A weekend trip from Chicago to Kalamazoo to explore black-owned businesses is doable if you want to experience a unique perspective of the city. When I travel, I make an effort to support black owned businesses every chance I get. July is the perfect time to visit Kalamazoo, as they typically host their Black Arts Festival at the beginning of the month. According to the United States Census Bureau, Kalamazoo County has a little over eleven percent of the population identifying as Black or African American based off July 2022 reporting.
If you’re driving from Chicago, Illinois like I did, the drive was under 3 hours to arrive in Kalamazoo. Road trips are getting more and more popular to discover destinations and save money when taking a trip. Flights have gotten ridiculously expensive in the past year or so and people still want to have the luxury of traveling. Kalamazoo is a great city to discover in Michigan. You can choose from an array of activities to do like visiting museums, listening to live music, watching theatre performances, interacting with nature, and so much more.
When I arrived in Kalamazoo I checked into Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites to drop off my bags. The hotel is a lot larger than I anticipated it to be. I was told by a handful of people I met during my visit that the hotel is one of the nicest properties with many room types. It’s a great lodging option if you are looking to stay at a property that has large, unique rooms and is even an excellent place if you’re local. My boyfriend and I ended up staying in a whirlpool suite. This room type is excellent if you want to chill out in the jacuzzi and unwind after a long day of exploring. I loved the fact that they had a sizable fridge with a microwave in the room. They were definitely needed for us to heat up our leftovers. I would stay at Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites again on my next visit.
GG’s (Greg’s Gourmet) was our first stop of the trip. I worked up an appetite driving in from Chicago, so we opted to get some food a short drive from our hotel. GG’s is a quaint black-owned restaurant with very minimal seating but a cool ambiance with music playing. I have never been so torn trying to figure out what to order in my life! The offerings of soul food at GG’s are unmatched and you will be getting extremely fresh food that will surely make you want to return again soon. The soft shell crab po’ boy I ordered was out of this world.
I enjoy going to a local museum at least once during a trip and I’m happy we got to experience Kalamazoo Valley Museum. This museum is a great activity to do with the whole family. It is a free museum that is extremely educational about the history of the city and interactive. If you’re bringing the kids here, they will love the interactive exhibits they have. I think I may have loved the experience just as much as the kids would. Pretending to be a news anchor and weather reporter was so much fun were the highlights of my enjoyment at Kalamazoo Valley Museum.
Downtown Kalamazoo is walkable. Our hotel was located there and a short walk away is the Kalamazoo Mall. It’s not the mall you may think of like a shopping mall or center that has a handful of floors and air conditioned inside a huge building. Kalamazoo Mall is the first outdoor pedestrian mall in the United States. I enjoyed walking along Kalamazoo Mall to window shop and browse the local restaurants in the area.
Friday evening for dinner we visited the black-owned restaurant Ty’s Joint. They’re known for their chicken and waffles and have a lot of delicious items to choose from. This spot was a favorite of the locals because there were a lot of patrons coming and going to get their food from here. I love to see a local restaurant where you can tell many customers and the staff know each other.
Right next door to Ty’s Joint is Twine Urban Winery. This winery is a beautiful black-owned establishment that has wine, small bites, and a wonderful ambiance. It’s an intimate spot that is perfect for a date night, girl’s night out, or nice get together with your people. I can agree with those who recommended that I order the wine slushies- you can’t go wrong with them!
Saturday was the whole reason I took my weekend trip to Kalamazoo in the first place, the Black Arts Festival! The Black Arts Festival is hosted by the Black Arts & Culture Center. They have held this event for 35+ years and know what they’re doing. I was so happy to witness so many people celebrating the black community in Kalamazoo. All day we experienced live musical performances, food vendors, creators displaying their art, jewelry, and apparel. The rain tried to get in the way of the beginning of the festival this year, but that didn’t stop the attendees from still showing out to support. I had such an excellent time listening to the performers, shopping with the local vendors, and eating from Kalamazoo black-owned establishments. If you may be interested in this type of event, be on the lookout for the next Black Arts Festival during the summer, usually around July.
Arriving 20 minutes after open time at Cookie’s Creole N Soul still had us waiting about an hour to get our food. Was the food worth the wait, absolutely! This black-owned restaurant has some great customer loyalty because the community did not come to play to have their Sunday meal from Cookie’s. If you’re in Kalamazoo and haven’t had Cookie’s yet, you’ll be in for a treat when you taste their food.
The last stop on our weekend trip was the Kalamazoo Nature Center. I did not know what to expect when I visited because I am not the biggest nature person, but this may have been one of my favorite stops of my trip. I loved going on the walking paths, I enjoyed seeing the animals they had on site, and I appreciated the educational commentary from Hannah, one of the employees at the Nature Center. I felt a sense of calm and peace when I explored Kalamazoo Nature Center and loved the experience petting a snake and seeing a turtle fed. Don’t miss out on the Nature Center if you have time to go.
As this was my first trip to Kalamazoo, I can without a doubt say this will not be my last trip here. I was happy to experience a new place just under a 3-hour drive from Chicago. Black-owned Kalamazoo is unique and growing! There are so many places that I did not get a chance to visit on this trip and I can’t wait to discover more of Kalamazoo!
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