This blog post may contain affiliate links, which may reward me in the event of a sale. I use these funds to reinvest in my blog and to create more great content like this article to share with you! My visit to Ypsilanti was sponsored by Destination Ann Arbor and Ypsi Real, however all thoughts & opinions are my own. Disclaimer here.
A town my family and I wanted to explore for ages is Ypsilanti! To me, it’s always come across as an underrated gem compared to nearby Ann Arbor. But if you research more into Ypsilanti, there’s a lot of rich history behind how it was formed, who’s settled here over the years, and what it’s blossomed into today. Now it might seem crazy – even impossible, to visit Ypsilanti for a day trip. There is so much to do here! But we did! During this day trip, we focused on covering the most unique things to do in Ypsilanti.
And within that focus, we managed to find something for a variety of travel personalities – history buffs, shopping aficionados, foodies, and auto lovers.
So come learn what you can fit in during a day in Ypsilanti!
History of Ypsilanti
Before Michigan was a state and territory, a trail the Natives used, called the Sauk Trail was located through where Ypsilanti is now. Back in the early 1800’s, a French trader named Gabriel Godfroy was the first white settler in today’s Ypsilanti. Shortly after, many developments occurred that increased migration into Michigan and the area around Ypsilanti. After that, the village was platted, the US Federal Government made what was the Sauk Trail a road between Detroit and Chicago, and the Erie Canal opened.
The name Ypsilanti was chosen as the town’s name to honor the Greek General Demetrios Ypsilantis in 1825. Originally the name only applied to the town located along the west side of the Huron River (which is today’s downtown Ypsilanti). And the town to the East of the Huron River (today’s Depot town) was known as Woodruff’s Grove. But then, in 1829, after General Ypsilantis won the war of Greece’s independence, the two towns merged under the name Ypsilanti.
Additionally, Ypsilanti played an important role in the history of the automobile industry in Michigan. While Flint, Detroit, and Dearborn are well known and associated with Michigan’s auto history, Ypsilanti is where historic models like Ace, Kaiser, and Frazer cars were made. Ypsilanti is also where GM’s hydramatic division was located until 2010. And, as we dive into more below, it is also where the last Hudson car dealership was located in the US.
Summary of Unique Things to Do in Ypsilanti During a Day Trip
When: Sunday in February
Why: After spending some time in the Ann Arbor area during past day trips and getaways, we’ve heard a lot about Ypsilanti which has started to go up on my list of places we wanted to explore.
Time Traveled (one way): 20 minutes from Ann Arbor, 40 minutes from Detroit, 1 hour from Lansing and Toledo, 1.5 hours from Kalamazoo, 2 hours from Grand Rapids, 3.5 hours from Traverse City and Chicago
Time Spent at Destination: 7.5 hours
Budget: $$ (gas, food, museum admission, shopping)
Unique Things to Do During a Day Trip to Ypsilanti
This unique day trip to Ypsilanti is perfect for all types of interests. While we explored together as a family, it could also be a fun couples or friends adventure. If you have more time than just a day to explore the area. Tack this on as a weekend getaway by exploring the nearby town of Milan for a contrast of small town living and city vibes. Or check out nearby Ann Arbor. During this adventure, we did spend the night at the Marriott Eagle Crest Resort in Ypsilanti the night before.
Cafe Liv
Our first stop of the day after checking out of our hotel was to Cafe Liv, which is located a couple blocks from downtown Ypsilanti. Cafe Liv is more a coffee shop than a joint where you’d want to grab some breakfast. The menu includes a wide variety of coffee and tea drinks. And there are a selection of pastries and baked goods sourced in from local bakeries.
Cafe Liv is located in a former auto shop and is a welcome addition to the nearby residential community. There is only a small parking lot on site with about 3 parking spaces, but plenty of street parking is available for free on the weekends.
There is plenty of space to grab a seat at – even more during the warmer months with an outdoor patio. When you enter the cafe, the bakery and drink counter is in a snug room with only enough room for those waiting to place their orders. But once you order, you can move over into the spacious and airy seating area with a variety of seating options.
There are tables lining the windows filled with people typing away on their laptops and living room style seating filled with groups of people gathered together. There are also small and large tables for couples or families to sit at.
Definitely a calm, relaxed spot to come together to wake up on a Sunday morning.
Prospect Park
After a little caffeine and sugar, our next stop was to Ypsilanti’s oldest park – Prospect Park. We stopped here on the way to the Yankee Air Museum since we had some time before it opened and it was a lovely place to get some morning wiggles out of my son.
