The Best Things To Do in Kalamazoo, Michigan
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I’ve spent a lot of time in Kalamazoo AKA Kzoo and it’s a wonderful town with plenty of things to do. Kalamazoo does a great job hosting community events and there’s a charming downtown. Kalamazoo has some great breweries, restaurants, and unique shops. Here is your guide to the best experiences in Kzoo.
Downtown Kalamazoo
The downtown area has plenty of shops, restaurants & local events. It’s easily walkable and they deck the whole downtown out for Christmas with adorable lights. Here are some of my favorite places to visit downtown.
Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop
Rocket Fizz is a retro candy shop with unique gifts, soda bottles, and souvenirs. It’s a must-visit if you love old-fashioned candy.
Bee Joyful Shop
If you love eco friendly shopping you should visit the Bee Joyful Shop. I buy my shampoo bars here and you can buy bulk items and refill bottles of shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, dishwasher detergent, etc. I’ve also bought natural deodorant here, a reusable lint roller and bamboo dish scrubbers. I love supporting this local business and slowly changing products out for myself to be more eco friendly.
Vintage Fashion House & Great Lakes Thrift Co
There are two vintage clothing stores in downtown Kalamazoo. I’ve bought quite a bit at the Great Lakes Thrift Co and the prices are great for a vintage clothing store. I bought a beautiful rainbow housedress that I love to wear in the summer. They even negotiated with me on prices which was really nice. These shops are responsible for putting on the Vintage in the Zoo event.
Vintage in the Zoo
In the summer, downtown Kalamazoo hosts Vintage in the Zoo which is a vintage flea market. It’s mostly clothing with some vintage décor and gifts. I love seeing all the vintage vendors and picking out unique vintage clothing.
Things to do in Kalamazoo
Henderson Castle
Henderson Castle is my absolute favorite part about Kalamazoo. It’s an old castle that sits on top of a hill overlooking Kzoo. I went there for a very romantic dinner and it was truly magical. While we waited for our meal we walked throughout the whole castle and looked at the bed and breakfast rooms. I’m planning on staying here one of these days because I love the history and it’s supposedly haunted too. They offer murder mystery nights and other themed parties that you can attend. There’s a vineyard on the property and the castle also hosts weddings.
The Timid Rabbit Magic & Costume Shop
Timid Rabbit is one of the most unique stores I’ve ever visited. It’s a costume and magic shop that’s owned by a very eccentric couple. The owner is a mask maker and made one of the very first masks for the lead singer of Slipknot. The costume shop has plenty of homemade masks, vintage clothing, and weird costumes. If you love dressing up, eclectic outfits, or Halloween you have to stop here.
Riverside Cemetery
Kalamazoo has a beautiful tiered cemetery that I love to visit. It’s full of history and a peaceful place to walk. If you love historic cemeteries this one is worth stopping at.
Kzoo Architecture - St Luke's Episcopal Church
Kalamazoo has some incredible buildings and lovely architecture. There are a bunch of old churches in Kzoo and the historic neighborhood is worth driving through.
Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital
Speaking of amazing architecture, the old asylum is really interesting to drive past. There’s a huge water tower that overlooks the town and the mental institution surrounds it. You can’t visit the building because it’s still a mental hospital but you can drive past it and admire the building itself.
Garden House Vintage Market
This antique store is so beautiful and well put together. Garden House Vintage Market has a ton of antique, chippy furniture and vintage decor.
Best places to eat in Kalamazoo
I mentioned Henderson Castle above and I have to mention it again for its amazing food. It’s pricey but definitely worth it!
Sweetwater Donuts
Sweetwater Donuts is the BEST! Their selection is huge and the donuts are delicious.
Lake Burger
Lake Burger offers my favorite burgers in Kzoo. They are a teeny tiny hole-in-the-wall burger joint and they have newspapers hanging on the wall for you to peruse while you wait for them to cook your burgers. The chicken sandwich is just as good as their burgers. I love getting a shake too while I’m here they’re really tasty. Overall a great place to stop at.
Jungle Bird
Jungle Bird just opened in Kalamazoo and it is easily my favorite place to eat in Kalamazoo. The Caribbean wings are so delicious and I love the ambiance of the restaurant. They have birds of paradise chandeliers, a mezzanine, three bars, and rich black leather banquettes.
Beer Exchange
Beer Exchange is a really unique place to grab a pint. Beer is sold like the New York stock market exchange. There’s TVs with the craft beers listed and the prices go up and down throughout the evening. There will be random stock market crashes where different beers will go drastically down in price. It’s a fun place to experience and very eccentric.
Kalamazoo is an underrated town in Michigan and really deserves to be shown off more. I hope you’ll visit Kzoo and let me know what you think! For more Michigan content you can check out the travel section of the blog and these posts:
