Although most Ann Arbor motels target their rates at conventioneers and academics, the Lamp Post Inn , 2424 E Stadium Blvd (tel 734/971-8000, ; $50-75), is a good-value motel about a mile from campus. The choice place to stay is the Campus Inn , right downtown at 615 E Huron St (tel 734/769-2200 or 1-800/666-8693, ; $160-200). Good B&Bs include the unusual Artful Lodger on the edge of the university campus at 1547 Washtenaw Ave (tel 734/769-0653, ; $75-100), decorated with art, theater and music memorabilia. The modern downtown YMCA , 350 S Fifth Ave (tel 734/663-0536; $35-50), is open to both sexes. The nearest campground is ten miles east, at the KOA , 6680 Bunton Rd, in blue-collar Ypsilanti.

Restaurants worth trying include the good-value Indian Raja Rani , 400 S Division St (tel 734/995-1545), and the wholefood Seva , 314 E Liberty Ave (tel 734/662-1111). Jerusalem Garden , 307 S Fifth Ave (tel 734/995-5060), serves the best falafel in town, while Zingerman's , 422 Detroit St (tel 734/663-DELI), is an excellent if expensive deli. A pair of popular brewpubs - the Arbor Brewing Co , 114 E Washington St (tel 734/213-1393), and the Grizzly Peak Brewing Co , 120 W Washington St (tel 734/741-7325) - are within a couple of blocks of each other.

Ann Arbor's live music scene has enjoyed a nationwide reputation ever since the Stooges, MC5 and Bob Seger made their names here. Unlike many college towns, the place doesn't go to sleep during the summer. For news of gigs, grab a copy of Current , a free monthly. Likely venues include the jazzy Bird of Paradise , 312 S Main St (tel 734/662-8310), and the often-crowded Del Rio , 122 W Washington Ave (tel 734/761-2530), which serves good Mexican food and hosts free Sunday jazz sessions. The Blind Pig , 208 S First St (tel 734/996-8555), is the best place to watch live rock, alternative and blues while The Ark , 316 S Main St (tel 734/761-1451), is a nationally significant venue for folk, acoustic and roots music. From time to time there are also live bands at the beautiful Art Deco Michigan Theater , 603 E Liberty St (tel 734/668-8480), otherwise a great place to watch movies on the cheap.

Festivals are a key part of Ann Arbor life. The orchestral May Festival kicks off activities, followed by the Frog Island Festival in Ypsilanti, which focuses on jazz and world music in mid-June. July sees the hectic Street Art Fair with hundreds of stalls, while early September brings the recently revived Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.