jacquieandryan This post is sponsored by Discover Kalamazoo but all opinions are our own.
Awesome weekend road trip alert! We had an incredible weekend getaway in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it’s just a 2.5 hour drive from Chicago! There’s so much to do in Kalamazoo, whether you’re looking for an outdoorsy adventure, or if you are more like us, and want to soak up a little history, art, and culture (oh, and yummy food & drinks). We’ll give you all the details below so you can start planning your own road trip!
I LOVE a charming bed & breakfast but we also love a nice boutique hotel (Ryan’s preference). So, we’re always torn when planning our weekends away. One thing about us though, is we’ll ALMOST always choose an accommodation with character over a luxury one. For this trip, we stayed at the historic Kalamazoo House B&B. No detail was left behind by owners/innkeepers Amy and Jeff, so this stay felt luxurious and unique.
Kalamazoo was just the perfect arts and foodie weekend for us. The town is super walkable and there’s a lot of cool history to soak in. If you’re like us, save this for a future easy weekender to explore a new place. You’ll love it! Here’s our roundup of where to eat, where to stay, and what to do in Kalamazoo!
Things to do in Kalamazoo, Michigan
See a show at Barn Theatre School
Our main event Friday night was visiting The Barn Theatre School for Advanced Theatre Training. The school believes the exposure and experience gained as an Apprentice are the heart of an appreciative and creative relationship and comprise the core disciplines of any theatrical endeavor. Which basically means the actors were a part of every detail! They were the greeters, bartenders, etc. It was such a cool experience! We saw Cinderella and it was an impressive performance! Loved every bit of it and how they kept us laughing. They also offer an intimate cabaret-style show in the Rehearsal Shed Bar after shows, which sounds very fun!
Visit The Aroma Labs
After breakfast and coffee on Saturday morning, we walked over to The Aroma Labs to create our own personal fragrances. This was a first for both of us and it was such a unique and enjoyable experience! Staff walked us through everything we needed to know and then let us work. They were SO helpful, too. Ryan created a cologne and beard wax (smelled so so good on him) and I created a perfume roller. I loved this process and our fragrances turned out so good! Ryan wears his beard balm/wax everyday.
Lately I’ve been buying houseplants at some of our getaways and I love that I have something that lives in our home that reminds me of our adventures. So when I stumbled on this SUPER cute plant shop, I had to check it out. Mason Jar Plant shop is a family owned business that sells house plants and decor, specializing in rare exotics and hard to find gems!
The Gilmore Car Museum tells the history of America through the automobile. It’s a huge museum with a very cool campus! They also host a summer concert series. We got to see the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and they were amazing! This was a very special experience for us because we are both (past) musicians but this was our first Symphonic show together!
We ended our weekend in Kalamazoo on a high note, by checking off a few of the murals from the Self Guided Mural Wall Crawl! There’s a handful to find right around Crow’s Nest Restaurant and Satellite Records!
Where to eat in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Starting our mornings at B&Bs always feel pretty special, but breakfast at The Kalamazoo House B&B has been one of our favorites. The first morning we were delighted with our peach baked french toast and hashbrown strata. The second morning we had a delicious breakfast enchilada and dutch baby. Here are the rest of our recommendations!
We had a great brunch/lunch before we left town at Crow’s Nest. Everything was so good! They make their own bread so the sandwiches were *next level*. We walked off the meal by strolling downtown using our Mural Walk map. We couldn’t resist popping into Satellite Records for a quick vinyl perusal, too.
We grabbed coffee our first morning at Stamped Robin and it was so cool! It doubles as a coffee shop and cocktail bar. They sell bottles and coffee beans too! We returned later for a nightcap.
After our visit to Aroma Labs, we headed to lunch at Bells Eccentric Cafe for lunch and beer! Ryan was so excited for this! We had the tastiest white fish spread and burgers along with our beer flights. This was super special because Bells Brewery offers exclusive beer that is only available at their tap rooms and breweries!
Principle Food & Drink is just a short walk from our B&B and it was so delicious! The food is elevated but vibe isn’t stuffy. The craft cocktails were so creative and fun. We dined outside and enjoyed people watching and perfect summer night weather.
Don’t miss stopping at The Spirit of Kalamazoo for ice cream! We enjoyed reading all the cool history on the walls while devouring dessert. You can grab some awesome Kalamazoo and Michigan themed keepsakes/gifts while you’re here, too!
Where to Stay in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo House B&B absolutely stunning. It’s a #1 rated bed & breakfast on Tripadvisor in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. We love a good B&B experience and the KH has all the comforts we’ve grown to love – a private bathroom with a huge soaking tub and all the amenities you’d find at a hotel, individual heating and cooling system, flat screen TV, DVD player, and streaming services. Bonus, it’s literally right next door to the gorgeous Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
We loved our trip to Kalamazoo and we hope we’ve inspired you to check out this charming town! We visited during summer, but I’ve seen pictures of the Kzoo in autumn and I think this would make an excellent Midwest Fall Weekend Getaway!
Happy Roadtripping!
Jacquie & Ryan
