Downtown Lansing - Lansing, MI Area Guide

Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) provides public transit bus service throughout the Great Lansing area, including light rail transportation, and shares its downtown terminal with Greyhound. Amtrak provides passenger rail service on the Chicago to Port Huron Blue Water line, stopping at the nearby East Lansing Station. The Michigan Flyer runs a daily bus service to Ann Arbor and Detroit. Several taxicab companies serve the area including the Green Cab Company, which operates a fleet of Toyota Prius hybrid cars providing green cabs to the area. Cyclists find Lansing hospitable with over 1868 bike trails in Lansing. The 2-mile bike lane along Saginaw Street is a buffered bicycle lane separated from the adjacent automobile lane. Delta Airlines (with direct flights to Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Atlanta),United Airlines (with direct flights to Chicago O’Hare), Allegiant Air (serving Orlando, Florida) and Sun Country Airlines (direct flights to Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis/St. Paul) plus Apple Vacations, providing seasonal flights to Mexico and the Dominican Republic; all fly out of the Capital Region International Airport. Lansing is a major crossroads for interstate automobile traffic with I-69 running south to north and connecting to Canada and I-96 running west to east to Detroit. Business I-69, Business I-96 and I-496 and loop routes also serve the area.

There are many local, county and state parks and nature preserves in the region. Located in downtown Lansing along the Grand River, the small 16 acre Baldwin Park was originally an Indian campground and later, an early county settlement. Today, residents go there for picnicking, fishing and softball. Hawk Island County Park, with a beach and swimming area, also has a playground, a 1-1/2 mile paved pathway, fishing and boat rental. It features a picnic area, volleyball courts and horseshoe pits. Winter brings snow tubing with guaranteed snow due to the use of snow making machines. Designed as a festival park with the Grand River running through it, the Adado Riverfront Park and Trail System is home to the Brenke River Sculpture, a fish ladder and the Potter Park Zoo. Man’s best friends have plenty of places to roam, including the two acre, double-gated off leash Northern Tail Dog Park providing a safe area for exercising dogs. Soldan’s Leashless Dog Park has 12 acres of space and trails plus a large pond for animal play. Parking costs $2. Visit the Lansing Jazz Fest and Old Town Blues Fest, featuring many leading musicians. The Old Town Festival of the Moon and Sun is a two-day festival of food and live music while the two-day Old Town Oktoberfest provides polka music, authentic German food and plenty of German-style beer. The Common Ground Festival, a weeklong musical event held every July at the Adago Riverfront Park, often has over 90,000 music fans attending to listen to major entertainment acts.

The cost of living in Lansing runs 4.2 percent less than the Michigan average and 14 percent less than the national average. An apartment can be rented for around $586, 7.2 percent less than the Michigan average and 21.1 percent less than the national average. The price of gas runs1.9 percent higher than the national average. A bottle of beer costs $3 to $4, while a craft brew will run you $4.25 to $6.

Shopping opportunities include major retail outlets plus smaller boutique stores. The Eastwood Towne Center, a major outdoor mall with many well-known anchor stores for your shopping needs, hosts stores such as American Eagle Outfitters, Apple Store, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Lane Bryant. It also contains the18-screen NCG Cinemas movie theater and several restaurants. Gibson's Books and Beans, a college bookstore serving the university community, has a wide variety of textbooks, office supplies, and coffee. University professors have been known to conduct classes on the premises. A small luncheon menu includes a chicken salad sandwich, cous cous, and a veggie bagel. Everybody Reads LLC, a community-based bookstore dedicated to serving the needs of the underrepresented and underserved residents with common interests, has a community room available for meetings, with guest authors often appearing for readings and lectures. This shop also sells variety of magazines, greeting cards, world craft items, and local artwork. Both major chains and independent grocers serve the area, including Meijer and Save-A-Lot. American International Bulk Food, owned by an Armenian family, has a wide variety of items plus a large Mediterranean section and contains a nice supply of rice, beans, cheeses, yogurts, and spices unavailable at other stores. Roma Bakery & Deli has served the Lansing area for almost two decades. Besides salads, spices, olive oils, and pasta, the bakery features European crusty rolls, tortes, and cookies. This bakery also makes special occasion cakes for events such as graduations and weddings. Many farmers markets scatter throughout the city during the summer, including Allen Street Farmers Market, Westside Farmers' Market and South Lansing Farmers Market. Allen Street Farmers Market provides locally grown produce every Wednesday afternoon and evening from mid-May to mid-October. Westside Farmers' Market opens every Monday afternoon and evening from mid-June to late October. South Lansing Farmers Market features great fruits and vegetables from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday from June to October. The historic Lansing City Market resides in its new $1.6 million facility on the riverfront and operates year-round, providing products from over 30 vendors.