What to do

East Lansing/Okemos/MSU Campus

The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, 547 East Circle Drive on MSU’s campus, offers contemporary art and culture with a historical and modern collection, including pieces from Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. The building itself could be considered a work of art, challenging the notions of modern architecture. (Noon to 9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; FREE; (517) 353-9836; broadmuseum.msu.edu). 

If you’re looking for a little physical activity, the Spartan Ice Hockey team’s home at Munn Ice Arena, 1 Chestnut Road on campus, is open for public skating this weekend. (1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Friday, 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. ($4 MSU students, $5 public, $2 rental, (517) 353-4698).

Kitty-corner from the MSU campus is Red Haven, 4480 S. Hagadorn Road in Okemos, a farm-to-table dining experience specializing in small plates. Red Haven offers seasonal dinner and drink menus designed for sharing, tasting, sipping and enjoying. The buzz has made it all the way to Anthony Bourdain, who will be stopping by the restaurant in May after a local speaking engagement. (5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday; (517) 679-6309, eatredhaven.com). 

The East Lansing Film Society is showing the film “Any Day Now” this weekend (3:45 p.m. Friday, 6:45 p.m. Saturday) at Studio C!, 1999 Central Park Drive in Okemos. The film focuses on a gay couple (Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt) who must fight to maintain custody of a mentally handicapped teenager. Also showing are festival circuit faves “The Intouchables”(French comedy), “Chasing Ice” (climate change documentary) and the Oscar-nominated “A Royal Affair.” ($10/$8 matinee; (517) 393-SHOW; celebrationcinema.com/elfs). 

Old Town/North Side

Old Town is one of Lansing’s most popular historic districts. Within two blocks from the corner of Turner Street and East Grand River Avenue in Lansing, you’ll find art galleries (including Gallery 1212, Katalyst Gallery and Absolute Gallery), retail shopping (Tallulah’s Folly, October Moon and Love, Betti) and dining (Meat [barbecue], Portable Feast and Friends [lunch café] and Golden Harvest [creative breakfast/lunch]). There are also bars, including the LGBT-friendly Esquire and the rock and blues bar Unicorn Tavern. Old Town is also where you’ll find Preuss Pets at 1127 N. Cedar St., a massive pet store that’s practically a zoo, with a wide variety of small animals, reptiles, birds, and both freshwater and saltwater fish. 

And there will be a host of LGBT-friendly events all weekend at official MBLGTACC sponsor Spiral Video & Dance Bar, including an 18-and-up Rain Glow event at 9 p.m. Friday and a drag queen show featuring Latrice Royale on Saturday (see previous page). 

For a full list of Old Town stores and restaurants including hours, go to iloveoldtown.org.

Eastwood Towne Center

The Eastwood Towne Center is an outdoor shopping center featuring a variety of retail stores and restaurants. Schuler Books & Music has an entire section dedicated to LGBT literature. Stores include DSW, Banana Republic and Ann Taylor. If you’re hungry, Mitchell’s Fish Market features fresh seafood and a full bar; Bravo! has Italian fare; and PF Chang’s focuses on Asian food. Tucked in the back of Eastwood is Bar 30 — restaurant by day, nightclub by night. (3003 Preyde Boulevard, Lansing. (517) 316-9209).

For a full list of Eastwood Towne Center stores and restaurants, go to shopeastwoodtownecenter.com. 

Downtown Lansing

Downtown Lansing offers many different options for dining and shopping and must-see attractions, including the Michigan State Capitol (with tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday) and the Lansing River Trail, which provides a beautiful view of the Grand River and the iconic Ottawa Street Power Station building. While you’re downtown, you can pop into the Lansing City Market, 325 City Market Drive, to find a variety of farm-fresh produce, mini-restaurants — including the Waterfront Bar and Grill — bakeries and a massage station. 

Downtown also has the eclectic Tavern on the Square, which serves small plate meals until 11 p.m. then has a DJ on Friday and Saturday night; P Squared, a wine bar with an condensed menu; and Harem Urban Lounge, an upscale nightclub featuring VIP tables with bottle service. 

For more downtown bars and businesses, got to downtownlansing.org. 

East Side

Coffee? Beer? Wine? Liquor? Food? Live music? The Avenue Café at 2021 E. Michigan Ave. has it all. The Avenue has a full breakfast/lunch/dinner menu and will host live music on Friday and Saturday. 

The Michigan Avenue corridor bridging East Lansing and Lansing is an up-and-coming destination for the area, recognized for its ability to connect communities. The Soup Spoon Café, 1419 E. Michigan Ave., offers gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casual setting. For live music there’s the Green Door, 2005 E. Michigan Ave., and Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave. If you’ve got the munchies after all that late night partying, fill up at Theio’s Restaurant across the street from Mac’s — it’s open 24 hours.

West Side

The EagleMonk Pub and Microbrewery is the only true microbrewery in Lansing. There are always nine different handcrafted beers to choose from (including the house favorite, Red Eye Rye), as well as three types of homemade wine and four homemade sodas. They also make their own pizza dough for some of the best bread sticks in town. 

(4906 W Mount Hope, Lansing, Noon-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday. (517) 708-7350). 

South Side

The Hawk Island Snow Park, inside a local county park, has sledding, snow tubing, skiing and snowboarding. A 1.5 mile trail around the park’s lake is cleared of snow for walking and jogging. If it gets too cold, warm up in the snack bar that offers hot chocolate and coffee. 

(10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Snow tubing/sledding hill: $7 adult/$5 child/$20 family [$1 for snow tube rental]; Skiing/snowboarding hill: $10 adult/$8 child/$30 family [1 p.m. to close; rates higher for all-day passes]. 1601 E. Cavanaugh Rd. Lansing. (517) 676-2233).