I spent a few hours in Ann Arbor, Michigan during a fall road trip around Michigan and the Midwest, and I loved it! There are some incredible Victorian houses and stone churches, and I enjoyed just walking around downtown and in some neighborhoods. If you’re looking for a place to walk around and see some pretty buildings, I definitely recommend seeing the historic Ann Arbor sights!
Ann Arbor history
For a bit of the history of Ann Arbor, Michigan, the town was founded along the Huron River in 1825. It was named after both of the town’s founders’ wives, who were both named Ann, and for the acres of oak trees on the land. There are still over 1.5 million trees and 158 parks in the city today, so the city really lives up to its name!
The University of Michigan moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor in 1837, which helped the town grow. Over the past few years, it’s been voted several times as one of the top cities to live in the U.S. and I can see why!
Nickels Arcade
Ann Arbor sights
When I was in Ann Arbor, I didn’t really have an agenda. It was a beautiful fall day, so I just wanted to walk around and see some pretty Ann Arbor sights! So if you’re able to take your time or have a few days in the city, I recommend just taking your time and walking around.
I started off in the downtown area near the University of Michigan and headed through the historic houses towards the river. I loved seeing all the colorful Victorian houses and stone churches, especially with all the pretty autumn leaves! (If you can visit during the fall, I really recommend it).
So those were some of my favorite Ann Arbor sights I saw while exploring! I do want to go back soon and see more of what the city has to offer 🙂 If you’re looking for some more things to do, you can explore the parks, visit Michigan Stadium or go to a football game, visit the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, and try a fragel! I had never heard of them before, but fragels are apparently a fried bagel, like a cross between a donut and a bagel with cinnamon and sugar, and they were invented in Ann Arbor. And you can check out the Ann Arbor website for events happening during your visit!
I love that it was named after the wives. I would have to do as you did and simply wander around the town taking pictures along the way.
It’s such a great place just to wander around!
This post is perfect for me! I love historic homes, churches, urban hikes and walking tours. Ann Arbor, Michigan has some beautiful neighborhoods!
I hope you’ll be able to visit soon!
I visited Ann Arbor many years ago in the 1970’s for a college football game (“let’s go blue”) and still remember how beautiful it was. Your post has reminded that I want to go back to explore outside of the football stadium.
I hope you can go back soon, it’s such a beautiful town to explore!
Ann Arbor sounds so charming! I’ve been to Michigan many times, but never to Ann Arbor. I bet fall is just gorgeous
I hope you can go to Ann Arbor, it’s definitely worth a visit!
Looks like a really pretty city!
Yeah it really is!