot traffic is heavy. 7 Lake Lansing (near Haslett). The lake is surrounded by beautiful homes and a number of parks.

1 Abrams Planetarium (planetarium on MSU campus), 755 Science Rd, ☏ +1 517 355-4672, [email protected]. (updated Nov 2019) 2 Pinball Pete's, 220 Albert Avenue, ☏ +1 517 337-2544. Video arcade featuring pool tables, skee ball, pinball machines as well as classic and modern video game cabinets. (updated Jan 2021) 3 Wharton Center for Performing Arts, 750 E. Shaw Ln, [email protected]. The center is on the campus of MSU and is home of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, which performs 17 concerts a year for free. The center hosts many of the best Broadway shows, finest classical musicians, and unrivaled dance companies. The theater completed a major renovation in 2009. (updated Nov 2019) 4 MSU Auditorium, the Fairchild Theatre, and the Arena Theatre The 5 Hannah Community Center and the 6 Albert White Performing Arts Theater Football: MSU football is a member of the Big 10 Conference and the games are nationally televised with the 75,000-seat stadium is often filled to capacity. Basketball: MSU Basketball is regularly one of the top programs in the country. The games are regularly sold out and tickets can be hard to come by. Every sports bar in the area is packed on 7 MSU Basketball nights. Hockey: MSU Hockey is among the best in the country. Baseball: MSU Baseball games are played on the 8 MSU campus.

1 Beggar's Banquet, 218 Abbott Road, ☏ +1 517 351-4540. The menu offers a taste of everything, and nightly specials. Thursday night features southern food and live music. Wednesday is 1/2 price wine day. 2 Crunchy's, 254 West Grand River, ☏ +1 517 351-2506. Just off campus. "Burgers, buckets, and beer." Also, make sure to try their delicious pizza and sweet nugs. 3 Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub, 131 Albert Avenue (behind downtown East Lansing), ☏ +1 517 333-4040. It offers great alfresco dining in the summer. But the restaurant is known more for the cheap homemade beers. 4 Harrison Roadhouse, 720 E Michigan Avenue (at the corner of and Harrison Rd.), ☏ +1 517 337-0200. It offers American fare, drinks, and in the summer, al fresco dining. 5 The State Room, 55 South Harrison Avenue (Inside the MSU Kellogg Center), ☏ +1 517 432-4000. The State Room offers upscale dining that only the All Seasons Bistro can match. The restaurant is on the pricey side, but if you want upscale quality dining, it is one of only a few options. Bonus: the restaurant serves MSU Dairy Store ice cream with their desserts! 6 AI Fusion, 2827 East Grand River Ave, ☏ +1 517 853-3700. Trendy and popular Asian cuisine with Korean, Japanese, and Western motifs. 7 Charlie Kang's, 127 E Grand River Ave, ☏ +1 517 332-4696. Charlie Kang's offers Chinese and Korean food at moderate prices. Try the Korean soups! 8 Korea House, 978 Trowbridge Rd (near Harrison in a strip mall), ☏ +1 517 332-0608. The restaurant is hard to find. But keep looking, it is worth the difficulty.

East Lansing offers plenty of nightlife. If you're a student, or visiting a student at Michigan State University, there is no shortage of bars packed full of young people and loud music. Most bars cater to the younger crowd. Beggar's Banquet, 218 Abbott Rd (near Grand River), ☏ +1 517 351-4540. Beggar's is an East Lansing institution. With good food, and reasonable drinks, it is highly recommended, especially among graduate students. Wine Wednesday (half-off wine) is the busy night. 1 Crunchy's, 254 W. Grand River, ☏ +1 517 351-2506. Rounding out the East Lansing institutions, this dive bar located on Grand River west of downtown East Lansing is great fun. The bar sports the best beer menu in town and is constantly rotating. Karaoke night is a blast! 2 Jimmy's, 16830 Chandler Rd (after Abbott becomes Chandler, continue 1/2 mile (800 m) north, by Chandler's Crossing), ☏ +1 517 324-7100. It has decent food, tons of TVs, and is smoke-free. In the summer there is plenty of outdoor seating. It is one of few options north of Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing. 3 The Peanut Barrel, 521 E. Grand River Ave, ☏ +1 517 351-0608. Off Grand River, it is another East Lansing institution. Good beer, strong long islands, and peanut casings on the floor define the place. It is extremely popular in the summer, with outdoor dining in the heart of downtown East Lansing. You'll need a little luck on a sunny day to snag a table outside. It is the best place to people watch. 4 The Riv, 231 M.A.C Ave, ☏ +1 517 351-5855. One of the quintessential undergraduate bars.

