After fall break, it really hit me that spring — and graduation — will be here before I know it. As a senior, I feel like there’s so much buzz about post-grad plans and at the same time, I’ve seen so many senior year bucket lists hanging up in other people’s houses. Beyond everything there is to do in this year, I’ve been thinking about what I’ll miss here, particularly as I’m hoping to move out of Michigan after graduation.
Above all, I’m really grateful that I ended up at the University of Michigan. As a lifelong Michigander, I’d hoped to spend my undergrad years in another state. Returning to Ann Arbor for college was not my first choice, especially since I thought it might feel overly familiar. I came to learn that the college experience on campus feels almost entirely different compared to the portion of my childhood I spent in this town.Â
As I spend the next few months saying goodbye to Ann Arbor, I’m really appreciative of the fact that my time here hasn’t been exclusively limited to the college life. While I love Ann Arbor’s college traditions, one of my favorite things about being here is spending time in spaces I remember visiting as a kid.
As I want to spend more time in some of the places that remind me how much I love the Ann Arbor community and going to school year here, I’ve come up with part of my senior year to-do list–informed by some of my favorite places to go growing up. These are also wonderful places to go if you want to get out of the campus bubble and spend time in the larger community for a little bit!
The best ways to spend senior year in ann arbor
- Go to the Dexter Cider Mill before they close for the season! This place has Ultimate Fall Vibes with donuts + cider
- Frequent the Farmer’s Market as much as possible! Maybe even go on a Wednesday? FYI, they’re open on Wednesdays, not just Saturdays, through December.
- Walk/run in the Arb more regularly!
- Go to other green spaces in Ann Arbor — there are so many other than just the Arb! Wurster Park and West Park are fairly walkable, and both are west of downtown.
- Wurster Park is really close to the Washtenaw Dairy, so it’s a great place to push post-ice cream.
- Did you know that West Park used to serve as a live music venue? The Grateful Dead played there in 1967, and to be honest, I’m a bit sad to have missed that one. The bandshell where they played is still standing, but may be demolished soon due to structural issues. City officials are in the process of planning for this park’s future, keeping its history as a community music venue in mind.Â
- Rent kayaks from Argo Park — if I’m still in town when they open for the summer!