LANSING - The smell of hot dogs was in the air as Jack Singletary and friends gnawed on foot-long bratwursts and heckled the Lansing Lugnuts’ opposition of the night at Oldsmobile Park, 505 E. Michigan Ave.
“It’s been a great guys’ night out,” the supply chain management senior said.
Norman Lee, an electrical engineering sophomore said he prefers the home feel of Oldsmobile park to a Tigers game.
“It’s a nice crazy baseball atmosphere,” he said.
MSU students like Singletary have plenty of entertainment options in the neighboring Capital City. They can step back in time, cheer on the minor league Lugnuts or dance the night away.
“Lansing can be the break from East Lansing entertainment that students need,” engineering senior Nikki Ritchie said. “There are educational museums, drama and a unique night life.”
Colorful flappers speckled with sequins and feathers fill a store window in a 1920s street exhibit at the Michigan Historical Museum.
Open seven days a week, the museum in the Michigan Historical Center, 717 W. Allegan St., offers a free journey through Michigan’s history.
Movie theaters on each of the museum’s three floors tell stories of the past.
“I Love Lucy” emanates from a 1950s television set, and a pink refrigerator from the same decade shows how far technology has come in the past half-century.
The 1960s era swings through video clips, speeches and fashion. An authentic 1966 Rose Bowl pin celebrates MSU’s last national football championship.
“It’s American history with a Michigan twist,” said Chris Dancisak, manager of visitor services and operations. “It’s visually fun and entertaining.”
Blocks away, students can brush up on their politics during free tours of the State Capitol from Monday through Saturday.
“Hopefully students can gain respect and understanding for their government,” said Dan Reynolds, a Capitol tour guide and history junior.
Reynolds said his up-beat tours cater to the audience. During a tour in July, Reynolds picked up a cuspidor and shared a story of tobacco use among politicians in the 1880s.
The tour includes visits to the galleries of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Laughter turns to “wows” when guests visit the glass floors of the Capitol’s oval-shaped Rotunda - 100 feet below the landmark dome ceiling.
Lansing also features the Impressions 5 Science Center, 200 Museum Drive, where interactive displays for all ages explain both physical and natural science.
“I love Impressions 5 - it makes you feel like a little kid again,” said Ritchie in July while playing with bubbles.
Ritchie said a visit to the Potter Park Zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., is also on her to-do list of Lansing entertainment. Impressions 5 and Potter Park Zoo are linked by a trail which doubles as a model of the solar system. As it works its way along the Lansing River, the trail offers a relaxing break from the city.
The zoo showcases more than 400 species from around the world, including East African black rhinos, Siberian tigers and snow leopards.
“The zoo, museums are all in a day’s fun,” Ritchie said. “I wish I would have visited sooner.”
Kristina Hughes can be reached at hugheskr@msu.edu