1 The Wild Goose Inn, 512 Albert Avenue, East Lansing, ☏ +1 517 333-3334. Each room has a private bath, gas fireplace, cable TV with DVD/CD player, clock radio with iPod dock, and Internet access. All rooms, but one, also have Jacuzzis and sumptuous shower facilities. 2 Comfort Inn Lansing, 2187 University Park Drive, Okemos. 3 East Lansing Marriott at University Place, 300 M. A. C. Ave, ☏ +1 517-337-4440. Across from MSU Campus. 4 Residence Inn by Marriot, 2841 Hannah Blvd, ☏ +1 517 657-2875. 5 TownePlace Suites East Lansing, 2855 Hannah Boulevard, ☏ +1 517 203-1000, fax: +1 517-203-1234. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: Noon. 6 Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, 219 S Harrison Rd (Michigan State University), ☏ +1 517-909-3916, toll-free: +1 800-875-5090. Large hotel and conference center with views of the MSU campus.

East Lansing is easily accessible from Detroit and Chicago. Interstate 96 directly connects East Lansing to Detroit and Grand Rapids. US-127 to Interstate 94 connects East Lansing to Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. Interstate 69 connects East Lansing to Flint and Fort Wayne. Greyhound Lines serve Lansing and East Lansing, with direct connections to Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo (with transfers to Chicago). Owosso, Michigan-based Indian Trails Bus Lines provides daily service to Chicago. Michigan Flyer Motorcoach Service provides multiple daily connections to Detroit Metropolitan Airport with stops in Jackson and Ann Arbor. East Lansing can also be reached from the Greater Lansing Area through Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus routes that run throughout the capital area. 1 Capital Area Mulitmodal Gateway (East Lansing station), 1240 South Harrison Road. The station is opposite Michigan State University on Harrison Ave, near Trowbridge Rd. (updated Oct 2023) Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America. (updated Mar 2022) Route stopping at East Lansing: Blue Water operates daily between Port Huron and Chicago including stops in Flint, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Niles, and New Buffalo. The train reaches speed of up to 100 mph. 2 Capitol Region International Airport is in DeWitt Township on Grand River Avenue (Business Route 96) northwest of downtown East Lansing.

East Lansing is served by a number of highways. Travel by car to any part of the city normally takes very little time. Traffic is generally light in the region. Nearly all parking downtown is paid meter or paid lot parking. While there are many parking structure, lot, and street options, parking can be difficult during MSU games and festivals. Taxi service in East Lansing is very good. Taxi service is available curb side in downtown East Lansing on Albert Street. If looking for home pick-up, allow approximately 30 minutes. Though, on weekend evenings, allow additional time. Or use an iPhone or Android app called Cabulous to track a taxi to you. Taxi Service - iCab Inc. +1 517-215-7910 Capital Area Transit Authority (CATA) provides local bus service to the Lansing-area. CATA enjoys high ridership along lines serving MSU. East Lansing provides many of miles of bike lanes, which make for quick commutes around the city. Bikes are also permitted on city sidewalks, which adorn nearly every street. MSU employs bike lanes and bike-specific pathways that parallel pedestrian sidewalks. Most CATA buses are equipped to carry bikes, making access to every corner of the Lansing-area accessible without a car. East Lansing is pedestrian friendly. Sidewalks are laid along most streets, and most intersections have some form of pedestrian crosswalks with signals. Downtown East Lansing and MSU's campus receive heavy foot traffic, especially in the warmer months. Walking is the best way to see downtown East Lansing and the MSU campus.