As students spend their time on campus, it’s easy to get caught in the East Lansing bubble. However, there are a variety of different entertainment, dining and artistic options within Lansing to explore. Read on to find out about a few of Lansing’s gems that are hidden from most students.
Entertainment
Mac’s Bar
2700 E. Michigan Ave.
Mac’s Bar is one of the oldest bars in East Lansing.
“Historically, it used to be a very rough and rowdy, crazy place,” said Kara Redmond , bartender and child development senior. “We have people that come in all the time after football games and tailgates that are like, ‘Well I came here 20 years ago and I was here the day the bar closed down.’”
The bar has live music four to six days a week, with genres ranging from metal, punk rock, indie, pop and hip hop, and also has a free comedy show every Monday night.
Customers can get half off of pitchers and pints of wells and draft beer from 3 to 7 p.m. every day at Mac’s. According to Redmond, Mac’s is mostly a beer and whiskey bar, but also has really good “strong islands.”
The Loft
414 E. Michigan Ave.
The Loft is another live music venue located in the stadium district of downtown Lansing. The Loft was established in Lansing in 2010 and has a 400 person capacity. It’s used for a variety of music shows and private parties. More recently, the Loft has featured artists such as Pete Yorn , Bubba Sparxxx and Danny Brown . The Loft features a smaller room called The Parlor, which has bar service, a pool table and Golden Tee. Managing partner Dave Sell for 414 Entertainment says the Loft already gets a lot of students, depending on the shows. Students can check for upcoming artists on their website.
Nuthouse Sports Grill
420 E. Michigan Ave.
Just across the street from the Lansing Center and diagonal from Cooley Law School Stadium , Nuthouse has all the makings of a classic sports bar. TVs fill the restaurant with a diverse and loud crowd of people, ranging from college students to people in their 50s. Nuthouse has a sports-themed menu that has food dishes from burgers to grinders to pizza and different drink specials every day of the week. Bouncer Blake Redmond has only been working a few days but enjoys the restaurant’s atmosphere.
“I’m always smiling, and the positive attitudes of everyone here keeps me smiling,” Redmond said.
Lansing’s Old Town
This area is made up of a close-knit group of businesses that range from restaurants to antique stores to boutiques. Festivals such as Oktoberfest and the Blues Fest draw students in, but the area features much more than that on a daily basis.
Katalyst Gallery and Gift Boutique
1214 Turner St.
With a strong but pleasant aroma of scented candles that immediately hits visitors entering the location, this art gallery and gift boutique just celebrated its fourth anniversary in September. Katalyst features a variety of art from water color paintings and photography, to print making and encaustic wax prints. The store displays the art of more than 200 local artists with a new artist spotlighted every month. Katalyst owner Sarah Christian said the featured work this month is artist Anita Bret’s oil-based paintings.
Katalyst has retail, fair trade and some designer pieces as well.
Christian said, “I feel like Old Town is Lansing’s best kept secret.”
Lambs’ Gate Antiques
1219 Turner St.
Lambs’ Gate Antiques Store gives off a 1920s vibe as soon as customers walk into the store. This family-run store, which was established in Old Town over four years ago, carries a variety of different antiques which are impossible to categorize.
The room can only be described as organized chaos. Shelves are filled with old books, tables are overflowing with jewelry and an incomplete set of four pool balls sit inside a wooden box.
Lambs’ Gate buys goods directly from people who have inherited things and has dealers who sell items to the store. According to Lambs’ Gate employee Ashley Lamb, they try to cater to all different types of people, including men, women and even kids.
“Old Town consistently wins the best place to take a first date or to take a date,” Lamb said. “I actually really like our store for dates because it’s bizarre weirdo stuff, and ... say you can just look at this item or crazy thing, and the conversation starts from that.”
Cravings Gourmet Popcorn
1220 Turner St.
A store that’s impossible to miss walking down Turner Street is Cravings Gourmet Popcorn — which might in large part be due to the giant decorative bag of popcorn hanging from the top of the building. The popcorn shop features more than 25 flavors which include typical flavors, such as white cheddar, and the more unusual ones, such as bacon cheddar. Customers are able to either purchase predetermined mixes or make their own mix starting at $4.95.
For indecisive and picky customers, there is a sample station in the middle of the store for trying several of the different popcorn flavors. Cravings also has an extensive collection of vintage sodas and other beverages. Manager Ciara Hines said Cravings got its start at the Lansing City Market and eventually branched off into Old Town in 2005.
“It’s a good area to be in. We love it here,” Hines said.
Restaurants
El Oasis
2501 E. Michigan Ave.
At first glance, this food truck looks like it belongs at a county fair. But since 2005, El Oasis has maintained a presence in Lansing. The white and orange truck, which specializes in authentic Mexican food, has several picnic tables set up for customers to enjoy their dishes.
El Oasis manager Francisco Gutierrez said his personal favorite is the steak taco, and customer favorites include the chicken burrito and dinner special.
“We have a dinner special, which is three tacos, beans and rice — that’s our most popular item on our menu,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said he tries to keep the price, which begins at $1.50 and goes up depending on the product, pretty reasonable.
Emil’s
2012 E. Michigan Ave.
This third generation Italian restaurant is about the closest thing to Little Italy that Lansing has. Starting as a food stand in 1921 in the same location, manager Paul Grescowle said Emil’s is Lansing’s oldest restaurant and the first to receive a beer and wine license.
The building, which is painted a sea foam green, is filled with old photographs and the scent of Italian cooking.
For any hungry students out there tired of ramen noodles, every Tuesday Emil’s features an all-you-can-eat spaghetti deal for $5.95. Grescowle said the deal, in addition to spaghetti, includes two meatballs, choice of soup or a salad and plenty of bread and butter.
Theio’s Restaurant
2650 E. Michigan Ave.
Theio’s Restaurant has the feel of a classic mom and pop diner from the ‘70s. The restaurant has wooden walls with old school decorations, including Spartan memorabilia.
Shift manager Heather Bergey said menu favorites include the eggs Louie, the bacon cheeseburger and anything fried.
Theio’s is college student friendly with Internet access and a 10 percent off discount for college students at all times. Open 24 hours, Theio’s serves breakfast at any time. According to Bergey, it’s already a popular late night hangout for students coming from Whiskey Barrel or Mac’s Bar on the weekends.
