Michigan State University has grown on me a lot- especially as a local. I grew up in this town when my mother had slaved away at her Master’s in Teaching- and for the Michigan Festivals- which were awesome.
When I brought a friend from Ann Arbor to EL, he told me that East Lansing was a poor man’s Ann Arbor- typical thing to say as a Wolverine. But the charm of East Lansing doesn’t lie in the pocketbook of the city- it lies within the people. East Lansing cultivates the warmest people in the world- and I have never met people more caring in all my life. East Lansing changes people- for the better!
If you are visiting East Lansing, it’d be a good idea to take a look around. The Beaumont Bell Tower is a great place to start- and the Children’s Horticulture Garden. There are also two museums in the campus (many don’t visit these) with great exhibits, and a rich variety of Hmong artificacts from the Southern massacre in China (including a quilt handmade by Hmong refugees.)
The Wharton Center for the Arts gets some of the best shows in Mid-Michigan like: Rent, Sweet Charity, Mama Mia, Vince Guil, Bonnie Raitt, Switchfoot, Death Cab for Cutie, B.B. King, and many other great notorieties.
East Lansing is alive at night, and the night life couldn’t be more packed from the months of November to May. Fun music, dancing, and all of the food you could want- many restaurants even closing at around 3 a.m. Of latest notice is the Irish Pub, which is gaining popularity, and any classic for veteran Spartan: Harper’s. Great new sushi bars, new restaurants like Pizza House off of Hagadorn Rd. and what better way to celebrate East Lansing than by watching a Spartan Basketball/Hockey game?
P.S. Melting Moments, the MSU Dairystore, and Melting Moments (Separate or altogether) are AMAZING. TRYTHEMOUT!!
While I have always lived near East Lansing, I have to say that living in East Lansing changes your perspective of what the city really is: a home for MSU. Michigan State University is an amazing place to come and see in the spring. My great-grandmother came all the way from Japan to see the beautiful trees blossom on MSU’s campus- and she raved about it.
Come see East Lansing if you like good people, good food, good entertainment, and good basketball!
over 6 years ago