<p>My D got accepted and we want to visit Ann Arbor in mid Feb.
We have a total of 4 days, we will spend 2 days to visit Purdue and 2 days at UMich. We like to spend most of 1 day on campus and half of 1 day around town. My question is what kind of transportation is needed to go about? We are from Texas so we are a little worried about the cold weather. Thanks.</p>
<p>Are you doing one of the Admitted Student days?</p>
<p>Renting a car is not absolutely necessary in Ann Arbor depending on which hotel you stay at and how you want to get around. If you stay at a hotel on central campus, walking anywhere can be done (in town or around campus) within 15-20 minutes depending on how far you want to go. Cars are convenient if you’re trying to go to main street or want to move around the town quicker / with a heater. Parking near campus is pretty difficult to find depending on the time and day (if there’s a parking garage in your hotel that would be best). Parking on Main street is very available though.</p>
<p>Any specific questions?</p>
<p>Yes, we are doing one of the admitted student day. This will also be our first visit so we like for our D to see as much as she can. I will ask her if she has specific question.</p>
<p>Mid-February, the weather should definitely be quite cold. But the fact of the matter is that, whether she goes to Purdue or Michigan, she’ll have to walk around in cold weather for a good part of the school year, so she might as well test it out and see how that feels. It’s rough at first, but you get used to it, trust me. :)</p>
<p>The question is whether you, her parent, wants to walk around in that kind of cold. Considering you won’t be the one living in the cold weather, you’ll have to make that decision. If you decide to go on foot, everywhere on campus is very walkable. It’s a large school but everything on campus is pretty well-centralized. To get to North or parts of South Campus, you can use the rather extensive bus system that Ann Arbor/UMich uses. As for exploring town, much of it is walkable as well, as it is literally adjacent to campus. However, if you want to see as much of it as possible, renting a car for a day wouldn’t be a bad idea. But, as Kyle said, renting a car is not absolutely necessary. You can see enough of Ann Arbor on foot to get a good feel of how it would be to live there and the atmosphere of the city. This is especially true if you manage to stay at a hotel within a stone’s throw of campus.</p>
<p>It’s going to depend on where you are staying in Ann Arbor and if you are willing to use the bus system. If you want to get a feel for the greater Ann Arbor area you might be more comfortable renting a car. How are you getting from Texas to Purdue to then Purdue to Ann Arbor? February will be snowy and cold, so bring appropriate clothing and boots. Also will depend on how “hearty” you are. Central to Kerrytown is probably a mile or slightly less, but if you aren’t use to hoofing a mile and not used to doing that in the cold, you’ll wish you had a vehicle. Average temps in February will be hovering around 32 degrees.</p>
<p>As of right now, our plan is fly into Detroit, get a shuttle (or rent a car) to get to Ann Arbor. Stay 2 nights somewhere near campus.</p>
<p>Fly from Detroit to Indianapolis, get a shuttle (this leg is far and I am not sure if we want to rent a car?) to West Lafayette. Stay 2 nights somewhere near campus.</p>
<p>We (the parents) are not too fond with walking for too far in the cold but I don’t know if we want to drive in the snow especially after hearing about the snow storm today in the Midwest. Is this an indication of worse weather this year than last?</p>
<p>Last year’s winter was very mild. This year is no worse than a normal year, but is worse than last year.</p>
<p>I recommend just using the buses. There’s blue Michigan buses that take you around campus, and white AATA buses that take you around the city. There is some street parking on Main but if you’re trying to park during they daytime it’ll be hard to find an open spot.</p>
<p>My boy is in the COE at UMich and I agree with Vladenschlutte that using the buses (airport to campus and University buses) to visit Ann Arbor is a pretty good suggestion. With respect to visiting West Lafayette I would rent a car. The shuttle bus trip from the Indianapolis airport to Purdue campus is 60-75 minutes. I cannot remember if the buses run hourly (I doubt it) or every 2-3 hrs</p>
<p>I would make the car reservation. If you can get a good rate the car will probably be as economical as the shuttles and buses and will give you more flexibility. You will probably need to feed meters or parking in a garage on campus or near downtown. Most of the hotels have free parking.</p>
<p>If the weather looks bad, you can cancel the car. While it can snow, the odds are that it won’t be a problem. Southeast Michigan did not get snow from the storm today.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit.</p>