Prospect Park is almost 10 acres and has some interesting history tied to it. Originally it was a cemetery. However, the bodies moved to Highland Cemetery so Prospect Park could be formed in the late 1800s. In 1902, a defense cannon from Maine was added to the park where it remains to this day.
This park has a playground, swing set, skate park, and picnic tables. There’s also a lot of green space to run around and Michigan State Historic Marker. During our visit, I thought my son would want to play on the playground, but turns out, he wanted to chase the many squirrels that called the park home.
Prospect Park is free to visit and has its own parking lot off of Cross Street.
Yankee Air Museum
Finally at 11am, the Yankee Air Museum opened up. The Yankee Air Museum is located around the historic Willow Run Airport in Belleville. Originally when it was built in 1981, the museum was housed in a World War Two era building. However, a fire destroyed the former museum in 2004. The current building opened in 2010 and houses many historic aircraft used during war from World War One all the way to the Gulf War.
Walking through the museum is like walking through airplane history with exhibits on both world wars, women in flight, the Tuskegee airmen, Vietnam war, and more.
When we stepped into the museum, the docents told us the only rule was to not run beneath the airplanes. Everything else was fair game – which was incredible to hear with such a little one with us. While my son loves airplanes alone, he’s also super curious about how everything works these days. Many of the history exhibits also have an aspect of ‘play’ connected to them. There are so many hands on exhibits, where you can learn how different components of the airplane work, sit inside an airplane cockpit, learn about gravity, fly an airplane simulator, and more.
The Yankee Air Museum costs $13 for adults, $10 for kids age 2-17, Seniors and Veterans/Military. Tickets can be purchased on site or reserved ahead of time online. If you book online, you can save $2 off admission.
It’s also open every day but Monday from 10am-4pm except on Sundays when it’s open 11am to 4pm.
C.King & Co. Cafe
A restaurant you really need to know about in Michigan is the C King and Co. Cafe in downtown Ypsilanti. While it’s only a couple years old, its name, ambiance, and location all honor a local grocery store that once stood at its exact spot for over a century, from the 1830s to 1940s.
Founded by a Michigan Chef who once cooked for celebrities as both a corporate and personal chef, Rich Muszynski, C King and Co. Cafe turned to the local community to ask what type of restaurant they wanted in their neighborhood. They answered with a high quality Neapolitan style pizza joint. In addition to pizza, C King and Co. Cafe serves a variety of unique salads, classic and specialty cocktails, and on the weekends, an out of this world brunch menu.
The decor and vibe here are just as tasteful as the food with an historic, Victorian elegance. It almost feels as if no time passed between the days the building served as a grocery store and now is a restaurant.
Reservations are available, and can be booked online. C King and Co. Cafe is open daily from 12pm to 10pm, but on Monday’s, it’s open 4pm to 10pm. There is street parking and a free lot behind the building.
Shopping and Historic Gems in Downtown Ypsi
After our lunch, we continued to explore the street C King and Co. Cafe is located on – West Michigan Avenue – aka downtown Ypsilanti. Downtown is an eclectic mix of architecture with both long standing businesses and new boutiques coexisting side by side. The buildings that exist along Michigan Avenue were built in the mid to late 19th century in Italianate, neoclassical, and Romanesque styles of architecture. But over the years, the buildings’ facades and styles changed. And some buildings took a more mid century modern or utilitarian form.
Over the past couple decades there’s been a big rehabilitation push to convert the buildings back to their original style. A lot of the rehab work funded by Historic Tax Credits and Downtown Development Authority grants.
Some of the stores we popped into included Salt City Antiques, a2vintage, and The Rocket. Salt City Antiques really blew me away! While I enjoy visiting antique stores, Salt City Antiques was the most organized and colorful antique store I’ve been to. Everything is merchandised so thoughtfully. It was almost like stepping into a retro museum of living rooms and dining rooms from the 1960s to 1980s.
Then across the street is a2vintage – a vibrant record shop where you can also find thrifted attire. And The Rocket delighted my whole family. It sells a variety of toys, candy, and novelty items for all ages and interests. It’s a shop you could probably spend hours in just looking around!
Located by the library is a pocket park that has a Michigan State Historic Marker with information on inventor Elijah McCoy, who called Ypsilanti home. There is also a statue of Harriet Tubman.
Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
One of our final stops in Ypsilanti absolutely blew me away! The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum houses several makes and models of cars that manufactured in Ypsilanti. In addition to that, there are some fun interactive attractions that my family and I appreciated. And to visit this museum, it’s only $5 for adults and kids 12 and under are free!