<p>As a parent and visitor, unless there is a very bad weather forecasted/upon arrival in Michigan and you don’t want to drive in it, I would rent a car and stay at a hotel on the south side of town where rates are typically cheaper. The cold can be tough for those uninitiated and you would be miserable spending too much time outsdoors if it is. Even waiting for a bus can be painful in very cold air. There is also a large indoor mall in that area that can keep you out of the elements and diverted for a few hours if the weather is particularly bad. If the weather is nice, you can still park centrally and use university buses to get around. Cost wise there probably wouldn’t be that much difference between renting a car and taking transportation back and forth to metro airport, since you more than likely would employ a taxi for yourselves to do so. Finally, the freedom of movement with a car can’t be beat. When time is limited and if perhaps you want to explore more of the sourrounding area, you simply cannot beat having a car in Michigan.</p>
<p>If you are already renting a car, keep the car and park in a ramp or surface lot and walk as much as you can tolerate, take buses around campus and use the car to go see the areas that are far to walk in the winter. There are some nice restaurants that would be great to get to by car. If you are nervous about driving on snow rent a 4WD…remember that doesn’t “help” all that much on ice, but you’ll be sitting up higher and it’s easier to drive without the salt spray hitting your windshield all the time.</p>
<p>Can you provide the names of hotels that are close to campus?</p>
<p>Campus Inn
Bell Tower hotel
Michigan League</p>
<p>Rent a car to get there (from nearest airport, DTW, it’s about a 35 minute drive), but just park that car and don’t use it. D might as well find out how she likes walking everywhere when it’s cold out!..although there are university buses she’ll hop on too (they’re maize/blue…maybe hop on one and act like you belong?).</p>
<p>Stay at the Michigan League ([Inn</a> at the League | University Unions | University of Michigan](<a href=“University Unions - Michigan University”>Inn at the Michigan League - University Unions)). It’s right on central campus and is owned by the University. Used to be, I believe, a residence for female U of M stidents a long, long time ago. The above poster has listed the other two close in hotels but I’d stay at the League first.</p>
<p>Not sure if there’s on site parking as it’s a University owned hotel, but there’s a parking garage just 2 blocks west…walk thru the Nickels Arcade tunnel to get to it.</p>
<p>Also, why not just drive from Ann Arbor to West Lafayette / Purdue? They’re 4 1/2 hours apart. If you fly to Indy and then drive you’ll be driving 1 1/4 hours to get to Purdue, + the time you’ll take to get back to DTW / Detroit airport and turn in that car, + airport/fly time & then getting a new car in Indy.</p>
<p>4 1/2 hours is definitely within my “drive, not fly” range!</p>
<p>Michigan League was booked for our dates (only 20 rooms) so we reserved at the Campus Inn. Thanks for the suggestions ResIpsa.</p>
<p>Campus Days I believe includes parking at the Maynard garage for up to 8 hours.</p>
<p>Let me start by saying that most U of M grads (like me) love Ann Arbor. My D is in graduate school there and W and I (both grads) enjoy going back.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to rent a small car at Detroit Metro Aiport, no bigger than a compact. Parking is tight, so the bigger the car, the less spaces you can fit into. You can get a good price on Hotwire. Taxis and shuttles back and forth to Ann Arbor are not cheap. Remember - shuttle X 3 = total cost.</p>
<p>Campus Inn is a good choice, location wise. You will be on the north end of Center Campus on Huron and State, within walking distance of almost everything. If you decide to go to North Campus, and I suggest you do, take your car. There is much more parking available out there.</p>
<p>Check out the university entertainment schedule for your visit. You may be able to catch a live show of some sort at Power Center, Hill Auditorium or Mendelsohn Theater, among others. Ann Arbor is a good restaurant town. If the weather is decent, try to walk through the Arboretum.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>Ohhh. I remember our first visit to the campus! Michigan wasn’t even on my radar. My son kept asking to visit while we were looking at other schools. I agreed to go…we haven’t looked back!. Within minutes I knew it was where he would be going to school! Staying on campus is a great start. Thats what we did our first visit. Parking is frustrating, but not impossible. Cab fare from the airport is $55. We stayed at a hotel off campus other times and used cabs. It was $11 per ride. I thought it reasonable and I didn’t have to worry about parking! I hpoe you enjoy AA!</p>