The 1981 DeLorean on display is open for you to climb behind the wheel of. Of the 6,500 known to still exist, this is one of them! And if you visit with kids, they love playing inside the Fabulous Hudson Hornet car. This car was the inspiration behind the character “Doc Hudson” of Disney’s Cars fame!
The front half of the museum is home to the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum. And it is located in the US’ final Hudson car dealership. Even after the Hudson Car Company dissolved, the former dealership was preserved by the original owner’s son, Jack Miller, who sold Hudson parts and cars until the museum was formed. It’s so cool to visit such an authentic, preserved place!
If you are a car buff – or appreciate history, this museum needs to be on your list of Michigan museums to visit.
Highland Cemetery
Our final stop before heading home was to the Highland Cemetery to view some hidden gems that perhaps, fly under the radar because… well, they’re located in a cemetery.
There are three memorials to view here – one, a Civil War Memorial erected in 1895 to honor the soldiers who fought during the Civil War. The other is a tomb with the word “unknown” inscribed in it. And the third is the cemetery’s newest memorial.
In 2022, a memorial honoring the 40 Black Civil War casualties and veterans buried at Highland Cemetery was erected. Ypsilanti’s Black American population had a high participation rate during the Civil War with as many as 75% of Black men eligible to serve signing up.
To find these memorials, drive into the cemetery’s main entrance, head up Soldier’s Row on the left side of the chapel roundabout until you reach them.
Complete Itinerary for a Unique Day Trip to Ypsilanti
- 9:00 am – Breakfast at Cafe Liv
- 10:00 am – Prospect Park
- 11:00 am – Yankee Air Museum
- 1:00 pm – Lunch – C.King & Co. Cafe
- 1:45 pm – Shops, boutiques, attractions along West Michigan Ave
- 2:45 pm – Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
- 4:00 pm – Highland Cemetery
Hotel to Stay at in Ypsilanti
Before our unique day trip to Ypsilanti, we stayed overnight at the Marriott at Eagle Crest Resort. The day before, we spent the day exploring Milan so decided to stay nearby since we traveled in from the Grand Rapids area.
The Marriott at Eagle Crest is a really nice, spacious hotel. Since this hotel didn’t come with a pool or hot tub to relax at, we booked a room up on the seventh floor with a scenic view of the Eagle Crest golf course and Ford Lake. The view alone is gorgeous! This would be a great hotel to stay at for those who love golf. And during our visit during an unseasonably warm February, there were several groups still playing when we checked in on a Saturday evening. Within walking distance to the hotel is North Bay Park with a boardwalk nature trail that goes along the lake.
Also located at the Marriott Eagle Crest are dining options like The Terrace Room and The View Restaurant. By staying overnight at the hotel, you receive a $25 food and beverage credit.
Map of Unique Things to Do in Ypsilanti
Other Helpful Info to Note
What are some other restaurant options in Ypsilanti?
There are so many restaurants to dine at in Ypsilanti. It’s truly an innovative city with a variety of cuisines and restaurants to choose from. One restaurant I recommend in addition to those we visited on this day trip is the Bomber Restaurant. Originally founded in the 1930s by Florence Baldwin, this restaurant’s patrons were mostly the staff who worked at Willow Run building the B-24 Liberator Bomber Airplanes during World War Two. After changing names and ownership a couple times, the Bomber Restaurant reopened in the 1980s with a World War Two theme complete with airplanes hanging from the ceiling.
Where do you recommend parking throughout Ypsilanti?
Parking was easy to find in downtown Ypsilanti. There is street parking available along Michigan Avenue, however, there are several parking lots behind the downtown buildings as well.
Is this day trip easily walkable or do I need to drive anywhere?
If you plan to stick to just exploring downtown Ypsilanti, it is walkable. However, I do recommend driving if you plan to visit everything we experienced today.
Do any of these attractions require reservations?
Reservations are not required, however they are available at the Yankee Air Museum and C King and Co. Cafe. In fact, if you reserve your tickets in advance for the Yankee Air Museum, you save $2 per ticket.
Where can we spend the night in Ypsilanti?
Definitely check out the Marriott Eagle Crest Resort. We enjoyed our stay and it’s convenient to get to anywhere you plan to visit within Ypsilanti.
For more day trip ideas or getaway guides to brainstorm your own visit to the Greater Ann Arbor area, check out my Spring Getaway Guide to Visiting Ann Arbor and our Day Trip to Milan. We actually visited Milan the day before we explored Ypsilanti. By staying the night at the Marriott, we were able to wake up and start our day trip to Ypsilanti earlier.
Happy adventures!
from Michigan with Love,
Jackie
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